I have to bake a TURKEY guys

[corarose]

GD'it!

I told my favorite Chef that I was going to buy my Dinner at Boston Market because it was cheaper and faster.

He went to the freezer and handed me a small Turkey and told me that he had a project for me and that I would have to make it at home.

I guess I am cooking my own dinner.

So should I bake it or deep fry it?


PS. THE COLLEGE IS GOING TO BE CLOSED OVER THE HOLIDAY AND THEY HAVE AN OVERABUNDANCE OF TURKEY'S.

[Liberal Veteran]

1. Baking it would be safer.....

Deep frying a turkey is an outdoor project.

[trof]

3. Damn right!

And deep frying is not for the faint of heart.
The turkey package should tell you how long, what temp, for baking.
If you have time to brine it overnight that would be good.
If it's frozen you can thaw it in the brine.

[Shakespeare]

5. Definitely brine it.

Frying really requires a specialized setup (as you noted)--a BIG aluminum fryer and a propane tank, and they aren't cheap.

Brining will help you roast a beautiful, moist bird.

[XanaDUer]

2. Well, you're a pro chef

you should be able to handle it! :)

Deep frying is supposed to be fast, but you need all this oil and to hoist in it and out of the oil carefully, etc.

Right: turkey frying is an OUTSIDE thing.

[SOteric]

4. You should roast it. Baking is a different process.

[corarose]

6. I am so damn tiered

I was at College baking until 11:00pm last night and I had a class at 7am plus I had another class after that.

I will bake it even if they do have a grill and a huge fry daddy (I am so sleepy I can't think of what they call it)out by my Bldg for the people who want to deep fry their turkeys.

[greatauntoftriplets]

9. Yep, roasted.

325 degrees -- time depends on the weight. And I have never cooked a bad one and have done it for years.

[Demobrat]

7. Huh? Deep fry a turkey?

You're kidding, right? I'm no cook, but if I had to deal with a turkey I would just treat it like a big roasted chicken. Rub it down with olive oil, salt and pepper, throw it in a pre-heated 500 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, then turn it down to 375 for about 20 minutes per pound. Plus add on another 30 minutes to allow for opening up the oven and basting a few times. Not fancy, but should work, right? I think another way is to cover the turkey up with tin foil for the first part, and then take it off so it browns for the last half hour. But I have cookbooks, and if it really came down to it I would just look it up in The Joy of Cooking. How hard can it be?

[Shakespeare]

8. deep-fried (cajun style) turkeys are GOOOOOOOD!

I know, I know....sounds bizarre, but they're FANTASTIC.

If you have a Popeye's Fried Chicken near you, you can order one ahead of time and pick it up Thanksgiving morning (assuming you don't want to hassle with a big deep fryer in your backyard).

[Demobrat]

12. OK, this is real dumb, but

do you cut it up first? I keep picturing this big breaded, fried turkey in the middle of a Thanksgiving table with all the trimmings. Admittedly, if such a thing exists, I'm sure it's a sight to see. But does it? Or do you just do it like a big fried chicken?

[Shakespeare]

13. Nope, the whole thing....and not breaded.

The frying crisps up the skin nicely, and they inject it with really delicious spices before it goes in the fryer. The oil is super-hot, which cooks it quickly and somehow the meat right under the skin stays completely moist (which seems counterintuitive to me, but it works).

The first time I heard of one, I thought, "oh, surely not..." and then I tried one. YUM. That's all my parents have done for almost ten years now--they swear by it.

I'm a brine fanatic, myself, though.

[Deb]

10. Do you have a large crock pot?

No kidding, turkeys are delicious made in a crock pot on high for 6-8 hours. Just throw in a can of stock and save the broth for soup.

Go to Boston Market and get the rest of the goodies to go with it. It'll be super easy to bone so you can freeze the meat for later.

[corarose]

11. I got yelled at today for not wanting to cook

I felt like I wanted to crawl in a hole and die because it was so embarrassing. My favorite Chef went around the class asking everyone what they were going to make and I said Boston Market and he went nuts.
They had a ton of Turkeys and he gave me one. He said that we pay $38,000.00 for the degree and one of the classes had ordered too many.
They would freeze them but they have to clean the freezer out during holidays.

[Demobrat]

14. Crawl into a hole and die?

I would have nicely told him thanks, but that it was my day off and I wasn't spending it cooking. But are you sure he's not just a nice guy who covers up a good heart with a gruff manner and just wanted you to have it.?

[ronnykmarshall]

15. Me TOOO!

We planned on only BBQ'ing two turkey breast, but we couldn't find any. We WON'T cross the picket lines and the store we went to didn't have any turkey breasts.

I don't mind doing it. But that's a hell'a lot of buzzard for the two of us.