In my panic I didn't scroll far enough and just found a great thread with side and other needed items so that gets me started on that part. Others are appreciated as well.

That leaves the main question on what to do with the bird.

First thing you do, before you buy a turkey, is to buy a meat thermometer.

dcarch

Take it out of the wrapping, remove the bag of innerds in the cavity...and plop it into a pan and shove it into the oven.
There will be directions on the wrapper to tell you how long to cook it.
As long as it's done....even if over done it will be "OK".
For your first turkey....just put it into a 325 oven and cook it until it's done....concentrate on the side dishes...this time.
Linda C

Linda do you not put any seasoning?

A meat thermometer has been added to the list.

I've linked my go-to, hands down, favorite recipe and it gets rave reviews every time I make it. I cook turkey at least once a month because you get a lot of meat for very little effort. I buy in bulk over the holiday season and keep them in the freezer year round.

Here is a link that might be useful: Roasted Dry-Rub Turkey With Gravy

You can season it or not...you can dry rub stuff things inside it....whatever....but just cooking the turkey in the oven will produce a very good result.
I have eaten turkeys cooked by hung over college kids, by stupid men with sick wives, by brides who had no clue....and as long as the turkey was cooked enough, it's all good.
The standard directions to beginners is "cook it until the legs fall off"....but that will result in an over done bird with dry white meat....a little short of legs falling off is better.

Any basic cookbook will give you..er....the basics on a turkey. Some Thanksgiving suggestions, gleaned from personal experience and those of friends:

Make darn sure the bird has enough time to defrost, if it's frozen. I know they tell you X number of days in the fridge (depending on weight), but I have never had a frozen solid bird defrost in time that way...I give it an extra day and make sure to check it inside and in between the legs & body long enough ahead of time so I can soak it for a couple of hours in a bucket of cool water if necessary.

Check your pans...do you have one big enough for the bird in question? If not, disposable foil pans are always available in the store this time of year.

Make sure you have extra canned chicken stock (or Better Than Bouillon's turkey base) on hand to stretch the gravy if necessary...you want more gravy than you might think you want, because if it should be overcooked or if you simply get a bad bird, plenty of gravy can save the day. Anyhow, if you've leftover gravy you won't use, It makes a great addition to turkey carcass soup.

Plan out your meal on paper. Figure required cooking times and sequences, burners required, and oven temps. You'd be surprised how many people get flummoxed because it didn't occur to them that if one thing needs a 450 oven and another a 325, they can't be served straight out of said oven at the same time...or, if you've 4 burners, you can't simmer gravy, boil potatoes, fry those wonderful appetizer whatsits, keep a pot of mulled wine or cider hot and steam artichokes all at the same time.

If you are having lots of people over, and folks are bringing dishes/desserts/drinks, it isn't a bad idea to make sure you've a nice Coleman cooler and some ice around in case you run out of fridge room.

Do as much of the prep work as you can ahead of time. Even little things like dicing vegetables a day or two before, pre-measuring ingredients into little containers or onto plates (think about the way it's done on cooking shows), and organizing and writing out timed "instructions" to yourself help a great deal.

If you don't know how to carve a turkey, find out who does and assign them the job or google up an instruction video and practice on a roast chicken one night.

And remember, it's all about being thankful and spending time with family...food is just food, no matter how delicious. :D

I agree with Linda, don't over complicate the turkey. It will be fine. I too have never had a really bad turkey...some were better than others but my least favorites are a relatives special ordered fresh bird because she always makes white gravy. Blech!
I use s & p and thyme on the bird and that's it. A few onions, a carrot and a celery stalk in the bottom of the pan. One half cup of water. As fond creates, brush it on the bird to get a dark brown skin.

I prefer few seasonings on the turkey itself as anything on it flavors the gravy base.

Oh and the fried turkeys I've had were nothing special.

Keep it simple this year and do a basic bird.
BTW: give it at least 4-5 days to defrost.
Cook's Illustrated says Jennie O' and Shadybrook are good.

Keep your sides simple and do as much as possible ahead.

