When I was 12, for some mysterious reason, my dad put my little brothers and me in charge of cooking the Thanksgiving turkey. Naturally, my brothers and I spent the rest of the day playing hide-in-seek in the backyard and forgot all about the humble bird defrosting in the sink. Then we realized our dad would be back soon. We ran into the kitchen, shoved the turkey into the oven, and — reasoning that time was short — set the temperature to 500°F. When our dad got back, balancing a tower of pies in one hand, he opened the oven only to find a turkey that was charred black on the outside and raw in the inside. This mishap inspired me to create this quick guide on avoiding the most common turkey mistakes and cooking your bird to perfection. Remember: if all else fails, it’s always wise to bring extra pie. 1. You Don’t Thaw Your Frozen Turkey CorrectlyWords of wisdom: Don’t wait until the day-of to thaw your turkey. As a general rule of thumb, you’ll need at least 24 hours for every five…more