350°F for 4 to 4¼ hours. 325°F for 4¼ to 4½ hours.
Is it better to cook a turkey at 325 or 350?
Do I Cook a Turkey at 325 or 350 Degrees? Though “low and slow” is a good rule for cooking a bird all the way through without burning it, there’s no hard-and-fast rule. All of our temperature guides assume you’re cooking at 325, but you can cook it a little warmer for roughly the same, or just a little less time.
Can you cook a turkey at 350 degrees?
We recommend roasting turkey at 350 degrees F for 13 minutes per pound for an unstuffed turkey.
How long does it take to cook at 18 lb turkey?
For 12- to 14-pound turkey, roast 3½ to 4 hours. For 14- to 18-pound turkey, roast 4 to 4¼ hours. For 18- to 20-pound turkey, roast 4¼ to 4¾ hours. For 20- to 24-pound turkey, roast 4¾ to 5¼ hours.
How long and at what temperature do you cook an 18-pound turkey?
How Long Does It Take to Cook a Turkey?
| Turkey Weight | Cooking Time | Doneness Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| 12-14 lbs. | 3 hrs–3 hrs 45 mins | 170-175°F |
| 14-18 lbs. | 3 hrs 45 mins–4 hrs 15 mins | 170-175°F |
| 18-20 lbs. | 4 hrs 15 mins–4 hrs 30 mins | 170-175°F |
| 20-24 lbs. | 4 hrs 30 mins–5 hrs | 170-175°F |
How do I keep my turkey moist?
Classic Bread Stuffing Recipe
- Choose a fresh turkey instead of a frozen one.
- Roast two small turkeys rather than one large one.
- Brine the turkey.
- Rub soft butter under the skin.
- Truss loosely, or not at all.
- Roast the turkey upside down at first.
- Don’t overcook it.
- Let the turkey rest before carving.
Should I cover my turkey with aluminum foil?
We’ve found that covering a turkey in foil yields much moister results than roasting it without foil, and we favor simply covering up the breast to even out cooking time.
How long do you cook a turkey for at 350?
10. Calculate turkey cooking time and temperature. The simplest way to figure out turkey roasting times is to calculate 13 minutes per pound at 350°F for an unstuffed turkey (that’s about 3 hours for a 12- to 14-lb. turkey), or 15 minutes per pound for a stuffed turkey.
Should you take turkey out of fridge before cooking?
Before it goes in the oven, the turkey should be at room temperature, so take it out of the fridge (1 hr for a whole turkey, or 30 mins for a cut) before cooking. Keep it covered in a cool place.
How long should a turkey rest for?
Thanksgiving Help Line
Pull it out as soon as the temperature hits 165, or even a little lower. The amount of resting time depends on the size of the bird, but at least 20 minutes is needed. A large bird can wait up to 40 minutes or longer, depending on the temperature of the room.
Do you put water in the bottom of the roasting pan for turkey?
Place on the bottom of your roasting pan. Place the turkey, breast-side up on top of the vegetables. Add about a half-inch of liquid (water or stock) to the roasting pan. This will keep the oven moist, and the turkey juicy.
How long should the turkey rest before carving?
Before you cut a thing, let your turkey rest — at least 30 minutes — so its juices don’t end up on the cutting board.
How long do you cook an 18 pound unstuffed turkey?
Traditional Roast Turkey (unstuffed)
| Unstuffed | |
|---|---|
| 8 to 12 pounds | 2 3/4 to 3 hours |
| 12 to 14 pounds | 3 1/2 to 4 hours |
| 14 to 18 pounds | 4 to 4 1/4 hours |
| 18 to 20 pounds | 4 1/4 to 4 3/4 hours |
What is the lowest safe temperature to cook a turkey?
Make it safe – The United States Department of Agriculture ( USDA ) recommends temperatures no lower than 325 degrees Fahrenheit for cooking meat and poultry. Cook turkey to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
What temperature should a turkey be cooked at?
The USDA says to cook your turkey to a minimum internal temperature of 165°F. (If you stuffed the turkey, the stuffing, not just the meat, should be 165°F).
What temperature do you roast a turkey at?
Put the turkey in the oven at 400°F, uncovered. For the 15 lb turkey, start the cooking at 400°F for the first 20 minutes to brown it. Then reduce the heat to 325°F for the next 1 to 2 hours, until the internal temperature of the breast reaches about 140°F to 145°F or so.
Should I put butter or oil on my turkey?
Don’t butter your bird
Placing butter under the skin won’t make the meat juicier, though it might help the skin brown faster. However, butter is about 17 percent water, and it will make your bird splotchy, says López-Alt. Instead, rub the skin with vegetable oil before you roast.
How do you cook a turkey so it’s not dry?
“When roasting the whole bird, the key is to cook the legs longer than the breast,” Tommy says. “Once the breast is cooked, remove the bird from the oven, remove the legs and then put them back in. This stops the breasts drying out.”
Do you put an apple in a turkey?
Apples. Consider quartering an apple or two for stuffing your turkey. They will provide the turkey with a little extra moisture during the cooking process and a very subtle flavor that will remind you of fall.
How do you prepare a turkey the night before?
Place the turkey in a shallow dish just large enough to hold it and wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for one or two days. The day before you plan to roast the turkey, remove the plastic wrap and leave the turkey in the fridge. The skin will dry out and turn a little translucent.
When should I start cooking my turkey?
When you should start cooking: Season the turkey the night before and start cooking it Thanksgiving morning. While it’s best to actually cook your turkey on Thanksgiving day, Holzman recommends seasoning your turkey the night before.
Do Butterball turkeys have butter in them?
In fact, there is no actual butter in or on a Butterball turkey. The fresh turkeys are injected with a basting solution made of salt water and “common household spices,” one brand representative told me. Butterball will not share the ingredients of its secret basting formula.
