Whether this is your first, tenth or hundredth holiday dinner, here are our top tips for your Thanksgiving turkey:

1. Frozen birds need plenty of time to thaw before roasting. Allow at least one day of thawing time in the refrigerator for every four pounds of turkey. A quicker thawing method is in cold water. Place the still-wrapped bird breast-side down and cover with cold water. It will take about 30 minutes per pound to thaw a whole bird, and you will need to change the water every 30 minutes to keep things cold. Never set a frozen bird on the counter to thaw.

2. Both low-heat and high-heat cooking have their merits. The classic method is 20 minutes per pound at 325 degrees F; if you're willing to split your turkey so that it lies flat, you can do it in eight minutes per pound at 450.

3. Turkeys cook more evenly if they're not packed full of stuffing. A loose handful of aromatics (carrots, celery, onions and garlic) or fresh herbs adds flavor without leading to a dry bird. Cook the stuffing in a dish on the side, moistened generously with stock.

4. Once the turkey goes in the oven, don't open the door too often. Every time you do, the heat drops precipitously, so it'll raise both the cook time as well as the odds of a dry bird.

5. Remove the turkey from the oven when the thickest spot between the leg and the breast reads 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. If you stuffed your bird, the stuffing should also read 165.

6. Once your bird is done, tent it loosely with foil and let it rest about half an hour before carving. If you need more time to prep gravy and sides, you can let it rest for up to an hour without losing too much heat.

7. Carve your turkey with as sharp a knife as possible. Take the legs and wings off first (go straight through the joint) and you’ll have more room to maneuver when you get to the breast.