The most important factor when considering the best way to roast a turkey is the safety aspect. It is imperative that the turkey be properly prepared for the oven and that it be cooked for the correct length of time if you are to ensure it is safe to eat. Turkey is exactly the same as chicken and most other fowl in that it must never be eaten in any way under-cooked.
Fresh turkey should be stored in the refrigerator after purchase but removed at least three hours before beginning cooking and allowed to reach room temperature. Frozen turkey should be defrosted in the refrigerator per the packaging guidelines and allowed to reach room temperature in a similar sense prior to cooking. The giblets - which are likely to be in the body cavity - should be removed and discarded at this stage, unless they are to be used for stock or gravy. The turkey should then be washed under running water and patted dry with a clean dish towel.
The oven should be switched on to preheat while the final preparations are made to the turkey, to an initial 425F/220C/Gas Mark 7. This is simply to get the turkey up to an initial high heat before the heat is reduced to 325F/170C/Gas Mark 3 after around half an hour, for the remainder of the cooking time.
The roasting tray upon which the turkey is to be cooked should be covered in aluminum foil, one sheet lengthwise and one sheet across the way, of sufficient length that the two sheets may subsequently be folded up and over the bird to loosely seal it in a foil package. The turkey should then be stuffed, prior to sitting it on the tray. There are theories that the neck only of the bird should be stuffed, as stuffing in the main cavity can soak up uncooked juices and cause food poisoning. This, however, is likely to happen only where the turkey or the stuffing has not been allowed to reach room temperature prior to going in to the oven. This is also what the initial high cooking time is partly designed to avoid. The turkey should be weighed after it is stuffed to determine the full cooking time required.
The turkey should then be rubbed all over its exposed areas with three to four ounces of butter. There is no better way of doing this than by hand but if you prefer, the butter can be gently melted in a saucepan and then a basting brush can be used to complete the job. It is optional at this stage to cover the breast of the bird with some slices of bacon. This can help protect it during cooking and keep it moist.
The turkey should then be wrapped securely but loosely in the foil and placed in the oven for its initial half hour at high heat. It is imperative that you subsequently remember to reduce the heat after around half an hour and cook for a total of twenty minutes per pound.
Approximately half an hour before the turkey is due to be ready, it should be removed from the oven and the foil torn away to expose its breast and thighs. This will assist the skin to crisp up in the final stages of cooking and the cooking process itself to complete effectively.
When the entire prescribed cooking time has elapsed, the turkey should be removed from the oven and a metal skewer inserted deep in to the thickest part of the thigh. The skewer should be pressed firmly down over the puncture mark and a careful check made to ensure that the juices run perfectly clear. If there is any trace of red or pink in the juices whatsoever, cook for a further fifteen to twenty minutes and repeat this test. Cover the cooked turkey with fresh foil and allow it to rest for half an hour to an hour before carving.
If you do not wish to use traditional stuffing when roasting a turkey, there are many alternatives which can be employed. One such alternative is to stuff the bird with halved oranges and lemons to introduce a fruity, citrus taste, or even with halved onions and fresh sage to give it more of a traditional stuffing flavor.