Day of Thanksgiving cooking timeline and expert turkey tips

Thanksgiving is here and if you feel stressed about how to pull off the first big holiday meal of the season, “Good Morning America” tapped seasoned culinary experts to talk turkey with and offer some day of tips.
Poultry professionals, chefs Javier Reyes and Samantha Woulfe from Butterball’s Turkey Talk-Line, shared their expertise to help home cooks with everything from last-minute thawing techniques to a day of timeline ensuring everything makes it on the table with ease.
For every 4 pounds of turkey, the Butterball team suggests thawing it for 30 minutes, fully submerged in a cold water bath. They noted that you should never thaw a turkey at room temperature, and instead use the refrigerator or cold-water methods. A thawed turkey can stay in the fridge at 40 degrees or below for up to four days before cooking.
If there are chunks of ice, remove those first and then cook as you normally would. Be sure to use a meat thermometer to ensure the turkey reaches the proper temperatures.
Per, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, rinsing raw poultry puts people at risk of germs that cause foodborne illness. Instead, simply drain the juices and pat dry with clean paper towel.
There’s no need to rush out and purchase an expensive roasting pan to cook turkey this Thanksgiving. Butterball suggests trying their open pan roasting method, which can be done with an inexpensive, aluminum pan purchased from the grocery store that makes for easy clean up. And if you don’t have a rack to roast the turkey on, try making an aluminum ‘foil coil’ to elevate the turkey off the pan. Even if you’re out of foil, you can use carrots or another hearty vegetable to help keep air circulating under the bird.
To get that nice golden-brown color, brush the breast of the turkey with oil right before you put it in the oven. Any kind of neutral oil works great, from avocado oil to vegetable oil. Even mayonnaise will give you an amazing colored turkey.
Use foil as a tent to shield the part of the turkey that is browning too quickly. This will allow the other areas to catch up and prevent dryness.
The best recommendation is to use a meat thermometer and ensure the turkey is properly cooked. A foolproof way to know when the turkey is done: Look for 165 F in the stuffing, 170 F in the breast and 180 F in the thigh.
A quick dry rub can be made in minutes. Just grab a small bowl and stir together the following spices:
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar 1 tablespoon kosher salt 2 teaspoons ground white pepper 2 teaspoons rubbed sage 2 teaspoons garlic powder 2 teaspoons onion powder 2 teaspoons dried rosemary 2 teaspoons dried thyme
These spices can also be substituted for what you have in your pantry or based on what flavors you enjoy.
Melt some butter in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Stir in a small spoonful of flour. Heat and stir until light brown. Remove from the heat. Gradually blend in broth — turkey or chicken — until smooth. Return the saucepan to the heat and increase heat to medium-high. Bring the gravy to a boil and stir frequently. Reduce the heat to low. Simmer 5 minutes or until thickened slightly.
For garlic mashed potatoes: add 1 teaspoon garlic powder with salt.
For herbed mashed potatoes: stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme after mashing.
For creamy and cheesy mashed potatoes: Add cheese, half and half, and butter to the potatoes. Once you’ve mashed with potato masher until smooth, stir in chopped chives, salt and pepper.
Culinary editor Heather Ramsdell previously shared this helpful method to create a turkey timeline to help you figure out what time the bird needs to go in the oven to make it onto the dinner table rested and ready to carve.
“Do meal math. Sit down with a mug of coffee and a pencil. Work backwards from the time you want to serve dinner,” she said.
Serving timeSubtract 10 minutes for carvingSubtract 20 minutes for restingSubtract the amount of time you will be cooking your turkey (usually about 14 minutes per pound)Put your turkey in the oven at this timeSubtract 30 minutes to preheat the ovenSubtract 20 minutes to season the turkeySubtract 1 hour to take the chill off the turkey
Clear the fridge.
Review your recipes. This will ensure you have everything on hand and to pick up any last-minute ingredients or tools to get through Thanksgiving.
Map the kitchen plan. Think about what’s being cooked and in what location? Make some things in the oven and some on the stove. Don’t forget to utilize the grill, the microwave, the slow cooker or the instant pot if needed.
Find and clean all of the serving stuff, platters, servers, gravy boats, dessert plates, glasses, a cooler and make room for extra beverages and wine.
Check-in with guests (casually ask them to remind you of any dietary restrictions).
If you are bringing food to someone else’s house, find out what they need, see if they need a platter, and if you need to heat it, ask the host if there’s room to do so.
It there’s time, make turkey broth with some turkey wings, the turkey neck, heart and gizzard.
An earlier version of this story was originally published on Nov. 23, 2023.