Hi there i want 2 cook a turkey but dont want it dry wot is the best way , ?

Question

i want 2 eat it the next day ty

Answer 1

Cook it upside down. Turn it over for the last 30 mins to brown it.  

Answer 2

The best way to prepare a turkey is to brine it first. This technique is nearly fails afe, even if you tend to overcook the bird. It requires a day or two of preparation, so it may not be practical for you.

You need a a container large enough to submerge the turkey in. You could use a bucket or even a large cook pot. If the container is not something you would want to drink out of, line it with a brand new plastic garbage bag. You also need to be able to keep this container filled with cold liquid, which means it has to be able to fit in your refridgerator. You could also fill it with some ice cubes, or place it outside if the temperature is low enough. The important issue is that the turkey must be kept cold from the time you buy it until you are ready to cook it. Ready?

Brine ratio: 1 gallon of water, 1 cup salt, 1/2 cup of sugar. Your average 14 pound turkey will need about 2-3 gallons of brine, so 3 gallons of water, 3 cups salt, 1 1/2 cups sugar, etc. The idea is to submerge the turkey in this brine for about 24 hours, remove it from the brine, and then let it air dry for about 8-12 hours before cooking it. It is easier to dissolve the salt and sugar in warm water, so heat about a third of the water on the stove, add the salt and sugar, and stir to dissolve everything. Turn off the heat and add the remaining cold water. Don't put the turkey into the brine until the brine is cold, about the same temperature as other liquids in you refridgerator, so you might want to chill the brine with ice or in the 'fridge. You might need to place a dinner plate or something similar on top of the turkey so that it stays submerged. Now keep it cold for a day!

Remove the turkey from the brine, place it on a tray, and pat it dry with a towel. You could cook the turkey now, but the skin is soggy and won't get very crisp or brown, so put it in the refridgerator, on the tray, for 8-12 hours. Preheat the oven to 350, remove the turkey from the refridgerator for about an hour to warm up a bit before cooking, then put it into a roasting pan with a can of chicken stock or a cup and a half of water and it's ready to roast. Place the pan in the oven and roast the turkey until done, basting every half hour. I'm not going to say what temperature to pull the turkey out at, because there is the "safe" turkey cooking of temperature of 165, which is obscenely overcooked, but I don't want to get in trouble by making "unsafe" temperature recommendations. Just remember to allow the turkey to rest on top of your stove for 30 minutes after you remove it from the oven, and that it will increase in temperature by about 10 degrees after you remove it, so a 150 degree turkey will be about 160 degrees after the 30 minute resting time. Enjoy!

Answer 3

go to www.foodnetwork.com..search turkey, and get a better idea..basting is most important, also pulling it out and not cooking over down as it will still be cooking when it comes out to cool..don;t cut for the first 15min's. let it rest. use a food thermometer.  

Answer 4

After it's done soak it in some water, then it won't be dry

Answer 5

Baste it....a lot!! Cover it in foil until the last 30 minutes.

Answer 6

upside down (breast down) or cover it in butter then bacon then tin foil shiny side out till last half hour

Answer 7

Brining is best.

This is truly the best way to ensure a moist cooked turkey. Basically, the turkey is soaked in a cooked, then cooled, flavored salt water. When done right, brining adds moisture to the turkey, making the breast meat able to stand being overcooked a bit in order to ensure the dark meat is cooked through. Brined turkeys also cook faster.

The problem is you need a huge container in which to hold the turkey and the brine. It has to be done at least a day in advance. And it has to be kept very cold -- 34 degrees is best.

If you are interested in brining, this article on brining from eGullet gives you everything you need to know, from the proper pans and containers to the recipes for brine.

Prepare the turkey for roasting.

Place a shallow turkey rack in a large roasting pan. You can put cut up vegetables in the bottom of the pan if you like (celery, onion, carrots).

Move the pan next to the sink before you unwrap the turkey. You want the raw meat to touch as few surfaces as possible.

Remove the turkey from its wrapper. Remove the giblets and neck (nearly every cook makes the mistake of leaving them in at least once!). Rinse the turkey with cold water and pat dry. Transfer it your prepared roasting pan. Brush the outer skin with peanut oil. Place cut oranges and a few sprigs of rosemary in the cavity. Roast according to the directions below.

Don't stuff the turkey!

Stuffing must be cooked to its own proper temperature. In order to make sure the stuffing is cooked thoroughly, you will have to extend the cooking time for the turkey. And that means dried out, overcooked turkey. It's better and safer to cook the stuffing outside of the turkey.

Use a thermometer and cook it to the proper temperature.

The basic reason most turkeys are dried out is because they are overcooked. In the past, the USDA recommended cooking a turkey to 180 degrees, a sure-fire way to guarantee all bacteria was killed. Problem was, so was all the flavor and moisture. Now the USDA says it is safe to cook a turkey to 165 degrees, as measured by a thermometer.

Chefs have known this all along. In fact, most chefs pull their turkeys out of the oven at 155 to 160 degrees and let them rest 30 minutes or so until the residual heat cooks the turkey all the way through. But chefs are also very careful in keeping the turkey at the proper temperature (35 to 38 degrees F) before it even reaches the oven. After all, that's when the bacteria grows.

For best results, use a digital probe thermometer and cook it until the thickest part of the breast reaches 160 degrees. Then let the turkey rest! See tips below.

Don't use the pop-up timer.

They are normally set to pop at 180 degrees F -- way too high, which means you'll have a very overcooked bird. Remember, meat continues to cook after it comes out of the oven. A turkey cooked to 180 degrees will end up at 190 or 195 degrees and will almost certainly be dried out.

Skip the basting.

It doesn't do anything to add moisture to the turkey, and it forces you to cook the turkey longer, because you're opening the oven door frequently. Remember, the longer you cook it, the more chances you have your turkey will be dried out.

Cover the breast with foil one hour into cooking.

Since the legs and thighs have to cook to a higher temperature (170-175 degrees F) than the breast meat (160-165 degrees F), the white meat will almost certainly get done before the dark meat. To help keep the breast meat from drying out, cover the breast with foil about an hour into cooking.

Let it rest!

Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest 30 minutes before carving. This serves two purposes: 1) It allows the residual heat to keep cooking the turkey, making sure it's cooked through, and 2) it allows the turkey juices to redistribute, keeping the turkey moist.

Answer 8

Use a cooking bag and put about a half cup water in the bag before sealing it.  Then roast as normal.   The turkey will roast in its own juices inside the back (helped out by the water) and it won't be dry at all.  

Answer 9

Loosen the skin, mix butter or oil with herbs and seasonings and then tuck this gently under the skin, so as not to cause a tear in the skin.

Lay some streaky bacon on turkey.

Cover and roast for 20mins per pound plus 20 mins and remove foil for the last half hour to brown.

Answer 10

turn it upside down half way through cooking

Answer 11

Throw it away and buy a big chicken!

Answer 12

I never roast turkey anymore. I either use a smoker, which takes all day, but gives it a great flavor. (I have a "water" smoker, so it stays moist), or I use a "turkey fryer" which is pretty quick, but dangerous, and the oil is expensive. (You really need to use peanut oil since it burns at a higher temperature than other oils.)

Good luck!