With Thanksgiving just days away, many families across the United States are already preparing for the big day.

For those who have not yet bought a turkey, experts suggest shoppers calculate the size of the turkey they need by counting the number of guests expected.

“To calculate the size of the turkey, you’ll want to account for one pound per person if you’re buying a whole turkey and about a half a pound per person if you’re buying a turkey breast.,” Norma Farrell, consumer education specialist with National Turkey Federation, said in an interview with the Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) Radio Network.

If you are frying, grilling or smoking a turkey, it’s important to consider the turkey’s size and shape during the purchase.

“If you’re going to deep fry a turkey, it should be no more than about 14 pounds. If you’re having lots of people, then you can buy two smaller birds instead of one big bird. They cook faster in addition to the common sense factor of lowering something that’s so heavy into a pot of boiling oil,” Farrell said.

If the turkey is going to be smoked or grilled, then the size of the bird matters in its configuration. If something has to go under a dome, as in grilling or smoking, the turkey should be sort of fat and broad as opposed to high and tall.

For those who have bought frozen turkeys, there’s a simple formula for deciding when to start thawing.

“We recommend, as does the USDA and every other poultry organization, that thawing a frozen turkey be done under refrigeration,” Farrell said. “You should allow approximately 24 hours for every four and a half pounds of turkey. That means, on Monday, if someone is thawing a turkey that’s 12 pounds they should begin to thaw the turkey because it would take about two and two-thirds days.”

Larger turkeys should already be thawing under refrigeration.

While thawing or refrigerating a fresh turkey, Farrell suggests buyers position their turkey upside down.

“That lets the juices run into the more tender areas of the turkey instead of having it drain into the bottom of the bird,” Farrell said.

The National Turkey Federation recommends the open method of cooking a turkey, which is cooking it at 325 degrees Fahrenheit. They also suggest cooks use a food thermometer to ensure the bird is cooked thoroughly.

“Measure the internal temperature of the turkey. (It should be) one 165 in the breast and 175 in the whole turkey in the thigh,” Farrell said.
If the turkey is being stuffed, measure the stuffing internal temperature also so it reaches 165 degrees.

If you’re using a regular thermal oven, be mindful of hot spots.

“If cookies or biscuits are being baked, sometimes that pan has to be turned. Well, the same is true for a turkey. First of all, if you have a convection oven, use the convection because that eliminates the hot spots and the cause for turning.

If you don’t have a convection oven, place the turkey legs in the back of the oven.

Make sure with both ovens that the top of the turkey is in the center of the oven. That means the oven rack goes on the lowest shelf. It’s ideal to use a v-shaped rack that the turkey can be secured in,” Farrell said.

Farrell’s full interview with Tom Nicolette on the TFB Radio Network can be heard here: http://bit.ly/1XjMXUN.