Thanksgiving for Dummies: Cook The World’s Tastiest Turkey, in 10 Simple Steps

Sounds obvious but the first step is buying a turkey. But more specifically buy the right sized turkey. A simple rule of the thumb is to allow for one pound per person eating dinner. Five celebrating the holiday? Get a five-pound turkey. For ten people, get a ten-pound turkey. Having twenty people over? Yeah, you’re going to ... need a big bird, but remember to make sure it will fit in your pan/oven/refrigerator.

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Gourmet turkey entree.

Rinse the turkey under water to remove bacteria inside and out. Pat the whole thing dry with paper towels and add salt and pepper.

If you decide to cook the stuffing inside the bird make sure you don’t overstuff. The rule of thumb for this step is ½ a cup of stuffing per one pound of bird.

This one is optional as it can take the turkey longer to cook, but if you do decide to truss it simply tie the legs of the bird closed with string.

Brush the entire skin of the turkey with melted butter or oil.

Turkey in oven. Getty Images.

Turkey in oven. Getty Images.

You should be checking on your turkey about every half hour or so, to baste and make sure it’s not overcooking. The turkey will be done when the meat thermometer reads 165 degrees F and about 45 minutes before this, you’ll want to remove the tin foil tent so the skin turns brown.

Stuffed roasted turkey on platter.