what you should know 

In the 1500s, Europeansfound turkeys in Mexico, domesticated them back at home and then repatriated them to America when they settled in the new world.

Our big, bland national bird was prized by Pilgrims and it's still the main event at our annual feast of shared blessings and family feuds.

party fowl Ben Franklin's suggestion that the national bird be changed from the eagle to the turkey was largely ignored, as was his cooking advice. For an "uncommonly tender" turkey, he recommendedelectrocution. 

pilgrim's path Modern culinary wisdom holds thatbrining is the path to a perfectly cooked turkey, but Kim Severson points out that the pilgrims didn't brine. 

caged bird Farm-raised turkeys may be too fat to fly, but lithe wild turkeys do just fine in the air. 

feathered friend Big Bird's famous yellow carapace is made from dyed turkey tailfeathers. 

what you need 

Barbara Kafka's Roasting tells you everything you need to know about roasting a holiday turkey. 

Make sure you don't overdo your bird with a "super-fast" instant read thermometer that's as bright red as a turkey wattle.

Pause to consider the meaning of Thanksgiving with Barbara Rainey's history of the holiday, meant to be read aloud to the family.

what you need

There's more than one way to cook a Thanksgiving bird: classically roasted,glazed with maple syrup, smothered with sambal or cider gravy, or garnished with chestnuts and mushrooms. 

Turkey tenders replace veal in a lovely, lean saltimbocca.

A meaty smoked turkey wing replaces the traditional ham hock in a homey heirloom bean and rice dish.

Liven up leftover turkey by wrapping it into these crisp spring rolls or immersing it in a spicy mole poblano.

Featured: Take the stress out of Thanksgiving with a quick-cooking, no-carve deconstructed turkey that is more than the sum of its parts. 

Find more turkey recipes at Cookthink.com. And if you haven't yet signed up for a free account at Cookthink, do it now!