Thanksgiving Section

Viewfinder: How do you cook a turkey?

Posted Thursday, November 13, 2025 11:29 am

Ryan Chiofalo Sixth grade, Oceanside School No. 4 “By deep frying it for three to five hours”

Billy Chiofalo

Kennedy Schoell 4-year-old Universal Pre-K (UPK) student at Oceanside School No. 6 Early Learning Center “Butter, salt and pepper, stuff it with some stuffing, sprinkle it with love, and put it in the oven till it’s done.”

Donna Kraus

Isabel Culver 7, Rockville Centre “I don’t know, I would put it in the oven.”

Alyssa R. Griffin/Herald

Michai Murphy 5, Uniondale " I would make chicken nuggets and juice apples to make my own apple juice."

Kristle Simms

Mosiah Blake Pre-K, Uniondale "In the oven, I think. I would make it with bread.”

Grand Avenue Elementary School

Kylee Gilgerours Kindergarten, Uniondale “I make it like chicken. I turn it side to side in the oven."

Grand Avenue Elementary School

Ace White Kindergarten, Uniondale " I just put it in the oven, and it will get cooked. Then, I eat up all the legs."

Grand Avenue Elementary School

Madison Benitez 5th grade, Uniondale “First, you grab a turkey and wash it. Then, you put spices on it and put it in the oven for two hours.”

Walnut Street Elementary School

Christian Ockimey 7, Second Grade, Uniondale “My grandma knows how to make a turkey. I don’t know the ingredients. There is a big round bag. The body is pink, and the legs are white. You just take the stuff out of the turkey and put it in the oven. Then you see it will be brown. It might melt the bones. I’m not sure.”

Walnut Street Elementary School

Kataleia Siguenza, 6, first grade, Uniondale “You get a turkey, and you wash it. Then you cook it. You get a thermometer to see if it is hot.”

Walnut Street Elementary School

Abigail Bishop, Massapequa Grade 1, McKenna Elementary School "You have to throw a Thanksgiving party. Daddy has to unscrew the table to make it bigger so everyone can sit at the table. Mommy cooks the turkey. First, catch the turkey, bring it home and put it in a pot. Make it taste good with basil, sugar and 10 inches of pepper sprinkled on top. Cook it in the oven for 20 minutes at 29 degrees."

Courtesy Massapequa School District

Chase Friedman, Massapequa Grade 1, Fairfield Elementary School "I would put barbecue sauce on it, then put it in the oven for 25 minutes."

Emma Keene, Massapequa Kindergarten, Fairfield Elementary School "I would roast it, slice it up and then put hot dogs on it and fruit."

Franco Viterbo, Massapequa Grade 1, McKenna Elementary School "You have to buy a turkey at the store. The turkey should be about 1,000 pounds. Put ketchup, mustard, sauce and duck sauce on it. Cook it on the barbecue for 5 minutes at 50 degrees. Share the turkey with your family. Make sure you have ice cream after the turkey."

Landon Blinder, Massapequa Grade 1, Fairfield Elementary School "You have to catch the turkey, take the feathers off, season it and cook it."

Elana Hinshaw 7, Sea Cliff "My dad cooks our turkey in a big, giant fryer outside in the yard while I help my mom in the kitchen. I'm really good at peeling carrots now!”

Jordan Loftus

Aiden Socarras 9, Glen Head "I don't cook but my mom does- she's really good at making Thanksgiving dinner. She roasts our turkey in the oven, and also her roasted cauliflower is so tasty and amazing! "

Jordan Loftus

Allison Winters, 7, Glen Cove “You put it in the oven to cook. You put it in the oven for 20 minutes.”

Roksana Amid/Herald

James McGinnis 5, Lynbrook Kindergarten Center “Get a turkey from a farm. Bring it home, clean it, then cook it. Cook it for 10 minutes. Take it out. It will be hot. Mom or dad will cut it up. Put salt on it and slices of square cheese. You have to have a glass of seltzer with it. “

Courtesy Lynbrook Public Schools

Cosette Farr 6, Lynbrook Kindergarten Center “Get a turkey from the farm, put him in the oven. The oven has to be hot and you cook it for 7 minutes and 8 seconds. Then it’s turkey that we can eat.”

Daniella Kienke 5, Lynbrook Kindergarten Center “Buy it from a farm. Then you put it in the oven, that is really hot. You cook it for 80 minutes. Then take it out and put stuffing in it. Dad and mom cut it up to eat. “

Ace Ortiz 8, Inwood, Lawrence Primary School "If I had to cook a turkey I would buy a turkey, put the season stuff on it and put it in the oven!”

Angela Ortiz

Compiled by Abbey Salvemini

Children in the community recently shared their adorable takes on a big Thanksgiving question: "How do you cook a turkey?" From cooking it for “seven minutes and eight seconds” to adding lots of "hot dogs and fruit” their answers were as creative as they were hilarious. Their imaginative recipes remind us that the holidays are about joy, family and a little bit of fun in the kitchen. Here’s what our youngest chefs had to say!

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