My new favorite way to cook a turkey

[goneriding]

It's always such a juggling act to get the turkey out of the (single) oven and get the side dishes rotated in and cooked before the turkey is cold. This year I spotted a large turkey roaster on sale with a coupon that ended up being 30 bucks, so I decided to give it a try. I stuffed the turkey, and preheated the roaster to it's highest temp, 450 degrees. Put the turkey in at high heat for 30 minutes, then lowered to 325 for the rest of the time and just ignored it. Our 20 pound stuffed turkey was done in 3.5 hours, and it was the best turkey ever! It was so moist and flavorful, and the skin was nicely browned and crisp. And the oven was free for other things. This is definitely my new way of cooking a turkey!

[KathyK]

That's really fast!

[Hayburner]

I have a Nesco toaster oven that I bought years ago from QVC, making a turkey was the reason I bought it. I also needed to free up my oven space.

[carpevita]

I have a Nesco too, 5 bucks from a flea market. It was missing the rack, so another 8$ for that, then I decided I needed the manual, so another 6 for that--and last week I discovered that I left the cord in Vermont. Sigh, my 5 dollar roaster is gonna cost me almost retail soon!

[Hayburner]

Lol!
Check eBay, maybe you can get one for a buck or two.

[Quelah]

I did it that way to with same results DH's family always cooked their turkey in a roaster oven and he was very happy that I finally, FINALLY, came around to doing in the right way LOL!

[Warwick]

What a great idea! What size roasters are you buying for your turkeys? The largest bird we buy is 15 lbs. Am checking out roasters on Amazon and there are quite a few sizes available so I want to make sure I buy the right size for the bird.

[goneriding]

Mine is a 20 quart and says it roasts up to a 26 pound turkey. I don't think there is any downside to getting one that is bigger than necessary.

I noticed some of them have a 3 compartment warmer tray that you can set in it for buffet. I think that could be handy to have. I didn't see those before I bought mine.

[Tarlo Farm]

Nice! Now try to cook it breast down. Let those juices run into the white meat. Heavenly!

[Warwick]

Just ordered an 18 quart Nesco from Amazon.ca (am in Canada). Can't wait to try it! Thank you so much for all your insights.

[Warwick]

Got the roaster and cured it according to the directions in the manual. An 18 quart model and a heck of a lot more expensive than you guys in the US pay despite Amazon.ca's free shipping but I can't wait to use it. Read the booklet and it talks about using browning liquid on a turkey which I won't do. If I just use butter or oil to coat the bird but will that work or will something ghastly happen in the roaster?

Tarlo Farm - do you still need to oil your bird if you roast breast-side down?

[goneriding]

I just rubbed mine with oil and it browned beautifully. I followed these instructions (and it was delicious!)
http://www.food.com/recipe/perfect-turk ... ven-339453