Turkey is one of the better main dishes for a feast because it contains a lot of meat to feed many guests and there is very little fat, calories or cholesterol to deal with. You will only find fat in the meat that is dark and in the skin. Your guests will appreciate the low fat qualities of the turkey and it will allow them to eat a few other things they shouldn’t. The body processes turkey much more easily than it would beef or pork so those that have digestive problems will also appreciate this meat. Turkey provides the body with vitamins and other nutrients necessary to keep it strong and healthy

Roast turkey is very easy to make it is just a bit time consuming. An unstuffed bird weighing twelve pounds will have to be in the oven for around two and a half to’0minutes and a larger bird up to twenty pounds will cook for up to five hours. Getting the bird ready to cook does not take much time at all.

Grocery stores carry frozen turkeys all year round. Some supermarkets even have fresh breasts and legs available at all times. You will need to thaw a frozen bird in the refrigerator before you can put it in the oven and that can take a few days. A small turkey up to fifteen lbs should be left to thaw in the refrigerator up to four days and a large bird of up to twenty-five lbs will take around five days to thaw. The bird will tend to drip while thawing so be sure to put it in a pan so you don’t have drippings in your refrigerator.

The first step to prepping your turkey to cook is to remove the packaging. You will find some clips that hold the legs together and those need to be taken off. Once the legs are apart you will see the cavity of the bird and there is usually a small package inside that contains the giblets (internal organs or heart, liver and kidneys) and the neck. Traditionalists chop the organs up and cook them in butter to be placed in the stuffing and the neck is usually boiled in water with onions and celery to make turkey stock for the gravy. You don’t have to use them however and if you desire you can cook them and give them to your dog or cat. Never give it to them raw and never give them the neck.

In the next step the bird needs to be washed down so run water outside and inside of the bird until you are sure all blood is gone. Don’t use soap to wash a bird - only water. Pat the bird dry with a few paper towels and then put it in a large roasting pan with the breast facing up.

Stuffing is a good side dish to be served with turkey and it can be cooked inside the cavity of the bird but always stuff it a few minutes prior to putting it in the oven. You don’t want your guests to get food poisoning and that is likely to happen if you let the stuffing sit inside the bird for awhile. It is much safer to make stuffing outside of the bird. Place a few peeled and lightly chopped onions and some celery inside the cavity if you don’t stuff it. Add garlic if you desire and a few teaspoons of butter. These things will impart a lovely flavor to your bird. Remove them before serving. Melt some butter in a saucepan and brush a heavy coating over the breast and legs of the bird. If you are worried about fat content use a butter product that does not contain a lot of fat. Season the bird with salt and pepper and add some dry sage. Other herbs good for bird are rosemary and thyme. Pour 1 or 2 cups water in the pan, not over the bird to give it some moisture. It should just cover the bottom of the pan. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F and pop the turkey in, uncovered, for one half hour. Turn the temperature down to 350 degrees for the duration of cooking time.

Before you put the bird in the oven insert an oven safe meat thermometer in the thigh of the bird. If you have an instant meat thermometer you can use it after the bird has been in the oven for awhile. The internal temperature of the bird is important because it tells you when it is safe to eat. The time a bird stays in the oven depends on the size. Small birds go for about three hours, medium small (12 to– pounds) go three and three fourths hours, medium (15 to’) cooks four and one fourth hours, a large (19 to 20) cooks four and one half hours and a extra large (20 and up) should stay in the oven five to five and one half hours. You will know it is done when the meat thermometer hits’0 degrees F. If you notice the top of the turkey getting too brown just add a tent of foil. Watch the thermometer and when it reaches about 150 degrees start basting by sucking the juices from the bottom of the pan with a baster and squirting on the breast and legs of the turkey every 20 minutes. This will keep the meat moist.

Place the finished product on a platter and do not carve until 10 minutes have elapsed. You can bring it to your feast table to impress your guests and carve it there. Make sure to try and have some leftovers because bird sandwiches the next day are delicious.

With Thanksgiving approaching, it is time to think about the best roast turkey recipe and I prefer a traditional recipe, with traditional presentation, which includes a classic turkey gravy made the old fashioned way.