It's a classic holiday food that's easy to prepare, but it can be intimidating. If you're not sure how to cook a turkey, you can call a friend or family member who has done so before. Better yet, try some of our turkey recipes with simple step-by-step instructions. 

You'll get great tips for turning out a glistening, golden, moist turkey, hot from the oven and even find out how to make use of the big bird on a smaller scale. From grilling and roasting to braising, you can choose from several ways to cook a turkey. Here are some of our favourites:

A turkey cooked on the grill is moist and flavourful. Be sure to cook the stuffing separately; it's difficult to cook it safely in the bird when grilling. 

It's easy to find turkey breast sliced into scaloppine at most grocery stores. Rolled around a moist stuffing, it's a fast and fabulous lean main from the grill. 

Turkey parts are widely available, and thighs are the most succulent - look for small ones, which are more tender. Chipotle peppers are smoked Mexican jalapeño peppers that come canned in adobo sauce. 

Make use of these wonderfully flavourful seasonal peppers to jazz up a simple grilled turkey breast. Serve the sauce either at room temperature or reheated. 

Make cornbread one or two days ahead to allow it to dry a little for stuffing. 

A famous party dish in the Philippines, Rellenong Pabo, “stuffed turkey” in Tagalog, blends Asian and Spanish flavours in a style typical of many dishes from Manila, the capital city. Boning the turkey is careful but not difficult work. The wings and drumsticks remain bone-in, so the finished stuffed roasted turkey keeps its original shape. 

You might need to order boneless turkey breast (two breasts attached) ahead of time to be assured of availability. If you can't find a boneless double turkey breast, ask the butcher to debone one for you and be sure to use a meat thermometer for accuracy. 

Greek flavours make for a wonderful turkey, complete with roast potatoes, rice-and-spinach stuffing and ouzo-piqued gravy. 

The turkey and gravy in this recipe are flavoured with a little bourbon whisky, a surprising but excellent flavour enhancer for poultry.

Here's how you can enjoy your favourite roast turkey bits fast. And roasting them with potatoes makes for delicious spuds and easy suppers – simply add a green vegetable or salad on the side.

Serve this Korean-style sweet-and-sour turkey with rice or noodles.

Classic French-style braising coaxes the best flavour out of turkey thighs. Serve with noodles or boiled or mashed potatoes.

The dried mushrooms add wonderful flavour and texture to the saucy turkey braised with chestnuts. There's both white and dark meat to please everyone. 

This meat loaf includes bulgur, a healthy whole grain, and lots of vegetables, such as eggplant, onion, carrots and sweet red pepper. It's lower in fat, since turkey is lean to begin with, but you also use less meat than in most meat loaves. Sounds earnest, but it's delicious.

For more juicy turkey recipes visit our Food and Recipes section.

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