Turkey day Tips

For first time Thanksgiving cooks to old pros, every one always welcomes a few short cuts, and good tips to get through the day smoothly.

The bird, that glorious brown, succulent looking roasted turkey, its all about him. This is the easy part of cooking your Thanksgiving meal. Here are some turkey tips to get your bird to the table stress free.

Planning the size for your bird is the first step. It is 1-1/2 pounds for each person. Then comes the thaw. Plan on thawing your bird in your fridge not outside on the counter. A twenty pounder will take at least five days to thaw. If the bird is not completely thawed when you take it out, run it under cold water for thirty minutes per pound and make sure to keep the water clean.

Stuffing your bird should never be done ahead of time. Stuffing should go into your bird right before you put the bird in your oven. Don't pack your stuffing, place it into the cavity with a spoon. Packing the stuffing in will not allow for the interior to get hot enough to cook the stuffing.

Faster yet, don't stuff your bird, make your stuffing in your crock pot. This will be the easy way and bacteria free way to enjoy your stuffing. Just place a onion and some celery inside your bird, along with some butter and herbs.

Did you know that you can even cook your bird frozen. Yes, you can and it will still be as juicy as cooked thawed. So don't panic if you wake up and your bird is still frozen in the fridge. Cook your bird at 325 for five and a half hours before serving. All the insides can be removed during the cooking process. Make sure you wash your hands after removing the insides to still avoid salmonella.

Rolls, everyone loves good rolls with their meal. But if you don't have time to bake, refrigerated rolls can be just as good. Also invest in different types of breads to slice up and give everyone a variety to choose from. For your pre packaged rolls, you can dress them up your self, with some parm and herbs, even poppy or sesame seeds before baking and after. For your loaves of bread, you can make different flavored butters to go along with them.

Now we all want our potatoes, for that wonderful gravy from the bird. You can go with the traditional mashed, to the bags now sold in stores of steam and mash. You can even used flake potatoes and doctor them up with butter and herbs to taste just as good as the real thing.

If you are serving appetizers, keep it simple with some finger foods. After all you don't want to get to stuffed before the big meal.

Save time and cook your veggies in your crock pot. This will be cooked and done with out all the fuss.

Don't have time to bake the dessert. How about buying your pies, or getting a good frozen one.