Problem is, positive (or panicky) thinking won't thaw that frozen-solid Butterball in the icebox. This page is dedicated to turkey cooking times, buying turkey, storing, cleaning, thawing and turkey cooking instructions so you can't go wrong.. Turkey Cooking. This will make the stuffing nearly as rich as if it had been baked in the turkey itself (though don't forget to make a meatless version if you've got any vegetarians on the guest list). These are our top ways to eat leftover turkey. For a 12- to 14-pound bird, adding 1½ teaspoons each kosher salt and freshly ground pepper in the large cavity and another 1½ teaspoons each over the skin is plenty. They're the largest part of the turkey, and in the oven they'll take longer to thaw than the rest of the bird, meaning they'll be slower to overcook. Not stuffing your turkey also means there's room in the cavity for aromatics, which will season the bird and add complexity to the pan drippings used to make gravy. Loosely cover the bird with aluminum foil, shiny side out (to deflect heat) at the very beginning. Roasting times for a turkey breast cooked in a 325 degrees F oven: Unstuffed, a 2 to 3-pound turkey will cook from 1 1/2 to 2 hours. 1 large single turkey breast or 1 double breast tied into a joint 1 large onion, thickly sliced 1 carrot, cut into 4 horizontal slices 20g butter, at room temperature. Cook times for unstuffed turkeys are as follows: 1-1/2 to 3-1/4 hours for turkeys weighing between four to eight pounds; 2-3/4 to 3 hours for turkeys weighing between eight and 12 pounds; 3 … Since roasting a stuffed turkey is no longer considered food-safe (not to mention doing so dries out the turkey meat) it’s best to stick to this method and bake one of these crowd-pleasing stuffing recipes in a separate dish. If you leave the thermometer in the turkey during this period, Robinson said, you'll see the temperature rise eventually to 165 degrees—the temperature of a perfectly done Thanksgiving centerpiece. Position your oven rack on the lowest rung. But who says you need to thaw that turkey at all? If you find the skin is getting too dark and the desired internal temperature hasn't been reached, loosely tent the browned parts with a double-thick layer of buttered aluminum foil to protect them from the heat. Both ways will work—the most important thing is not to overcook the meat. Do Not Sell My Personal Information – CA Residents. Tented with foil, you can leave the bird in a warm place for up to 40 minutes, which gives you plenty of time to make the gravy. It’s better to have too much food than to run short on the signature dish of Thanksgiving. How do I keep my turkey moist? STEP 2. Remove the foil about halfway through cooking to let the skin brown. Total cooking time depends, of course, on the size of your bird, and a meat thermometer will always be your best friend when it … It's safe to cook a completely frozen turkey but it will take at least 50 percent longer than a fully thawed bird. We will talk you through brining, stuffing, trussing and roasting, along with extra turkey … ThermoWorks VP Tim Robinson told us, in no uncertain terms, that to cook a partially thawed turkey is to invite disaster. When you can’t find the magical 12 pound turkey for 12 guests, just round up! Plus, you already have this secret ingredient in your pantry! It has since been expanded and updated by the team at Epicurious. To find out if your turkey is fully cooked, insert a meat thermometer into the meatiest, thickest part of the bird (typically the thighs). When the turkey has reached the desired temperature, it's essential to let it rest for at least 20 minutes before carving. No roasting rack? To others it’s the unfortunate (albeit convenient) vehicle for gravy, dressing, and cranberry sauce. How long to cook a turkey.Weight of Bird Roasting Time (Unstuffed) Roasting Time (Stuffed)24 to 29 pounds4-1/2 to 5 hours5-1/2 to 6-1/4 hours28 мая 2014 г. A stuffed turkey will take up to 30 minutes more than one that is unstuffed. Either way, insert the probe into the thickest part of the turkey's thigh, being careful not to touch the bone (which will skew the reading). Whichever turkey roasting temperature you choose, be sure to use a meat thermometer to confirm the final temperature. All rights reserved. Then on Christmas Day, the turkey crown takes less time to cook and the leg meat is rich and full of flavour – the legs just need a quick reheat in the oven for about 25 minutes. Instead, you can cook the stuffing on the side in a casserole dish. Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. If desired, add fully cooked stuffing to cooked turkey just prior to serving. As mentioned above, stuffed turkeys need to be cooked until the turkey and the stuffing both reach 165 F. Refer to the timetable below for approximate cook time by turkey’s weight. To revisit this article, select My⁠ ⁠Account, then View saved stories. Try placing onion quarters, celery stalks, parsley, thyme, salt, and black pepper in the turkey before roasting. Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Honey-Maple Vinaigrette, Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries. Our Test Kitchen recommends the top-of-the-line Thermapen Mk4 thermometer for its accuracy and easy-to-read display. Turkey cooking times depend on the size of your bird and what temperature you cook your turkey. For optimal safety, cook stuffing and turkey separately. By Grace Parisi, Melissa Clark, and Sam Worley. (And the oven really is your only option. pounds This calculator tells you how much time is needed to properly cook a turkey. When taking the temperature, make sure that the thermometer doesn’t touch any bone, as this can give a false high reading and leave you with undercooked (read: unsafe) meat. No—and it all has to do with temperature. Your roasting rack should allow the bottom of the turkey to sit at or just below the top of the pan). Katie is an Associate Editor for Taste of Home, specializing in writing and email newsletters. To check the temperature, you can use either an instant read thermometer (which you insert after cooking, as it gives a reading immediately) or a remote thermometer (the type that has a probe that you insert before cooking, which connects to a digital display that sits on your counter). Thawing a turkey in the refrigerator can take half the week. WATCH: This Thanksgiving Meal Only Takes Three Hours to Prepare. Every time you baste, you’re increasing the overall cooking time of your turkey. The time to cook a turkey is usually around 20 minutes per pound for an unstuffed turkey. Return the bird to the fridge until it’s ready to roast on the big day. Do this. How to cook a turkey: Step 2. If the breast and thighs have reached a temperature of 165°F, it is not necessary to cover the turkey with aluminum foil while it rests. The trick to crisp, golden brown skin starts before the turkey even goes in the oven. Cooking Time for Stuffed Turkey. Since 1995, Epicurious has been the ultimate food resource for the home cook, with daily kitchen tips, fun cooking videos, and, oh yeah, over 33,000 recipes. Turkey crown cooking times. This gives the juices time to settle into the bird and be reabsorbed; carving it up too soon will just allow the moisture to run out, leaving you with dried-out meat on top of a puddle on your cutting board. Turkey Cooking Times - How To Cooking Tips - RecipeTips.com Seasoning won't adhere to a frozen turkey, so you want to get it a little loosened up before you apply the flavors and remove the giblets. You don't need a special recipe if you just stick to these basics. Approximate Oven Roasting Time at 325°F. And remember: The open oven door will allow heat to escape, lowering the interior temperature and lengthening the roasting time. As it rests, the temperature will then continue to rise to around 180°F. (Our rule of thumb is to avoid stuffed turkeys, and instead to bake the stuffing alongside the bird, so that it can easily reach a safe temperature). Ahead you’ll find everything you need to know to make the perfect turkey. The turkey is done when the dark meat is at an internal temperature of 175° F to 180° F and all white meat is at an internal temperature of 165° F to 170° F. When the turkey is done, slowly lift it from the pot and place it in a pan or on paper towels to drain. Place turkey, breast side up, on top of the vegetables in the roasting pan. Stuffed. Here's how long it takes a typical turkey to thaw in the fridge: If you're short on time, however, there are other, faster ways to thaw a turkey, but thawing it in the refrigerator is your best bet when it comes to safe kitchen practices. Whether you're a long-time turkey roaster who's feeling bogged down by the year's newest trend (is it spatchcocking or dry-brining this year? Prepare the turkey for roasting. You can't deep-fry a frozen turkey under any circumstance. According to the U.S.D.A., the bird must reach this temperature before you take it out of the oven. We also like the colorful ThermoPop. (This also helps to make the legs and thighs extra crispy!) (At a temperature of 325F-350F). In addition to checking the temperature of the turkey, you need to check the temperature of the dressing as well. For at least 30 minutes. (It's also technically possible to cook a frozen turkey; if it's the day of and you're stuck with a frozen bird, scroll down to our primer on cooking a frozen bird.). In the market for a meat thermometer? This temperature is low enough that you don’t need to worry about moisture evaporating quickly and drying out the turkey, but it’s also warm enough to cook the bird all the way through at a quick pace. A heavy-duty cooling rack set inside a half-sheet pan works too. Editor's Note: This article was written by Melissa Clark for Epicurious several years ago. In fact, cooking a turkey that's frozen solid might even help the turkey breasts—the lean parts most susceptible to drying out—to stay moist. