Wondering how long to cook your turkey for Thanksgiving? Here is everything you need to know about preparation, timing and temperature.

“When you have your turkey on Thanksgiving, you're looking at the end of a multi-year process with lots of people thinking, planning out, and worrying, to make that wonderful turkey dinner work for you and your family,” says Michael Swanson, Wells Fargo's chief agricultural economist.

Turkey has been the traditional centerpiece for many Thanksgiving Day meals. Most consumers only prepare a turkey once a year. And, without a lot of practice, there are bound to be questions about thawing, preparing and baking the big bird. Each year Butterball hosts a Turkey Talk-Line to guide seasoned and novice cooks through the process.