Thanksgiving: Recipes, Traditions and More
If you enjoy celebrating the fourth Thursday in November, give thanks to Sarah Josepha Hale: In 1863, she wrote to President Lincoln advocating the declaration of Thanksgiving as a national holiday. Today, the Internet offers a cornucopia of information. Use our Thanksgiving Web Guide to find Thanksgiving traditions recipes and other Thanksgiving resources. You'll also find links to the menu from the Pilgrims' first Thanksgiving, learn ways to keep your guests entertained while you're doing the dishes, uncover the mystery of turkey brining and much more.
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Turkey recipes and tips
Although Ben Franklin made a strong case in favor of the wild turkey as the national bird, the bald eagle won out, and the turkey has only the month of November in which to shine. However, as anyone who's cooked a turkey before knows, it requires a fair bit of attention during that time. If you have questions about choosing, cooking, or carving a turkey, or are curious to know how many turkey feathers compose Big Bird's costume, you'll find answers at the sites we recommend below.
Dulcinea's Insight
- If you've never cooked a turkey before, or are trying a more complicated new recipe, consider doing a trial run (with a smaller bird) a week or two before the big day.
- Although we've designated some sites in this section as good sources for recipes, most of the sites with advice about cooking turkeys have recipes, too.
- Many of the sites below have turkey calculators to help you figure out how big a bird you'll need, but each varies slightly. For example, the Butterball calculator asks to distinguish between adults and children, and FoodNetwork.com asks how many servings per person you want. Choose a calculator depending on your preference, or crunch numbers on a few different sites and then make your own guesstimate.
- If you're a vegetarian, don't skip this section without investigating Tofurky. Or if you prefer, make side dishes your main meal with help from the "What else should I serve?" section of this guide.
- If, on the other hand, you're a devout carnivore and would prefer to eat three birds instead of just one, consider preparing a turducken. Preparation and construction are vital, so be sure to check not only recipes but also sites that teach you how to debone your poultry. Yes, we've included both in this section.
- The findingDulcinea Socially Responsible Food Web Guide provides information about purchasing an organic turkey and offers guidelines on safe meat.
Dulcinea's Picks
For an overview of turkey ...
The University of Illinois Extension
offers a "Turkey for the Holidays" guide that might be the most comprehensive one you'll find online, or anywhere. Developed by a food science and nutrition specialist at the extension, the guide draws on all areas of the college's expertise, including cooking techniques, the latest safety updates, guidelines for carving, and help with selection. While your bird is cooking, browse through "History and Lore" for more than you'll ever need to know about the bird.
Norbest
is a turkey farm that offers this virtual tour for those who want to learn more about the origins of the holiday's central figure.
For comprehensive preparation and cooking guides ...
Butterball
, a prominent purveyor of premium poultry, shows you how to prepare its product with the "Easy Cooking Guide" for turkey. Try out calculators and conversion charts, find basic advice, or watch a variety of how-to videos. If you're still stuck, ring up the experts at the toll-free Turkey Talk-Line, but before you do, investigate whether yours is on the list of Frequently Asked Questions.
Whole Foods Market
, a popular chain of markets specializing in high-quality natural and organic products, shares tips for a perfect turkey. Benefit from the "Turkey Tool Kit" so you won't suddenly find yourself without the right knife for carving, and several other short guides. And don't miss the "All About Brining" page.
TurkeyHelp.com
is another brainchild of America's Test Kitchen, a group of three dozen full-time cooks and product testers who develop recipes for their TV show and Cook's Illustrated magazine. Once you've nailed the basics with the "Turkey Q&A," explore advice on equipment, cooking preparation, and staying safe in the kitchen. Or investigate "25 Foolproof Recipes," and brace yourself by reading "Top 10 Holiday Cooking Disasters."
The San Francisco Chronicle
's 2006 feature "Turkey Training Camp" proves that you're not the only one who's worried about cooking turkey. In fact, there are least five other novices who qualified for extensive lessons on cooking and serving turkey. Their education is recounted in this article.
For recipes ...
FoodNetwork.com
has an entire page devoted to turkey, with various recipes and tips. (You may have peeked at it if you visited FoodNetwork.com's Thanksgiving page, recommended in the "How do I host Thanksgiving?" section of this guide.) Use the turkey calculator at the bottom of the page to determine how much turkey you need for the number of people eating and how long you need to cook it. Take advantage of colorful slides and Thanksgiving advice from all of your favorite TV show hosts.
Food & Wine
presents a recipe created and perfected by chef Pam Anderson. Anderson literally roasted hundreds of birds while researching and writing her book, The Perfect Recipe.
Allrecipes.com
has a collection of the best user-submitted Thanksgiving turkey recipes. You'll find a featured daily recipe, a collection of newly added recipes, and, on the left-hand side of the page, a list of popular recipes like Deep-Fried Turkey and how to brine a turkey.
To fry your turkey ...
The National Turkey Federation
gives a thorough lesson on how to deep-fry a turkey. Given how hazardous turkey frying can be, carefully following this advice from the turkey industry's official advocacy organization is probably your best bet for safety.
For turducken ...
The New York Times
explains what turducken is and where it came from in this 2002 article, written when the turducken was first hitting the mainstream.
Chef Paul Prudhomme
's official site is probably the best place to go for a turducken recipe, including information on how to debone your fowl. Prudhomme is often credited as the innovator of the dish, and his site is professional and easy to navigate. The recipe here serves 24 to 30 people.
1st Traveler's Choice Internet Cookbook
gets into the nitty-gritty of "Boning Birds Whole" with a tutorial that teaches you, via some explicit photographs, how to debone your birds.
For Tofurky ...
Turtle Island Foods
is the innovator of Tofurky, one of the better-known vegetarian alternatives to meat. On the site, explore plentiful meatless options, compare the nutritional information of tofu and animal products, or go directly to the "Tofurkey Holiday Products" section.
To make good use of your leftovers ...
Mr Breakfast.com
is your go-to guy if the calculators didn't work for you, and you bought a turkey that was too big. Rather than violate Puritan values and waste food, put it to good use with these Thanksgiving leftover breakfast recipes.
Who knew?
CBS News
proves you're not the only one obsessing about turkey. Gourmet magazine selects the turkey that will appear on the front cover of its November issue months in advance.
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