I recommend that any person baking a turkey please refer to turkey baking instructions that come on the plastic bag that the turkey comes in. Even so, I have purchased turkeys that do not have this information so I have included it here for those cases.
It is a very basic process. I like to make my turkey cook very slowly so I set my oven at 350 and put the turkey in a good 5 or 6 hours before I need it done. This is standard for a fair sized turkey, so if yours is bigger or smaller, you can check it from time to time to be sure it is coming along alright.
Cooking a turkey can also be a dangerous thing. I have heard of many a case of food poisoning due to improper cooking of a turkey. You should use a meat thermometer to make sure it is the correct temperature all the way through the meat, but I don't, although I would definately recommend it for beginners.
I cook my turkey a little on the overdone side. I put it in the roasting pan upside down so my white meat is in the liquid and doesn't become too dry. I add about 4 inches of water and do not take the turkey out of the oven until the legs are falling off the bird. MMMMMM
Keep adding water about every 2 hours to make sure you keep it all moist and have lots of liquid for your gravy!
Merry Christmas!!
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