Thanksgiving Job Instructions - How to Cook a Turkey!

My son's kindergarten class did a recent exercise where the teacher surveyed each child, one on one and asked them to dictate "How to Cook a Turkey"...below are some excerpts...

"Great Nana cooks the turkey. She is very old. 99 years old. She never makes a mess so there is no clean up!"

"We get our turkey from a turkey farm. The turkey is running around so you have to catch it with a net. You bring it home. You have to clean it first. You use a towel and a hose. Our turkey is really big-like 7 pounds. You put cucumbers on the turkey. You cook it for 15 minutes. Grandma checks it. She walks into the kitchen and checks it with her eyes. She just knows when it is done."

"You get the turkey at Price Chopper. Mom puts it in a pan with chicken and gravy. Turn the oven on 8 degrees. Cook it for 50 hours. We also have macaroni and cheese."

"To get a turkey you go to a farm. They take a big turkey out and hang it on a rope. They peel all the skin and fur off the turkey. You take the turkey home and put the turkey in a big pan. You clean the turkey with a big napkin. Then you spray the pan so the turkey doesn't stick. You put barbecue sauce on top of the turkey. You put it in the oven at 91 degrees. Cook it for seven minutes. They stop cooking the turkey to feel it with gloves. They use special gloves-their tips are poking out so they can tell when it is done. We eat turkey, chicken noodle soup, potatoes and pizza."

"To get our turkey we go to a chicken farm-they have turkeys, too. You get a net and put the net over the turkey. We put him in a box and he sits in the front seat with Mom. The turkey squeaks all the way home. Mom takes him out of the box and he flies around. Mom cleans him in the sink with a wash cloth. She cleans his head first. Then she puts him in a pan and puts popcorn all over him-even inside him! She adds water and sticks him in the microwave. She cooks him for 4 minutes. The turkey is done when it is bubbly. You can hear popping all the time he is cooking."

"We go as a family to Hannafords. We go to the meat aisle. The turkey is frozen. We pick a ten pound turkey. We bring it to Grandpa's house. He unwraps it. He cuts it with a knife. He puts it in a rectangle pan. Grandpa puts salt on the turkey. The oven gets really hot-probably around ten degrees. The turkey cooks for a long time-around 45 minutes. When the oven beeps, the turkey is done."

"We go to Price Chopper to get the turkey. It is where the cooking stuff is. It is in a little box and chocolate milk comes with it. We but a small turkey-about 100 pounds. We put it ina pan and we put spices on it-like pepper fire mix so it is very hot. Then we add sugar. You put candy inside the turkey. Then we put butter all over it. The oven has to be really, really hot- about 30 degrees. You cook it for 40 minutes. The stove dings when the turkey is done. We grab a fork, pull the turkey out and take a bite. That's how you know it is done."

"You buy a turkey at Hannfords. It is 22 pounds. You take off the wrapping paper and put the turkey in water. The turkey stinks-the water gets really disgusting. You take the turkey out of the water and put it in a big pan. You add seasoning and cheese. Put the turkey in the oven for 23 minutes at 18 degrees. The turkey is always done at 6:30 in the morning. It cooks all night. You have to look at the temperature thing-if it turns blue it is time to eat!"

"Thanksgiving is when we give thanks for people who don't live in our state. We get a turkey from a store. You unwrap it and put it in a big bowl. The turkey is big-around 8 pounds. It is frozen. They try to break it open to see if it is hard. If it is still frozen, it goes in the oven. If it is not frozen you don't have to cook it as long as you cook it on the top of the stove. Dad puts hot sauce on only part of the turkey. If it cooks in the oven, you turn it on at 8 degrees. You cook it for half an hour. We know it is done when Mom and Dad say, "Dinner is ready!"

"We go to the store. The turkey is dead. We bring it home. The turkey is big, probably about 3 inches. You take the wrapper off and clean the turkey. You get a facecloth and wash it then the turkey is clean. You put it in a pan. Mom cuts the turkey and puts the gravy inside. You add salt and pepper. Put it in the oven for 4 minutes. The oven is hot, hotter than the sun, about 30 degrees. Mom checks the turkey. She uses a knife to see if it is still raw."

"You go to Wal-Mart to the turkey aisle and pick out the turkey. We pick out a huge turkey-1o pounds. I clean the turkey with a green scrubber. I clean outside and inside. I take the heart out and throw it away. I wash the turkey in the sink with a hose. Now the turkey is clean. My Mom and Aunt put bacon and A-1 sauce inside the turkey. They put maple syrup on top-all over the turkey. We cook it for ten minutes."

"You go to an animal farm. You pick out the turkey. The turkey is dead. You bring it home. You put it on a cookie sheet and put it in the stove. You put salt on first then you stick it in the oven for 5 minutes. The oven gets very hot. The turkey is very big-5 pounds. The clock rings when the turkey is done. You know it is done because it looks like a meatball."

"You go to a turkey farm. You pick out the turkey that you want. We pick out a big turkey-about 6 feet. The turkey needs to be cleaned first. You get a knife and cut out the bones, then it is clean. You put the turkey in a turkey pan. You put spices on it. Then the turkey goes in the oven. The oven is hot-hot-hot-about 9 degrees. You cook it for about 8 minutes. We know the turkey is done because it smells really, really good. "