A few ideas:

1. An electric carving knife is a good thing for slicing turkey.

2. A turkey lifter is a good thing to handle the hot turkey.

3. A pop-up thermometer is not a good thing to judge if the turkey is cooked the way you would like.

dcarch

YES! Let me second dcarch regarding the pop up timer. A BIG THUMBS DOWN on those silly gadgets. It'll be cooked alright...cooked to cardboard. :P

While your asking yourself why you have your hand up the turkey's behind, also ask yourself if you have seen the neck. If not, be sure to check the other end. LOL Good luck. Turkey is easy, but the traditional meal is labor intensive and too many things need to be done at the last minute. Make sure the turkey fits in your oven. I think it is best to have all of the deserts made a day ahead, if that is possible for you.

KISS.
Keep it Simple & Sane.

How many are you cooking for?

Simplify the menu. Just keep the traditional stuff and let other bring some of it!! If no guests, then you don't need 20 different things anyway.

Turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy.
Stuffing.
A green veggie.
An orange veggie/potato (i.e. candied yams, roasted butternut or sweet potato, etc.).
Cranberry sauce (nuttin' wrong with the canned stuff).
Rolls (or not). You've got plenty of starchy stuff already.
Dessert.

If time/need allows, you can add another salad (jello/cream cheese/whipped cream is a tradition here) or more desserts.

You can doll it up with veggie tray, relish tray, deviled eggs, etc. All of which can be prepared a day ahead.

Be sure to have plenty of good bread on hand for leftover turkey sandwiches. And noodles for turkey soup in a couple of days! Save the carcass for making broth if you wish.

Other tips for "first time":
Nothing wrong with the brown-in bags! You won't end up with a dry turkey. You can push a thermometer probe right through the bag.
Make your mashed potatoes an hour or two before the turkey comes out. Keep warm in a crockpot.
Prep ahead is key as mentioned above.
Stove top stuffing never killed anybody (OK, I didn't do any research on this). Not my favorite, but it'll work to simplify things. Lots of good recipes here too!

Don't hesitate to post questions here. Everyone is helpful and there's usually someone online...........even ON Thanksgiving Day!! :-)

Deanna

You are lucky, you have all those wonderful experts to guide you with your first turkey. Good luck and have fun.
My first turkey, I was not so lucky, just winged it based on the directions on the bag, no internet at that time and ended up leaving the bags with the stuff inside the bird, while cooking. I had no idea that something would be there. In the end there were edible parts and no one left hungry and I have a good story to tell for the rest of my life.
I did not make turkey for years because one year my dog got into some leftovers and was really sick and it turned me off cooking turkey. Then few years ago my boys found the attached recipe and begged me to try it. Sure enough, after I made it, everyone loved it, fought for bacon strips and it has become new tradition in our house for Thanksgiving :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Bacon-Wrapped Turkey with Pear Cider Gravy Recipe

I think you have gotten some great advice here! And absolutely, make your turkey as simple as possible, it will be perfectly wonderful. If try too much it will be overwhelming and even if it does turn out well, you will be so stressed you wont enjoy it.

Most importantly, have fun, enjoy your family, your friends and the experience!

Alexa

Punamytsike, me too! lol. The first time I roasted a turkey, many, many years ago, I was fixing Thanksgiving dinner for my husband and a couple of Morman missionaries (I felt sorry for them as they were away from their family). As we were visiting and the turkey was in the oven, one of them talked about having to remove the stuff from inside the turkey before baking it, and I grinned and said,"Ooh, yeah, uh, excuse me," and rushed into the kitchen to remove the bags from the turkey!

Something that hasn't been mentioned is the number of people you're cooking for. If it's just the 2 of you, you might consider something other than a huge turkey. My coworker usually does cornish game hens for herself and her husband, instead of a big turkey. Or, consider a turkey breast. Of course, that doesn't give you the experience of having that Thanksgiving turkey.

Good luck and have fun.

Sally

But, Sally, if only the breast is roasted, it is a thing of beauty. For a first timer, it would be much easier simply because it is smaller. Impressive presentation even if it isn't that whole Thanksgiving turkey!

I would recommend purchasing a fresh turkey, not frozen. Don't have to do the defrosting thing. Fresh turkeys (or fresh turkey breast) should be available at even modest grocery stores. I buy it year around down here in FL.

