Microwave Turkey? Butterball Says You Can Do It

Okay, but as the saying goes, just because you can do something doesn't mean that you should do it.

You may remember a couple of years back when the online world was buzzing about the #25lbTurkeyChallenge. The goal of the online prank was for young adults who might be hosting Thanksgiving for the very first time to call their parents and ask them how long it takes to microwave a 25-pound turkey.

The fun came in when the parents reacted to what their kid was asking.

Until the folks at the Butterball Turkey Talkline had to go and figure out that you actually can microwave your turkey, and have it turn out...uh...pretty okay, I guess. Seriously. Butterball says that not only is nuking your bird possible, it's actually pretty safe, too.

They do point out, however, that most of us don't have a microwave oven with the space to accommodate a 25-pound bird. This exercise will work better with a smaller turkey than the giant family-sized ones. Let's run through their directions:

Thaw that turkey first. Butterball says to never, ever, put a frozen turkey in the microwave. Next, find yourself a microwavable platter or dish. As for the actual cooking, microwave it for 4 minutes per pound on full power (for example, 36 minutes for a 9-pound turkey) to get the cooking process started. After this initial cook time, the rest of the cooking needs to be on a lower power setting. Are you with me so far?

Next, gather up some of the drippings and use those to baste your bird (things that sound dirty, but aren't) so you'll get some good browning on the skin. Then we move on to changing the bird's position. Flip the turkey over and cook it at 50 percent power for 8 minutes per pound (72 minutes total). Stop cooking every 18 minutes to check the turkey's temperature with a meat thermometer and baste it with the natural juices or a browning sauce.

When the turkey reaches a temperature of 180 to 185 degrees in the thigh and 170 to 175 degrees in the breast, you've got a couple of choices. Run for your life and go get a pizza, or baste it one more time and dig in. I'm leaning toward the first option.

Look how happy this dude is after he microwaved his turkey: