By Sofia Segounis, Nutritionist

The holiday season would not be the same without a home-cooked turkey. Your guests are expecting to gobble up some tenderly cooked meat and you wouldn’t want to disappoint them. Instead of risking an over-cooked, dry turkey this season, read the following easy tips to cooking the perfect turkey dinner then try a delicious Truestar turkey recipe.

Selecting the turkey
There are two questions to ask when selecting a turkey:

- Do I want fresh or frozen?
- How many people am I feeding?

The only difference between buying a fresh or a frozen turkey is the time needed to defrost. If buying frozen, plan ahead and give yourself enough time to defrost. There is nothing worse than starting to prepare a meal and finding out that the turkey is still frozen solid!

The best way to defrost the turkey is in the fridge; it requires one day for every five pounds of turkey. For example, a 10 pound turkey will take two days. If you have miscalculated the amount of time needed to defrost your turkey, there is a way to speed up the process: simply place the turkey in a cold water bath. This takes 30 minutes for every pound of turkey, so your 10 pound turkey will take five hours.

If purchasing a fresh turkey, simply buy it one day prior to serving and leave it in the fridge until you are ready to cook it. Make sure you reserve the size you want with the butcher ahead of time so you are not stuck with one that is too big or too small, or even worse—none at all!

How much do I need?
To figure out how big the turkey should be, estimate an amount someone would eat (the serving size of turkey) and multiply it by the number of guests. The 10 pound turkey will serve 10 to 15 people, assuming that each will receive a 10 to 16 ounce portion.

How do I prepare the turkey?
1. After the turkey has been thoroughly defrosted, wash it well, inside and out.

2. Remove the giblets from the inside of the turkey. You don’t want a surprise when carving it at the table!

3. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Prepare the bird with the desired seasonings, brush with melted butter and place it on a rack in a roasting pan. Tie the legs together. Cover it with foil or the pan cover, and place it in the oven to cook.

If you want to stuff it, make sure that the stuffing is loose and not tightly packed inside (stuffing expands when it cooks). Use the chart below to estimate cooking time.

During the last 10 – 20 minutes of baking, remove the foil or lid to let the skin brown. Take the temperature of the turkey to ensure that is it fully cooked; place a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the turkey (which would be the center of the breast). The temperature should be at least 170 F. If the turkey is stuffed, take the temperature of the stuffing as well. This should be at least 165 F.

When the turkey is both browned nicely and the temperature is correct, remove the turkey from the oven. Let it stand for 30 minutes before carving to make sure the turkey is juicy.

Now you can relax and enjoy your holiday worry-free, knowing your turkey will turn out just fine. Visit the Truestar Nutrition section for a variety of holiday recipes to accompany your turkey.

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