Episode 1
How to Cook a Turkey for Your Family and Others
A roasted Turkey or chicken is a very versatile source of protein meat that you can use in many meals. It’s not just for Thanksgiving!
What You’ll Need
Ingredients
How to roast a turkey:
- If the turkey is frozen, thaw completely. To maintain health safety, thaw in a refrigerator. This process will take several days depending upon the size of the bird.
- Sanitize your sink and hands
- Cut open the thawed turkey package. Lots of natural will spill out
- Remove the neck from the main cavity and the bag of gizzards from the other end
- Wash the bird thoroughly till the water runs clear
- Dry off the excess moisture from the turkey
- Using turkey cooking bags is a great way to seal the natural juices in the meat as it cooks to avoid having to baste the bird. Prepare the bag according to the manufacturer’s directions on the packaging. This will ensure that the cooking bag will not explode during the roasting process.
- Put the turkey inside the cooking bag, then lay in a large oven-proof pan.
- Cover with olive oil or butter and salt & pepper. Some may want to experiment with other seasoning like rosemary, herbs de Provence, a Cajun or chili pepper blend
- Stuff the cavity and around the bird in the bag with cut-up raw onion and celery
- Close up the bag and put in an oven for 350 degrees F for about 3hours. Check the chart on the cooking bag packaging for the correct cooking length of time based upon the turkey’s weight.
- Be careful not to burn yourself while removing the oven-proof turkey pan from the oven. Place pan on a heat-resistant surface to cool for approximately 30 minutes. This allows the bird to set and stay moist. The delicious smell will tempt you to cut into it right away for a nibble but try to resist.
- Slice and serve.
- Be sure to remove all the meat from the bones. These can be used in casserole recipes and soups later on. Freezer plastic bags are the best way to store them for future use. Be sure to mark the bag of the contents and date.
- Also save the carcass bones if you want to make healthy bone broth/turkey stock. The bones can be stored in plastic freezer bags and put in the freezer for future use as well.
