Most people think cooking a turkey is a real chore -- having to worry about whether or not it's moist enough and what kind of stuffing to use.

The trick, it seems, is to stay basic. Don't try to do anything too fancy with your turkey -- follow those cooking directions and it will be smooth sailing until it's gravy time.

What makes a good turkey for Curious Cook Edward Bottone is the stuffing and he enjoys experimenting from year to year whether it is chestnut based or a little something more "curious''.

"I like to experiment with different types of stuffings which is not to say that the traditional chestnut or oyster stuffing is not wonderful. I also like using our Portuguese sausage with cornbread stuffing and you can make the cornbread from the mix which is totally acceptable or Pepperidge Farm in the bag. I use Madeira wine to moisten the stuffing,'' Mr. Bottone said.

He added: "I encourage people to experiment. The biggest mistake that people make is cooking the turkey too long. I also have to say, for those people who think they can get sick by putting stuffing in the cavity of a raw turkey before baking, I have been cooking for almost 30 years and I have never heard of someone getting sick from a stuffed turkey.

"The key is to wash out the cavity and season with salt and pepper and only stuff the bird just before it goes into the oven. Problems will arise if you stuff it the night before. There is also no such thing as too much stuffing.'' Mr. Bottone suggests stuffing the neck and cavity and put the extra into a casserole dish and bake covered for an hour and 10 minutes uncovered before the turkey is done.

"It is very important that you don't overcook your turkey and people should remember that with all fowl the breast is cooked before the legs are done so here is my little secret: "Take the turkey out of the oven and take off both breasts whole then put it back in the oven. Slice the breast the short way which makes nice slim, perfect slices.

"And then arrange the slices on the serving platter and by the time that activity is done the legs and thighs are cooked. Then you finish dismembering and place it all on the platter. The one thing you do lose this way is the ceremony with the father carving the turkey.'' Mr. Bottone also said passing any fresh herbs through spiced apple rings makes a beautiful garnish.

Here are his cooking time tips: 10 lbs turkey stuffed - 3 hours 20 minutes 12 lbs turkey stuffed - 4 hours 16 lbs turkey stuffed - five hours 20 minutes 22 lbs turkey stuffed - 7 and a half hours "I do the first 10 minutes at 450 degrees then remaining time at 325 degrees.'' Chef Fred Ming said he has already received calls from people inquiring about how to prepare their turkey and he has told them to just following his advice and there will be no problems.

"Most people use the traditional stuffing using any old bread which is ground up. I add some fried onions, lots of thyme, a pinch of sugar and an egg to bind it or you can use ground turkey or sausage.

"Instead of stuffing the turkey I normally roll the stuffing up like a jelly roll and bake it separately and slice it,'' Mr. Ming said.

When preparing the turkey Mr. Ming said he normally takes the legs off and debones them, putting some stuffing in the legs and tying them up.

"When you start baking the turkey you should lay it on the side for the first half and hour and then the other side for the same amount of time before putting it up right. This will help to keep the meat moist and allow the legs to cook faster. It's also good to cover with foil and baste frequently.

"To check the turkey to make sure it's done your internal temperature should read 160 or slice it if pink juice comes out them it is not cooked if it is clear then it is cooked and that way you should have a good turkey.'' Next comes the gravy. Mr. Ming said this is quite a simple task using the drippings, the giblets and the neck adding a little water and corn starch to thicken.

Nutrition Services offered these tips on how to defat your turkey dinner.

Turkey is a low fat choice to have as part of your dinner, but to have lower fat turkey buy an unbasted one and trim away any extra fat.

Baste your turkey with broth, wine or fruit juice.

Make your stuffing low fat by replacing most of the butter with chicken broth or Butter Buds liquid.

Defat your drippings to make gravy. Use a fat separator cup or put broth in the freezer so fat can harden so you can skim it off before making your gravy.

Make over your recipes with low-fat and fat-free ingredients such as fat-free cream cheese, sour cream, yogurt salad dressing and mayonnaise.

Use skim evaporated milk and reduced fat soups in your casserole dishes.

Make your peas `n' rice with turkey chourico.

Replace part or all of the butter, margarine or oil in your baked goods with applesauce, or prune puree. Start by just substituting half the amount of fat in your recipe and try even more next time. Check before recommended cooking time as these baked goods tend to cook more quickly.

Use phyllo pastry when a pie calls for pastry. To male pastry more flaky, spray with non-stick cooking spray.

TURKEY TIME -- Grocery stores have taken plenty of orders for turkeys this year. Butcher Steve Hickmot of The Supermart shows off a turkey fresh out of the oven.

THE STUFFING IS THE STUFF -- Curious Cook Edward Bottone says the most important part of the turkey is the stuffing whether it's traditional or something a little more fancy. Here he is pictured with his book Taste of Bermuda, put out last year.