How to Roast a Turkey

Turkey Dinner

Roasting a turkey isn't as hard as it sounds. Here's a basic recipe to get you started. In this case, the turkey is not stuffed, so you might want to prepare a stuffing on the side. Serves six.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• 12- to 14-lb. turkey, thawed if purchased frozen
• olive (not virgin) oil for brushing
• salt and pepper
• stuffing (see related eHows)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Remove turkey from its wrapping and remove neck and giblets from inside the cavity. Set aside to make gravy later (see Related eHows).

3. Rinse turkey inside and out with cold water. Pat dry with paper towels.

4. Put oven rack on lowest level of oven.

5. Place turkey, breast side up, on a roasting rack in a roasting pan.

6. 

   Rub the outside of the turkey with olive oil.

7. 

   Salt and pepper the turkey's body and cavity. Use the salt and pepper to taste. Remember, if you add too much you can ruin the taste, but you can always add extra later.

8. 

   Roast turkey about 3 hours, or until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh registers 175 to 180 degrees F.

Tips & Warnings

• In general, a turkey should be roasted 10 to 12 minutes per pound if it is not stuffed and 12 to 15 minutes per pound if it is stuffed.

• In general, you shouldn't cover a roasting turkey (or any roasting meat); you want the skin to get a nice, deep brown all over, and you don't want it to steam in its own juices. However, if the turkey begins to brown too quickly, well before it's likely to be done, you can cover the brown parts loosely with aluminum foil. (This is likely to happen with larger birds.) Try to cover as little of the turkey as possible so you don't create steam.

• Be sure to check out other eHow turkey recipes - search the site for "turkey."