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's a Thanksgiving FAQ: Let's say the clock strikes noon on Thursday, November 24, and you've somehow forgotten to thaw your bird. 3 ways you can tell a turkey is cooked: the meat is steaming hot all the way through Basting will certainly help the skin brown up nicely, but opinions vary on whether the liquid actually penetrates the skin to moisten the flesh. The actual time it takes to cook a turkey in the oven will vary slightly based on a few factors. The simplest way to figure out turkey roasting times is to calculate 13 minutes per pound at 350°F for an … If you decide to stuff your heritage turkey before roasting, don't put the stuffing all the way up into the neck cavity. When the turkey is about ⅔ done, loosely cover the breast with a piece of foil to prevent overcooking. Turkey Cooking Times. We’ll tell you what size turkey to buy and how long it needs to roast so you can plan your holiday. How long to cook a turkey . But sometimes the classic way is the best. Sounds random, we know. But these cooking times vary, depending on whether you begin with a turkey that is stuffed versus one that is not. Opinions vary on how to achieve this: Some farmers recommend cooking the birds at a higher temperature (425°F to 450°F) for a shorter period of time (no more than 2 hours for a 12- to 14-pound bird). The most common suggestion is that you should cook a turkey for approximately 15 minutes per pound of turkey. Our Test Kitchen recommends roasting a turkey at a steady 325º for the entire cook time. But don’t fill the main cavity with stuffing—it'll only slow down your cooking time. We can't keep up) or a Thanksgiving newbie preparing a whole turkey for the first time, you can always rely on our foolproof guiding principles. The day before Thanksgiving, remove the bird from its packaging and take out the giblets. The cooking time will vary based on weight. The temperature differential between the hot oil and the cold turkey can lead to a situation of extreme boiling over, increasing the danger already inherent in deep-frying a turkey of committing injury to yourself and maybe lighting your home on fire.). For these reasons, today's cooking trends favor moistening methods that don't require basting, such as brining the turkey before roasting, stuffing butter under the skin, or roasting the turkey breast side down (flipping halfway through cooking to get an even brown) so it self-bastes. We've all had a lot on our minds lately. With longer legs, a leaner breast, and a more diminutive size compared to a standard supermarket turkey, heritage birds look, taste, and cook differently than your average Thanksgiving fowl. The vegetables will perfume the meat and flavor the drippings as the turkey cooks, while the water keeps things from burning. Any remaining stuffing can be spooned into a dish, dotted with a little butter and baked for 30 mins. It’s important to make sure the internal temperature reaches 170-175 F before considering the turkey fully cooked. The veggies and fat will add flavor to the extra drippings, ideal for gravy making. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated as of 1/1/21) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated as of 1/1/21) and Your California Privacy Rights. These times […] But this is not a reliable method, for several reasons. A meat thermometer comes in handy all holiday season. (This can be the same rack you plan to roast it in, no need to dirty another dish.) Indoor vs. Stick with a temperature of 325°F, which ensures the turkey gets cooked all the way without becoming overdone. How to cook a turkey: Step 3 Another matter entirely. Then, massage kosher salt all over the turkey. The turkey is the centerpiece of the Thanksgiving meal, and there are plenty of techniques for cooking one, from frying to spatchcocking to roasting upside down and turning halfway. Remove the turkey from the oven when a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion of the breast registers 155°F. Smooth the skin back over the stuffing and tuck underneath the turkey. For juicier meat, however, some people prefer to take the bird out at 150°F so the temperature will rise only to 165°F as it rests.