When preparing you turkey for its final demise WWL-TV Chef Kevin Belton says his advice is to "just keep it simple."
He says it takes about three days to thaw out a turkey from a frozen state which is why he prefers unfrozen, fresh turkey for his meal.
He says, for example, "If you never fried a turkey, don't let Thanksgiving be the first time you fry it."
Belton says if you do choose to fry it make sure it's completely defrosted and the oil is at 365 degrees.
He says, "You need to fry a turkey at three to four minutes per pound."
If you opt to go the traditional route of cooking your turkey in the oven, do so at a temperature of 325 degrees to prevent searing at 12 to 14 minutes a pound for an unstuffed turkey.
The chef says if you stuff your turkey, the cook time should be 15 to 17 minutes a pound.
Belton says one of the best things he learned from a friend is to cook the turkey breasts down.
He says, "When you take it out of the pan, it doesn't look pretty, but all of the juice from the dark meat runs down into the breasts, and it keeps the breasts nice and moist"
Chef Belton says if you really don't want to deal with fixing Thanksgiving dinner, "Get invited to someone else's house. That's what I'm hoping for!"
