Stephens and Emanuel both agree. Emanuel's technique: "Tuck the wing tips under the bird. Take a 4-foot length of twine and tie the legs together at their ends using the center of the twine, leaving even lengths of twine on either side. Bring the two sides of the twine around the bird, placing them between the drumstick and the thigh, then bringing them over the bird's shoulders to the bottom of the breast at the front of the bird. Tie the twine tightly at the neck so the breast is fully secured." Need a visual aid? "There are trussing videos all over YouTube," he says.

TURNING THE BIRD
Monette and Emanuel agree: It's best to start the bird in the oven breast side down, then flip it to finish cooking. "Turkeys are white and dark," Monette explains. "White meat is leaner and cooks faster, so in order to not dry out, the bird must be rotated for even doneness."

Monette's technique is the most elaborate. "Start with the oven at 400 degrees. Place trussed and buttered turkey breast side down on a V-rack in a roasting pan that has been scattered with celery, carrots and onions, and 1 cup of water. After 45 minutes take the turkey out and carefully rotate turkey a quarter-turn so that it is on its side. Baste with pan drippings and return to oven for another 15 minutes. Repeat at 15-minute intervals."

Emanuel's method is a bit simpler: "Start it breast side down for the first 30-45 minutes. After 30-45 minutes, turn the bird over gently with kitchen gloves. The breast will brown nicely during the remaining cooking time." Another tip from Emanuel: "Make sure your oven is fully preheated and your rack is greased so the breast doesn't stick!"

Stephens is not convinced. "Breast up," he says. "The turkey should cook evenly on just one side." Stephens also recommends basting every few minutes.

TEMPERATURE
"We cook it to 150 degrees," says Stephens, "then let it rest." This resting period should bring the internal temperature up to 165 degrees. (The USDA recommends 165 degrees, too.) "When you poke the turkey between the thigh and the breast, the juices should come out clear."

Emanuel agrees. He suggests using an instant-read thermometer, inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, without touching the bone. "When it hits 165 degrees you're done. Some recipes say 170 degrees, 180 degrees or even higher. Don't listen to them, listen to me!"

Monette gauges 155-160 degrees for the breast, and 160-165 for the thigh. "You can always cook it more," he says. "But you cannot cook it less."

Practice makes perfect

How our three chefs match up on five basic techniques. (Between them, they cook hundreds of turkeys a year, so they should know.)

BRINE? AIR DRY? TRUSS? TURN? TEMP?

JON EMANUEL

YES; YES; YES; YES, once; 165

NOAH STEPHENS

YES; NO; YES ; NO; 150

MARK MONETTE

YES; YES; YES; YES, more than once; 155-160

Roast Turkey

Recipe tested by Tucker Shaw, based on input from chefs Jon Emanuel, Noah Stephens and Mark Monette. You can use a very clean cooler for the brining. Serves 6-8 with some leftovers.

Ingredients

Brine:
1     gallon water
1     cup kosher salt
1/2   cup sugar
10-15  whole peppercorns
A      handful fresh herbs, like sage, thyme, rosemary

Turkey:
1    fresh natural turkey, preferably organic, about 12 pounds
2    lemons, halved
2    heads garlic, halved
Roughly chopped onions, carrots and celery
More fresh herbs of your choice
Salt and pepper
Softened butter

Directions
Stir together the brine ingredients until salt and sugar are dissolved. Immerse turkey in brine, add liquid if needed to cover. Place in refrigerator (or outside if it's cool) for 24-48 hours. Remove turkey from brine at least four hours before roasting, or the night before. Rinse turkey thoroughly, then pat completely dry with paper towels. Place in refrigerator, uncovered, at least three hours or overnight.

Remove turkey from refrigerator at least 1 hour before roasting. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place lemons, garlic and as many of the onions, carrots, celery and herbs as will comfortably fit in the cavities. Secure cavities with skewers, and/or truss with butcher's twine. Season with salt and pepper. Rub softened butter all over bird, including under the skin. Scatter remaining vegetables in roasting pan and place greased rack over vegetables.

Place turkey, breast side down, on rack. Roast on low oven rack for 45 minutes. Remove roasting pan from oven and reduce heat to 300 degrees. Carefully turn turkey over — taking care not to tear the skin — and roast breast side up, basting occasionally (be sure to close the oven door when you baste), until temperature measured at the thickest part of the thigh hits 160-165 degrees. Estimate about 12-14 minutes per pound total, depending on your oven. Start checking early to avoid overcooking.

(Alternative: Start turkey breast side up and don't bother with the turn. Baste occasionally. If the skin begins to get too dark, cover loosely with foil.)

Allow turkey to rest 30 minutes before carving.