QUINCY, ILL. -- A whole turkey is a large bird to handle.  However, it can make you sick if you're not careful with preparations.

KHQA spoke with a local food instructor on how to make sure you're cooking your turkey the right way.

If you're planning to buy a frozen turkey, Leah Erke says you'll need several days to let it thaw. Most turkeys need one day for every five pounds. The best place to do this is in the sink with cold water, never hot or warm. The Illinois Health Department says should change the water every half hour.

"With poultry, there's a very dangerous salmonella bacteria that lives in it if you don't handle it correctly. So you want to make sure if you're throwing it in the sink that you don't have anything else in the sink. Do that with cold, running water. Don't let it sit in warm water. And the biggest rule is to not let it thaw on the counter. Don't leave it out overnight. It would get into the danger zone, bacteria can grow well in danger zones, so you want to keep it cold," said Leah Erke, the restaurant management instructor at JWCC.

If the turkey is not entirely thawed before you cook it, you risk losing moisture and drying it out.

The Illinois Health Department also advises not to stuff turkeys to prevent the spread of bacteria. Erke says if you choose to do so, allow for an extra forty-five minutes to an hour in the oven.

She says the best way to cook a turkey is "slow and low," at about 325 degrees for about 5 hours, depending on the size of the turkey. The internal temperature needs to be at 165 degrees, as well as the white meat portion of the bird. The dark meat is best at 180 degrees. No matter what, it's important to take the turkey out at 165. Even out of the oven, it will continue to cook. You can re-warm the meat using a crock pot or an oven at a low temperature.