About This Quiz
Whether they're roasted, salted or deep fried, Americans love their Thanksgiving turkeys. While no one knows whether the Pilgrims chowed down on turkey during the first Thanksgiving celebration in 1621, there's no question that the bird serves as the star of the show at contemporary holiday feasts. Think you know all their is to know about the history and significance of this feathered fowl? Take our Ultimate Thanksgiving Turkey Quiz to find out!You want your turkey to reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit (73.8 Celsius). However, the bird will overcook if you keep it in the oven until it reaches that temp. Pull the bird out at 155 or 160 degrees, as the internal temperature will rise another 5-10 degrees as it sits.
Tofurky made its debut in 1995. While you don't have to swap your turkey for a tofu version, a few meatless dishes can make vegetarian guests feel welcome.
A 20-pound frozen turkey needs four full days of thawing time before it's ready for cooking, as it takes about 24 hours to thaw 5 pounds of bird.
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Plan on about an hour of cooking time for every 4 to 5 pounds of bird, so a 16 to 20 pound turkey should sit in the oven for about 4 to 5 hours before it's ready to eat.
When cooking a whole turkey, allow for about one pound of bird per person.
Stuff your turkey just before cooking to reduce the risk of food poisoning.
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Add 5 to 7 minutes per pound when cooking a stuffed turkey.
Plan for 3/4 pounds per person, or just 1/2 pound per person if you're serving a boneless breast.
In a letter to his daughter written in 1784, Benjamin Franklin expressed his disappointment that the turkey wasn't selected as America's national bird.
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Visitors to Frazee, Minnesota flock to this popular roadside attraction.
Try a turducken for a unique twist on the traditional turkey dinner.
In 1989, George H. W. Bush saved the life of a turkey in the first official White House Turkey Pardon. There had been birds spared by presidents before, but none received an official pardon.
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The average Thanksgiving meal includes as many as 4,500 calories.
Monica wore a raw turkey on her head, complete with sunglasses, in an effort to end a fight with Chandler.
The average turkey served on Thanksgiving weighs 15 pounds.
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Americans consume roughly 280 million turkeys annually, around 45 million of which wind up on Thanksgiving tables.
Snapping the wishbone of the Thanksgiving turkey is a common tradition in the U.S., but Europeans used to break the wishbones of geese to predict the weather.
Whether it's roasted, fried or stuffed, Americans love their holiday turkey. Approximately 95 percent of us consume turkey meat on Thanksgiving.
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In 1941, Franklin D. Roosevelt set the fourth Thursday in November as the official Thanksgiving holiday.
Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" popularized turkeys as the main dish of holiday meals. Scrooge gave a turkey to the Cratchits for their Christmas dinner.