Thanksgiving Turkey Checklist

25 items · Cooking · Medium difficulty · 1 week

Plan the Thanksgiving turkey: size, thaw dates, prep, roasting to 165°F, resting, carving and getting leftovers into the fridge in time.

• Count the guests and pick a turkey size

  Allow about 1 pound of whole turkey per person, and more if you want leftovers.

• Measure your oven and roasting pan

  A big bird that does not fit with the door closed is a problem to find on Thursday morning.

• Buy a food thermometer if you do not have one
• Test the thermometer in a glass of ice water

  It should read 32°F. If it does not, adjust it or replace it.

• Buy the turkey

  A frozen bird can be bought weeks ahead. Buy a fresh one no more than 1 or 2 days before cooking.

• Clear the bottom shelf of the refrigerator
• Work out the day the turkey goes into the fridge to thaw

  Count 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds, then add a day of slack.

• Put the frozen turkey in the fridge in its wrapper, on a tray

  The tray on the bottom shelf catches drips before they reach other food.

• If it is still frozen too close to the day, switch to a cold water thaw

  Keep it wrapped and submerged in cold tap water, change the water every 30 minutes, allow 30 minutes per pound, and cook it as soon as it thaws.

• Decide whether the stuffing goes in the bird or in a separate dish

  USDA suggests a separate dish. Stuffing cooked inside must also reach 165°F at its center.

• Write an oven schedule for the day

  Count back from dinner: roasting time, 20 minutes of resting, then the side dishes that need the oven while the turkey rests.

• Remove the neck and the giblet bag

  Check both the main cavity and the neck cavity. They are often in different places.

• Pat the turkey dry instead of rinsing it

  Rinsing raw poultry splashes its juices around the sink and counter.

• Wash your hands, the cutting board and the sink after handling the raw bird
• Preheat the oven to at least 325°F
• Stuff the bird loosely, right before it goes in the oven, if you are stuffing it
• Roast it breast side up on a rack in the pan

  USDA's timetable puts an unstuffed 12 to 14 pound turkey at about 3 to 3 3/4 hours at 325°F. Use it as a guide, not as the test.

• Start checking the temperature before the expected finish time
• Confirm 165°F in the breast, thigh and wing

  Measure the thickest part of the breast and the innermost part of the thigh and wing, keeping the probe off the bone.

• Check that the center of the stuffing has reached 165°F too

  If the turkey is done and the stuffing is not, spoon the stuffing into a dish and keep baking it.

• Let the turkey rest for 20 minutes before carving
• Make the gravy from the pan drippings while it rests
• Cut the leftover meat off the bone before storing it

  Smaller pieces in shallow containers cool faster in the fridge.

• Get the leftovers into the fridge within 2 hours of the turkey leaving the oven
• Eat the leftovers within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them

  Reheat them until they are hot all the way through, to 165°F.

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