Your turkey will be the showstopper this year!
BuzzFeed
Watch the full video instructions here:
When To Buy:
If you’re buying a fresh turkey, you want to buy it 2 days in advance. If you’re buying a frozen turkey, you want to buy it at least 5 days in advance (if you’re planning on defrosting it in the fridge, otherwise you can defrost it more quickly in water).
How Big Of A Turkey To Buy:
You want to plan on buying a turkey that weighs enough to leave 1½ pounds per person (a lot of that weight will be bones and the carcass). Bonus tip: If you’re cooking for a large crowd, you’re better off buying two smaller turkeys instead of one huge one. With bigger turkeys, the breasts are so large that by the time they cook through, the rest of the turkey will be very dry, so it’s hard to get an even cook.
Storage:
You want to store your turkey on a baking tray to catch any juices that might leak through the bag and onto your fridge. It’s also ideal to store it on the lowest shelf of your fridge in case there are any leaks, so it can’t leak onto other food.
With A Fresh Turkey:
Defrost in your fridge for 1 day. Refrigerators at grocery stores are much colder than what you have at home, so it’ll still be pretty solid if bought fresh. Defrosting it for 1 day at home will ensure that it’s fully defrosted and easy to work with.
With A Frozen Turkey:
You can either defrost it in your fridge for 4-5 days, or if you don’t have that much time, you can defrost it in a container of cold water that you refresh every 30 minutes. This process will take about 30 minutes per pound.
via BuzzFeed/Food
