Once again, it's time to do battle with the big bird.
Unlike our grandmothers who plopped the poultry in a pan and shoved it in the oven to brown for hours, today's cooks face a barrage of equipment and cooking choices for the Thanksgiving turkey.
Should they roast, grill, broil, deep-fry or micro-wave it? How about using a clay pot, a vertical roaster or just a regular rectangular pan?
Often, tradition dictates the decision. But, more and more, holiday chefs are becoming adventuresome in preparing the day's main event.
"Maybe it's just that we're always looking for something different," says Norma Gray, a spokeswoman for the National Turkey Federation, a trade association in Washington, referring to why people try various cooking techniques.
The NTF anticipates that 91 percent of Americans will be chowing down on 45 million turkeys this Thanksgiving. With the average weight of each turkey estimated to be 15 pounds, that translates into 675 million pounds of turkey that will be gobbled ,, at tables around the country.
No wonder so many cooks fret about preparation.
Gray says the NTF recommends the open-pan method of cooking a turkey to produce a juicy, tender bird. This standard type of preparation involves cooking the bird in a roasting pan at 325 degrees until it reaches an internal temperature in the thigh of 180 degrees with a meat thermometer.
"It's easy and reliable. And it does yield a pretty turkey," Gray says.
Carol Miller, a 15-year supervisor at Butterball Turkey Talk Line, agrees but says she expects more people to be cooking the holiday bird on the grill.
"It's a great place to put the turkey when the oven is filled with side dishes," she says. "Or people with big families can cook one [turkey] in the oven and one on the grill."
Grilling results in a succulent, golden-brown bird in a reasonable time as long as the outdoor chef uses a meat thermometer and maintains the heat in a charcoal grill, Miller says. For successful results, grill only turkeys that are 16 pounds or less, she instructs.
Ken Niman of Mount Washington wouldn't cook his holiday turkey any other way, he says. After all, he's been overseeing the Thanksgiving bird on his Weber grill for almost 20 years.
"I found it to be pretty foolproof," says the 51-year-old attorney. "It comes out golden and tastes delicious."
