I'm Thankful I Decided not to Baste the Turkey

Searching the Internet can be helpful, but you have to know when to stop.  Because if you keep searching, you will find information and advice that contradicts everything you researched previously.  So it is with advice on cooking a turkey.  And I had already narrowed it down to:  roast in an oven, no brining.  Brining probably is good, but I'm supposed to be on a low-sodium diet, and brine would infuse the turkey with a salty solution--that's what brine is.  And I'm not going to deep-fry; I don't deep-fry anything.

I searched recipes on a couple of sites (allrecipes.com and delish.com) and found one on allrecipes.com that got a high rating.  It called for pouring turkey broth in the bottom of the pan and basting the turkey ever 1/2 hour.  I started having second thoughts after I found out I was supposed to take it easy after yesterday's surgery.  And when I googled "should I baste or not," the sources seemed to agree that basting does nothing for the turkey meat, only the skin.  And opening the oven door every 1/2 hour wreaks havoc on the roasting, they said.  So scratch that recipe.  This was yesterday, so I had to find an alternative recipe quickly.

The next area with a range of opinions is:  "at what temperature should I roast the turkey".   Some sources say 350 degrees; some say 325.  The recipe that came with my locally-bred turkey calls for roasting it at 400 for the first 1/2 hour, then 350 for 2 hours, then 225 for the last 1 1/2 hours.  Too complicated, I thought.  And those times are for a 15-lb turkey; mine is 11 pounds.  And I never know how long anything will cook in my oven--it seems to cook fast.  So if you're off with the times, the turkey will be overcooked.  So I'm going with 325 the whole time.  I'm tenting, and hopefully will make a good decision on when to take off the aluminum.

I don't hesitate about the debate over whether to stuff the turkey or not--I stuff.  The stuffing doesn't taste nearly as good if you bake it outside the turkey.  People are too finicky about bacteria, anyway.  You need some germs to build up your resistance.

I went with very basic stuffing--bread, onions, celery, sage and pepper.  One year I tried chestnut stuffing, and I tore up my fingers trying to work with the chestnuts.  Back to simplicity--similar to the stuffing my Mom made.  It's one of the dishes she made that I really liked.

I have no idea whether this turkey will be any good.  But once I got it in the oven, all I have to worry about is whether it will cook faster than it's supposed to and throw off the rest of the schedule (mashed potatoes and green bean casserole).