Stuffing a Turkey

" Before stuffing a turkey, be sure to remove the packaged gizzards and neck of the turkey. They are often placed in both ends of the bird. Next, rinse the turkey well. Pat the turkey dry so it is less slippery. Note, for safety's sake, you should not stuff a turkey or any poultry until you're ready to roast it. But the stuffing can be made ahead and refrigerated. Start stuffing the bird by lightly spooning some of the stuffing into the large opening of the turkey. Loosely fill the body cavity with stuffing. The stuffing will expand during roasting, so don't pack it too full. At the other end of the turkey, pull the neck skin away and using a spoon and your hands, tuck stuffing into the shallow cavity under the skin. Turn the bird over and continue to add stuffing. To help keep the stuffing in place, pull the skin over the stuffing. Use a short skewer to secure the skin by poking the skewer through the loose skin of the body. Turn the turkey over. Tuck the ends of the drumsticks under a band of skin. If a band of skin isn't present, you can tie the legs to the tail with string. To keep the wing tips from overbrowning and to give your turkey a nice finished appearance, twist the wing tips under the back of the turkey. Finally, place the turkey on a rack inside the roasting pan."