The Great Annual Tradition - Cooking a Thanksgiving Turkey

By Darlyn Burkle

Even though thanksgiving is an annual event, it is one that many people stress about each and every year. In theory, it should be easy to prepare for, but many people seen to get hit by last minute stress, and forgotten items of shopping, every single year.

The stress isn't down to lack of cooking skills in most cases - but rather the stress of being in the spotlight, and making sure that the holiday is perfect, and the meal served up meets everyone's expectations. With that thought on your mind, your work in the kitchen can easily get overshadowed.

So when you're preparing for a thanksgiving meal, save yourself the stress - make a list a couple of weeks in advance, and go over it a few times to make sure you haven't forgotten anything. The last thing you want is to realize at the last minute that there are some things you still need, but can't get because the shops have closed for the holiday. Once you have everything you need to hand, cooking goes a lot more smoothly.

How to Cook a Thanksgiving Turkey

There are many experienced cooks who have been cooking thanksgiving turkey for many years. Knowing how to cook it is not a problem they would be facing unless perhaps they are experimenting with a new recipe or a new cooking technique. But for the "newbies" or anyone who has only been cooking thanksgiving turkey for a couple of years, getting advice and turkey cooking tips early on is the best thing to do. There are many different ways and techniques that can be used to cook a thanksgiving turkey, so you may want to turn to an elder in your family line to get some traditional tips that have proven to be effective over the years.

If you don't have access to any family cooking gurus, the internet is a good place to search for some cooking knowledge. Look at a few different recipes and see what you think of them - read a few comments too so that you can get some idea of how the recipe turned out for others. You may find a few ideas and end up combining them to make your own thanksgiving turkey recipe. Give yourself plenty of time to read around, get some ideas, and buy the needed ingredients. The last thing you want is to fall in love with a recipe idea, but not have the time to get all of the ingredients before thanksgiving comes around.

And don't forget that thanksgiving is a holiday for everyone! Don't spend all day in the kitchen - have a good time with your friends and family too.

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