How to Cook a Thanksgiving Turkey Testimonials Page 14

• Thank you so much for your step by step directions. I made My first turkey today at my house. My boyfriend and I cook our turkeys two different ways... mine being yours and his being his own way. Everyone rated mine to be the best... even our kids. Thank you so much for making our family Thanksgiving dinner great
  
  Dakota G., 11/17/12
• I was super nervous about cooking a turkey breast (not even a whole turkey) for my husbands birthday dinner.  I found your website extremely helpful and easy to understand. I did the butter and spices and it wasn't gross (I'm a mother of 2 boys: a 3 month old and a 2 yr old so I have a strong stomach.) I also bought a digital them with a probe so I could know when the turkey was done (no more guessing). Small investment for a good meal. The turkey came out great! Thanks for your site. I see many yummy turkeys down the road!

  Jill A. S., 10/26/12

• I've used your method for 4 years (since I cooked my first one!) And while I've tweaked it slightly I've never had a disaster or any problems in fact, the birds (9 now) have been moist with crisp skin every time, I swear by this method and tell all my friends about it!! Thanks again for sharing, 
  
  Jacqueline, 11/2/12
•  I have used this method and it makes the best turkey ever. I have run into a problem now and then. sometimes the skin doesn't brown that well. Do you have any suggestions for this?
  
  David W. I., 11/12/12
  
  Note: Leave the lid off for the first 20 minutes at 475 degrees.
• Good write-up on how to cook a turkey. I am going to try it this year. One quick comment though...

  I am a professional chef, and I can tell you from experience (and it was on Mythbusters for that matter) that it makes absolutely no difference which way the aluminum foil faces (opposite of what I learned in Boy Scouts).
  Shiny side in / Matte side in has no effect, the difference in the surface of aluminum foil is a result of the manufacturing process and has no bearing on heat retention or reflection. 

  Thanks for the good write-up!
  
  Matt, 11/15/12

• Perfect!  That bird was so tender, tasty, and delicious!!  Although we didn't have an electric thermometer & ended out only sticking a non- electric one in 10 minutes after turning oven off, it didn't matter (came to 160° then).  Your instructions re heating in oven of 425° (Note: It should be 475°) for 20 minutes & then 3 hours & 20 mins at 250° for 10 lb bird was all we needed to know!  We put a few sprigs of sage in melted butter between skin & flesh over the breast because that was the savory we were using in the stuffing (which I am thinking I may have forgotten, anyway).
  
  But for your part, she cooked like a dream.  No rack, no basting.  We weren't sure about the Saran Wrap, had it tight but my niece came in & took it off till skin browned, then put it on as more of a tent, adding a little water to the bottom of the pan so that it steamed up, too.  Whatever, the changes were, they didn't make much difference as the bird was flawless, and we even ended out with a respectably tasty droppings gravy & the bouillon from the giblets (to be used another time).  This was only cause I started making the gravy & forgot about the water that had been put in to steam up!  Otherwise, even that would have gone well.  It's really a great recipe, and easier than pie or pi - never could figure out what was easy about either one of those, but thank you for the terrific recipe!  Feel free to edit this down for a citation on your web page!! Lynne H., 11/23/12
  
  Note: I wouldn't recommend using Saran Wrap in the oven. I think she was referring to Rynolds Wrap.
• Not sure if electric oven was dead on or not but did 475° for 30 mins (put pizza rolls into there about 20 minutes in for a snack so kept it hot 10 minutes long).
  Then backed it down to the 250° - no stuffing or foil and basted it once.
  Was ice in it after 4 days in the fridge but went ahead with it anyway.
  7 hours was the estimated time but it was 160 at the breast with 2 hrs 20 minutes left on the timer.
  Left it in the oven 20 mins after I turned it off, waited on the counter another 10 mins to be able to handle it and then sliced it up.
  Cheap tinfoil pan completely filled with juices when it was finished, had to use the baster thing to empty it before I took it out of the oven.
  Great idea - put the butter under the skin. I mixed in a bunch of garlic salt, coarse ground pepper and thyme and got under the skin at the breast, top of the legs and all over the outside too. The more garlic salt and coarse ground black peppered everything.
  Came out PERFECT!

  James, 11/23/12