Great advice. Keep it simple. A turkey is one of the easiest thing to cook if you don;t over complicate it.

Some very important advice has already been given but I'll summarize what I think is key.

If you buy a frozen bird make sure it is totally thawed
Take it out of the fridge about a 1/2 hour before cooking
Rinse it totally, dry with a paper towel
Make sure the bag of gizzards and neck is out!
Keep seasonings light rub with butter or oil and season with salt and pepper
First time don't try stuffing the bird
Cook at 325 for your first bird, save other techniques for another time.
Watch the bird and if the breast starts browning too much cover loosely with foil
Use a meat thermometer, there is simply no other accurate way to test for doneness.
Let rest for about 15 minutes before carving.

As for sides I agree it's best to keep it simple. The only think I find stressful with T-day cooking is being overwhelmed with last minute mashing, whipping, carving etc so keep it simple.

Mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing done outside the bird, and one or two simply done veggies...and don;t forget the cranberry sauce!

Thank you everybody!! If I manage to pull this Turkey thing off it will be thanks to y'all. Especially since I'm not big on eating plain turkey breast myself.

It will be 5-8 people (incl. our 22 month old who eats like an adult). I need to keep the fair with some dairy free choices for my daughter so hearing oil and then rub salt/pepper is good.

Sides I'm thinking green beans with mushrooms (not a casserole), mashed potato (will save off some boiled for dairy free), and gravy. Need to come up with another side and dessert. Kind of stuck there as DH is picky and maybe I shouldn't consider him for it at all, since he will eat the above so he has something to eat.

The dressing - I'm not so sure whether to do or not as not many seem to eat it from the past. I will get the recipe from my MIL if I do make it as I love the recipe she has which is a hand me down and then see if I can modify it to work for my daughter as well.

Not sure what to do about cranberries - I'm the only one that seem to eat them. Maybe try the one mentioned on the other thread or something that contains cranberries.

So how do I make sure I get a good Turkey - I do want to do the whole thing as I would like to have the left overs for pot pie (we eat that a lot if we have left over chicken, so the turkey should be good too I think) and if I can make stock that sounds like a good idea too.

How would I use the bones to make stock though? Just throw it in with salt and water after we've cleaned off the Turkey? I've always used uncooked bones to make stock in the past.

Make your stock with the bones and the SKIN from the turkey!! There is lots of goodie in that skin as well as a nice "roasted" taste.
If you want lots and lots of gravy, I would buy some turkey wings and ahead of time put 2 wings in a pot withe 1 1/2 qts of water a half an onion chopped up a stalk of celery a bay leaf and perhaps a leaf of sage and a little thyme...add a teaspoon of salt and half that much black pepper and simmer it for several hours....like 4 hours! Either keep adding water or put a lid on so it doesn't boil dry.
Strain and refrigerate and there you have your stock for the gravy.
You will have some juice in the bottom of the roaster so add some of your stock to that, scrape up the browned bits....make a slurry with more of the turkey stock and some flour and slowly pour into the bubbling stuff....salt to taste...Ta dah!! gravy!
And there is no great worry about making sure the bird is totally defrosted...some ice won't hurt a thing. I have cooked a turkey from frozen solid and it turned out OK...the breast was a little dry by the time the thighs got done, but for turkey salad it was fine....and that was straight from freezer to oven. So a little icey is fine...as long as you can get that bag of stuff and the neck out of the cavity.
Try my cranberry Jezebel...you might find that people eat that when they don't eat the canned stuff.
As for another side....how about baked squash? peel and cut up a butternut squash into 2 inch chunks, male some butter in the bottom of a pyrex casserole...be generous with the butter...add salt and pepper....toss the cubes of squash to coat all with the butter and salt and pepper, add a sprinkle of brown sugar and pop the dish into a 350 oven for 50 to 60 minutes.
As for getting a good turkey? Even a cheap one will be good....but a free range, fresh killed from a local farmer will be best...IF you can get one. Remember "fresh killed" the fresh turkeys you get from the supermarket will have been held at 26 degrees....frozen but not "deep frozen" and it will lose more juice than a really frozen turkey will. Check the sell by date on the turkey....when you see "fresh turkey" with a sell date of one or 2 weeks in the future...leave it right there and go for the frozen one.
Good luck!!
Linda C

As another side, if squash doesn't appeal (I love squash) how about carrots, either sliced or in sticks, steamed and tossed with butter and a little honey? If dairy free you could get a similar effect with dairy free margarine I would think.

