What Is the Best Way To: Cook a Turkey?

Faith Durand
Faith DurandSVP of Content
Faith is the SVP of Content at Apartment Therapy Media and Editor-in-Chief of Kitchn, and the author of three cookbooks, including the James Beard Award-winning The Kitchn Cookbook. She lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband and two daughters.
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updated May 13, 2022
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Most cooks only cook a whole turkey once or twice a year. So it’s a kitchen task that fills them with dread; it’s so big! So unwieldy! So fraught with culinary terror! Well, the turkey shouldn’t be so scary, even though it is indeed very big. What is the very best way to cook a moist, tender turkey — on Thanksgiving, or any day of the year? Do you have a failproof method?

Here are a few more posts on cooking that big bird.
• Where Should I Buy My (Organic) Thanksgiving Turkey?
• How Are You Cooking Your Turkey?
• The Perfect Turkey: Do You Need to Baste?
• How to Check the Temperature on a Turkey
• How To Make Turkey Gravy for Thanksgiving

Previous Best Ways To…
• Clean the Refrigerator
• Break an Egg
• Cook Rice
• Soften Butter
• Cook Salmon Filets
• Wash Dishes
• Cook a Steak
• Make Pot Roast
• Clean Granite Countertops?
• Fry an Egg
• Make Coffee at Home
• Cook a Chicken

(Image: USDA Thermometer Placement & Temperatures Guidelines)

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thanksgiving
Tips & Techniques
Turkey
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