How long will this take and how much will it cost? Yes, it is an investment. You’ll only know if it’s worth it if you give it a try.

Plan to commit approximately 20 hours (yes, that’s half a work week), spread out over three days. Enjoy the journey, not just the destination! As for the price tag, it depends on what you already have, grocery prices, and quantities. You might spend $20 or more per person, but fortunately, you will likely have enough leftovers to feed a family of four for days afterward. Or gift a fortunate neighbor and make a friend for life!

First time cooking an entire turkey dinner for the whole family? Impress them with these 12 time-tested recipes.

Learning to cook a turkey and all the trimmings has never been easier with all the great cooking videos and mobile apps available, not to mention your copy of Turkey Savvy. Just think, here’s your chance to learn something new, eat well, and you just might impress someone in the process—and that includes yourself!

Afraid you’ll fail, people will hate your cooking, and you’ll waste 20 hours?

There is always the possibility, despite following these steps to the letter, that something will go wrong. If that were to happen, consider this: Will it kill me? Will my picture appear in the news with the caption “FAILURE”? Will my guests never speak with me again? No, I didn’t think so. Whenever you cook a turkey, YES you might fail. But you know what? The secret grownups know is: failure is not fatal! In fact, a fail can be your greatest teacher.