Sometimes I make a 3 bean salad and use it instead of needing to cook green beans when doing a big meal. It NEEDS to be done the day before. I haven't tried it but I would imagine you could also make one with mushrooms. Hmm, I may have to try that.

Another quick veggie that I like is to cook frozen brussel sprouts, drain all of the water off, and add Greek type salad dressing to the pan and let then cook a little more then set in the dressing until serving time. The feta and tanginess of the salad dressing seem to complete that veggie.

Most likely your turkey will be delicious, but if it isn't pretty, just carve it in the kitchen and serve it on a platter. My first choice would be to take it to the table and carve it there, but if I didn't like the way it looked, a sliced turkey tray with the drumsticks left in-tack can be very pretty also.

Have fun, and don't get stressed about food.

I have been in charge of roasting our Thanksgiving turkey since I was 13 years old. If you can roast a chicken, you can roast a turkey. It is not difficult. Buy a turkey that allows leftovers for meals and sandwiches. My cookbook says to allow 1 pound per person, but I feed 9 or 10 with a 16 pound bird and send my sister home with leftovers.

I love sage stuffing, so I make that. Years ago I made the stuffing from scratch, but now I just buy one or two packages of preseasoned stuffing. Then I jazz it up--chop an onion and several stalks of celery and saute in a stick of butter till they are no longer crispy. Toss the butter and vegetables into a large bowl with the prepackaged dressing. Sprinkle some seasoning on it--a teaspoon of sage and usually I add poultry seasoning or thyme. I like to throw in a half cup or more of slivered or sliced almonds too. Then moisten with some canned chicken broth (I have also added a fruity red wine, but it does discolor the stuffing.) IMMEDIATELY stuff the bird and put it in the oven according to your cookbook directions or the turkey wrapper. By the way, fresh turkeys are even moister than frozen ones. Any extra stuffing should be refrigerated and can be baked for leftovers.

Buy cranberry sauce or make your own.

Thank you so much for the help and the info.

Seems like the in-laws have changed their plans again so I may not have to cook for thanksgiving which I'm kind of bummed about especially after the help here I was starting to look forward to it and had finished planning my menu and when and where to purchase things.

Think I'm going to buy me a turkey or two though and stick in the deep freezer and cook anyways. For practice and should make a good meal as well, but not until after xmas so we get a break from Turkey as well.

My easiest way to cook a chicken or turkey
1. make sure it is defrosted IN FRIDGE day before
2. Remove FRONT and BACK bags of "goodies" (toss them)
3. Wash bird inside and out with water
4. Salt and Pepper inside and out
5. Stuff with rough diced onions, garlic and apples
, sprigs of fresh sage and Celery

6. Cook according to package/ and check with therm.

Never any problems :)

If you want to get fancy Rub UNDER SKIN with compound butter of sage, butter and parley

lyfia, I'm a bit sad for you, you seemed so keen. Good idea to buy a small turkey and give it a try later on. Be sure to let us know how it went.

Hope you stick around and share your new cooking challenges and adventures with us.

I actually first joined CF at Christmas when I had to roast my first turkey for a family dinner at my new home. I was nervous because I had some bad/dry turkeys in the past and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to do it, being mostly vegetarian and never having roasted any kind of bird. But now I do them quite often, it is not hard. I like small, organic free range birds. The one I did was 12 lbs. All Thanksgiving food is really easy peasy, it's hard to go wrong with any of it. The main problem is defrosting the bird, like folks have said here, and having good tools like a good turkey baster and good roasting pan and good meat thermometer. That one still eludes me! You can always buy an aluminum pan. You can rest the bird on a bed of vegetables if you don't have a rack.

