Thanksgiving Recipes, Favorite Foods, and Cooking Tips

The turkey is the star of Thanksgiving, but what type or size do you need or want? Learn how to select and store your Thanksgiving turkey.

Learn how to safely thaw your frozen turkey to avoid the danger of foodborne illness.

If you need last minute help for your Thanksgiving meal, this is your source for information. Many of these toll-free hotlines are active year-round. Check out the links where you will find the answers to many Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

This chart will help you determine approximately how long to roast stuffed and unstuffed turkey. Always use a meat thermometer to gauge doneness.

These recipes use fresh turkey, ground turkey, cooked turkey, and turkey leftovers. Many can be adjusted to use chicken instead or turkey parts.

Frozen turkeys are available year-round. They are quite good roasted with the bones in, but the bones can make carving difficult. Some butchers will debone the turkey for you, usually at a higher price. It's easy to do it yourself in about 15 minutes. Learn how to remove the breast, back, and thigh bones, and you'll end up with a boneless turkey suitable for stuffing. Your guests will never guess it is deboned until you cut it.

What is turducken? It is a chicken stuffed inside a duck which is then stuffed inside a turkey. The term turducken comes from the combination of tur(key), duck, and (chick)en. It is fast becoming a popular recipe for Thanksgiving. Each slice contains portions of chicken, duck, and turkey with stuffing in between the layers. Learn how to make turducken with these step by step photos and instructions.

You don't want to make anyone sick with your Thanksgiving meal, so be sure to bone up on how to avoid foodborne illnesses. Includes information on stuffing and proper internal cooking temperatures.

Many people cook ham in addition to or in place of turkey at Thanksgiving. Learn about the history of ham, ham varieties, how to select the proper ham for your use, and storage information. Try one of the many ham recipes, including recipes for leftover ham.

The turkey is the star of the show, but what about the rest of the side dishes? Stuffing can range from old-time sage bread stuffing to cornbread or rice, but how much do you need for that bird? You may like your gravy with or without giblets. Mashed potatoes can be simple or loaded with goodies like garlic, butter, sour cream, chives or all of the above. Check out these recipes and helpful information on all the traditional Thanksgiving side dishes.