We Answered All of Your Turkey Questions—No, Really, All Of Them

Welcome to Hotline Rewind, the weekly series where we gather up your questions from the week (and pepper in some from the Hotline archives) about a specific culinary topic. Because it’s almost Thanksgiving—and in the time honored tradition of that other hotline—we asked our Instagram followers for all of their Turkey questions and concerns. Brush up on the Hotline’s biggest turkey tips, tricks, and takes below:

How long does turkey last?

We got a ton of question around how long turkey lasts after thawing, at room temp, and more, so I made this handy guide you can tack to the fridge:

Any longer than that, and you risk bacteria or other food-borne illnesses.

I only have one oven! How do I cook a turkey and everything else that needs to bake?

This is a super common issue, but luckily there is a straightforward (if not time-consuming) solution. Turkeys need to rest anywhere from 30 to 40 minutes after coming out of the oven. Use that time to warm up or cook the rest of your sides, such as stuffing, green bean casserole, and mac and cheese, which all reheat really well. I like to make my sides the night before so that while the bird rests, I can shove everything else in the oven (at 375º or 400º to really warm up an oven full of food). That way, all my dishes are ready at the same time.

How do you cook turkey for someone who hates turkey?

There's a good portion of people that believe that there is no right way to cook turkey. I totally disagree. What I do see a problem with is roasting a whole bird as is! That’s because it’s nearly impossible for all parts of a 10 or 20 lb turkey to reach the ideal temp at the same time. The first step for luring a turkey skeptic would be to carve and then roast it in pieces (breasts, wings and thighs), removing each section at their perfectly-roasted moment.

For a total remix, take inspiration from porchetta, the rolled Italian roast. Start by deboning the breast and butterflying it until flat. Season it heavily with salt, pepper, fennel seed, orange zest, and a drizzle of amaro. Then roll the turkey, skin out, and tie into a tight log. Roast until the outsides are super browned and crisp—then slice into wheels. Your leftovers will be insanely good on a sandwich

What happens if the skin starts burning?

The easiest first step to avoiding burnt turkey is clocking where your oven’s heating element lives. If it’s at the top of your oven, I’d position the turkey on the bottom rack— those coils get really hot and are a huge cause for skin cooking too quickly.

Outside of that, foil is your friend. Tent the areas that are browning a bit too quickly and for parts like wings or the end of drumsticks, wrap them entirely. If you are still having issues, I’d turn down the temperature of the oven to no lower than 350º F.

Should I stuff my turkey?

This is one of Thanksgiving’s greatest questions, and I come down solidly on the side of not stuffing. Adding 2-ish pounds of wet bread into the cavity of your turkey is going to drastically increase roast time and make it way harder to cook the whole thing evenly. And even though I do have some nostalgia for it, stuffing from inside the bird is often super gummy and not super delicious.

Using a casserole dish allows for the bread to get beautiful golden and also gives you the opportunity to spatchcock the turkey, which, by the way, is the superior cooking method.

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