When I did my first Thanksgiving, I basically followed a recipe I got from Wendy/Weed who doesn't post much here anymore but I know she lurks (thanks agian Ms. Weed!) But in the following years I usually find a recipe here, at the Williams and Sonoma Web site. They have a ton of ideas for menus and ways to cook various birds for holiday dinners. I don't use all their fancy gourmet stuff, I just improvise with whatever herbs and stuff I have in my kitchen that is closest to what they sell. Use whatever ideas you like, they'll all work fine, just follow the instructions.

Here is a link that might be useful: Thanksgiving menus from Williams and Sonoma

If you do have it, the cooking is easy.

One or two days before
1. Set the table the day before. Get all serving pieces and utensils ready, for each dish. Put them out. Napkins, glasses, stemware and decor if applicable, daughter's stuff. salt/pepper/condiments. Guests won't feel deprived if they dont have pickles(unless it's that strange person....)

2. Clear an area to serve dessert, even if plating in the kitchen. Keep dessert area near the coffee/tea area. Serving pieces and plates ready. Have coffee/tea making stuff ready, near the dessert area. Have sugar and creamer bowls ready for service. Use lemons? have a plate/knife, have it out. Dessert teaspoons/forks? put them out here.

3. Disposables are fine in my book. Fifty years ago I used sterling, china and crystal. Then silverplate. Then various potteries and stoneware with stainless utensils. Wood, chrome, stainless, etc serving pieces. Now I use disposables for appet and desserts, and I don't give a hoot. (70 yrs old now) And I love tablescaping. I have a ton of stuff. Very personal here. If you only have energy or desire for disposables, don't be affected by critical snobs. I love good stuff, but I love good people more-and I surely care more about the people.

4. I roast a turkey breast and dark meat pieces. Everyone's favorites. Use the time guides on the packaged turkey and/or in reliable books or reliable on line sources.

5. I don't stuff the turkey anymore but do stuffing in a casserole/or baking pan. No toxins from turkey juices-which can be simulated, taste-wise, by butter, stock, water and spices. Not the toxins! Packaged stuffing stuff is great. If you add celery/onions/nuts/family faves/ cut the celery/onions, etc the day before-which is two days before tg? Wrap in cheap fold over sandwich bags, double wrapped to contain smells.

The single most important roadblock to a successful tg day, is an inadequately defrosted turkey. This has been mentioned often before. Depending on size, at least, three,four or five days of defrosting. You can't do anything with a partially frozen turkey.

Keep it simple, less sides. Not 4 cranberry recipes to keep everyone happy. Guests will love 7 starches, but will respect 3 plant dishes. What do you want, love or respect. Well, that's pretty drastic, No, hunnybun, no need to choose between love and respect.

I am getting crazed. To be continued.

If your family's guilty pleasure is a sweet potato casserole with marshmallows on top, keep an eye on it while the marshmallows are toasting!! I just learned this lesson tonight (we had an early Thanksgiving because my son is visiting this week, not next). The marshmallows needed only a few minutes to brown. But I was busy carving the turkey and forgot all about them till I detected a burnt-sugar smell. When I opened the oven door, I saw that the marshmallows were cascading over the sides of the casserole dish, onto the oven racks and floor. What a mess! We had a good laugh about the "elegant" presentation ... and enjoyed the casserole anyway.

Sue

westsider, welcome to the forum. I got a kick out of your post !

You can also make mashed potatoes in the morning and keep them warm (and fluffy)for hours in a crockpot on low.
Jo

You can also make mashed potatoes the day before and rewarm them!!

you can make mashed potatoes non-dairy by subbing fat-free chicken broth (I use swansons) for the cream/milk and butter.

You can also do dairy free stuffing--olive oil for butter is passable. And if you're doing stuffing in a separate dish, stick the neck in it for genuine turkey flavor.

And turkey itself isn't that unhealthy so you can make it ANY TIME. Just do it.

Thanks, Chase.

You can also not do mashed potatoes. We never have mashed pots, in view of the other carbs- stuffing, sweet potatoes, cranberries, appetizers, desserts. Make mashed cauliflower instead. Lots of good recipes abound. My family is very health conscious and eats healthily, except for my dh, who is a dreck eating anorexic.