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Put in in the fridge today and if it's not thawed by Wed., leave it out for awhile on Wed until its thawed. (I've done this for 40 years, and haven't killed anyone yet).
Stuffed, it will take about 3.5-4 hours at 325 (so put it in a preheated oven at 8:30 am). Baste every 45 minutes or so with butter or pan juices. Tent with foil towards the end if it's getting too brown. Let rest for about 20 mins. before carving while you make the gravy.
Okay, speaking of gravy. How can I make this? My wife and kids are allergic to MSG so we can't use the powdered mixes from the store...they all have MSG. Any ideas??
May I add that handling turkey should be the same as you would for chicken, Wash hands after handling raw turkey and clean kitchen surfaces to prevent cross contamination.
And may I add that for all of you who thaw the thing at room temperature and have for years without incident... the germs are getting worse, and it's a risky thing to do to the elderly, the very young, and anyone else with a compromised immune system- 76 MILLION Americans get sick with foodbourne illness every year, and there's a few thousand that die of it. Any bacteria that exists on/in a temperature above 41*F multiply themselves wholly every 20 minutes. If you have 5 bacteria to start, in 3 hours time, you will have over 2400 bacteria. Just saying' .
Make sure to stick your meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat, away from the bone (it conducts heat and will give a higher read). For more information, go to Home or www.foodsafety.gov - Consumer Advice (http://www.foodsafety.gov/~fsg/fsgadvic.html - broken link).
After mine's mostly defrosted and just before I cook it I soak it in water which I've added a fistfull of kosher salt to. Divide the weight by 4 if stuffed, and by 6 if unstuffed at 375 degrees. You may need to add more time if it's still slightly frozen in the middle. The meat thermometer is the best way to check.
Gravy - Use a gravy seperator. Pour the pan drippings into it with a strainer on top to catch chunks. Pour the liquid into a sauce pan, approx the bottom 2/3 of what's in the seperator. Before putting on a hot burner wisk in 1/2 cup of flour till smooth, then heat while continuing to wisk about five minutes till thickened.
I've never thawed at room temperature, but last year, because of space/storage issues, I had to brine the turkey in a cooler in the garage. I was a little nervous about it but everything turned out fine. It was plenty cold outside.
Avoid selecting a turkey that is stacked above the top of the store's refrigerator case.
Yes--I do this with everything. But it's good to check sell-by dates, too.
It depends on where you shop, but if you wait *too* long to buy a turkey you might get to the point where only the 25 lb birds are left. It can be a tricky situation.
I think the one-to-two day fresh turkey thing might be a tad conservative, OTOH I think keeping a fresh turkey in the 'fridge means you really don't have a fresh turkey, and it might even become contaminated.
It will be my first as well. I usually make myself a chicken (my husband and son do not eat meat) but my husband got a small turkey from work so I am going to make it.
I have to get it out of the freezer today and get the process going...
I just hate the way it takes up room in the fridge and he will complain 'why is this in here?' for days.
My first turkey, too -- I want my mommy! I sure hope she'll be home on Thursday morning so I can call her in a panic if need be.
I've got a 16-pounder that's already in the fridge as of this morning. If I have to do the water bath thing on Wednesday, so be it. I'm not afraid of no stinkin' germs.
My first turkey, too -- I want my mommy! I sure hope she'll be home on Thursday morning so I can call her in a panic if need be.
I've got a 16-pounder that's already in the fridge as of this morning. If I have to do the water bath thing on Wednesday, so be it. I'm not afraid of no stinkin' germs.
I think the germs are if you leave it out to thaw, versus the cold water.
I try to thaw my bird in the fridge a few days ahead & if need be I have left it out on the counter for a short time to finish up the thawing process. I also like to season the bird the night before after I've cleaned it. This way the seasonings have time to soak in more to the skin & one less step to do the day of. I'm a big believer in doing anything ahead of time I can. My kitchen isn't that big & I have to plan out oven time & space.
Good luck to the first timers & try not to stress out. Heck, I have been known to sip on a glass of wine (if that's your thing) while preparing a large meal . My own personal celebration while working!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!
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I sure hope she'll be home on Thursday morning so I can call her in a panic if need be. 
