Susan's Perfect Roast Turkey

Susan's Turkey tips:

• Buy the best turkey you can afford. I always order from my butcher a free range, hormone-free hen- they cost more, but are well worth the extra flavor punch they deliver.
• Note that it takes 24 hours per 5 pounds of turkey to defrost a frozen bird in the average refrigerator. If you're going to roast a 15 pound bird Thursday morning you need to have it out of the freezer by Monday morning at the very latest. If you have to buy frozen, look for one that has been injected will all-natural ingredients, no saline solutions.
• Invest in a good roasting pan—avoid the cheap aluminium disposable pans at all costs. They steam rather than brown the bird, are dangerous because they may buckle when you pull them out of the oven, and you can't make gravy in them. You'll use a good roasting pan for many things once you have one. It's well worth the investment.
• Before you put the bird in the oven, after thoroughly scrubbing and rinsing your sink, submerge it in a sink full of cold water for 8-10 minutes. Drain and repeat at least twice. Drain thoroughly, and proceed with your favorite roasting process.
• You must have an instant-read thermometer, and you want it to read 180ºF at the thickest part of the thigh for a perfectly-done bird.
• Assuming a 325ºF oven, estimate the following roasting times for an unstuffed turkey:
  • 8 - 12 pounds: 3 hours or a bit less
  • 12 - 14 pounds: 3:45 hours or a bit less
  • 14 - 18 pounds: 4:25 hours or a bit less
  • 18 - 20 pounds: 4:30 hours or a bit less
  • 20 - 25 pounds: 5 hours or a bit less
• For a stuffed bird, add 15 mintues roasting time. Always remove the stuffing to a separate container as soon as you remove a stuffed bird from the oven.

Ingredients:

• 1 18 pound free range, hormone free turkey, thawed and rinsed as described above
• 1 stick butter at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon ground sage
• 1 teaspoon ground thyme
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus as needed
• 1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper, plus as needed
• 1 yellow onion, peeled and quartered
• 2-3 stalks celery, cleaned and cut into 2-inch pieces
• Susan's basic turkey stock, as needed