How long do you cook a Butterball turkey per pound?
Set the timer and cook the turkey about 3 to 4 minutes per pound. Cook all dark meat to an internal temperature of 175° F to 180° F, and all white meat to an internal temperature of 165° F to 170° F. Here’s some help on how to check your turkey’s temperature for doneness.
Where do I put the meat thermometer in a turkey?
Here are few tips to keep in mind:
- When preparing a whole turkey, insert the thermometer into the thickest portion of the turkey breast, the innermost portion of thigh and the innermost portion of the wing.
- Make sure the thermometer does not touch bone, gristle or the pan.
Should you flip a turkey when cooking?
Cook the bird upside down, meaning the breast meat down, then flip it halfway through based on your estimation. If you are using a kettle and have all of your charcoal on one side of the grill, you will also want to rotate the turkey when you flip it so that it doesn’t overcook on one side.
Should you cook turkey breast up or down?
The United States Department of Agriculture advises to cook a whole turkey breast side up during the entire cooking time. Turning over a large, hot bird can be dangerous and it’s very easy to tear the skin, making the finished product less attractive.
Does turkey continue to cook while resting?
Cook your turkey until your thermometer reads 155 -160 degrees. (Yes, we know that new safe cooking guidelines say to cook your bird to 165 degrees (they used to say 180!), but remember that your turkey will continue to cook after removed from the oven and it’s temperature will increase by 10 degrees while resting.
How do you know when turkey is done without thermometer?
To find out if your turkey is done without a thermometer, pierce it with a fork in the mid-thigh muscle, explains Nicole Johnson, the co-director of the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line. “When the juices run clear, and no longer reddish or pink in color, it’s a good indication that your turkey is done.”
Can I let my turkey rest for 2 hours?
Turkeys between 4-6kg should be rested for 1½ hours, and ones from 6-10kg can rest for two hours. Get your turkey out of the fridge 30 minutes before you cook it.
How do you know when the turkey is ready?
You’ll need a meat thermometer to make sure you cook your turkey to the right temperature. Insert it close to, but not touching, the thigh bone. If it reads 180 degrees F in the thigh and 170 degrees F in the breast, it’s done and ready to serve.
Should I put butter under the skin of my turkey?
Impart rich flavor and add moisture to your Thanksgiving turkey by adding a layer of butter under the skin before roasting.
Should I put broth in turkey pan?
I also like to add 1 cup chicken broth/stock to the bottom of the turkey pan before beginning the cooking. This will create a steam room-type environment in the oven, which help keep the breast moist but will not prevent browning of the skin.
What do I put in the bottom of the pan when cooking a turkey?
Place chopped onions, celery, and carrots in the bottom of the roasting pan. Pick a few herbs off the stalks and add to the vegetables.
Is the turkey done when the red thing pops out?
When the metal melts, it releases the red stick (A) and the spring (C) pops up the stick so you know the turkey is done. Turkey is done when it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit (73 degrees Celsius).
Is it better to carve a turkey hot or cold?
Serving Your Meat on a Cold Platter
A cold or room temperature platter will cool off your food that much faster, so as a rule of thumb, just serve hot food on a hot plate and cold food on cold plates —that’s just one of the important restaurant secrets every home cook should know.
How do you make turkey skin crispy?
Rub the skin with fat.
Once you’ve carefully dried off the skin, the next step you can take to guarantee perfectly crispy turkey skin is to rub it with a fat, like butter or oil. Oil will yield a crispier skin than butter because butter is at least 20 percent water, while oil contains no water.
How many does an 18 pound turkey feed?
12 to 16 people = 16- to 22-lb. turkey. 18 to 20 people = 27- to 30-lb. turkey.
How long do you cook a Butterball turkey?
Place pan in oven; reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Roast 3 to 3½ hours or until meat thermometer reaches 180°F when inserted into deepest part of thigh not touching bone. Cover breast and top of drumsticks loosely with foil about two-thirds of the way through roasting to prevent overbrowning, if needed.
Is it better to cook a turkey at 325 or 350?
Do I Cook a Turkey at 325 or 350 Degrees? Though “low and slow” is a good rule for cooking a bird all the way through without burning it, there’s no hard-and-fast rule. All of our temperature guides assume you’re cooking at 325, but you can cook it a little warmer for roughly the same, or just a little less time.
How do you keep a turkey warm for 4 hours?
If your turkey is done too early, things can get a little complicated, but it’s not the end of the world. If it’s done around an hour early, let it rest uncovered for about 20 to 30 minutes. Then cover your turkey with some foil and a thick towel or blanket to keep it warm.
Can you cook a turkey on low heat overnight?
When you’re starting to think about going to bed, preheat your oven to somewhere between 170-180ºF. If your oven temperature does not go this low, set it to its coolest setting; anything up to 200ºF is fine.
How long does it take to cook a 20lb turkey at 350 degrees?
How long you cook your turkey can vary, depending on the temperature of the oven and whether or not your turkey recipe calls for a stuffed or unstuffed bird. We recommend roasting turkey at 350 degrees F for 13 minutes per pound for an unstuffed turkey.
Should I tent my turkey?
Butterball suggests that after the turkey has been cooking for 2/3 of the amount of time needed (depending on the size of the bird), that you cover the breasts with a small tent made of aluminum foil. This will slow down the cooking process of the turkey breasts.
Is it safe to eat pink turkey?
The best way to be sure a turkey — or any meat — is cooked safely and done is to use a meat thermometer. If the temperature of the turkey, as measured in the thigh, has reached 180°F. and is done to family preference, all the meat — including any that remains pink — is safe to eat.
How do I keep my turkey moist?
Classic Bread Stuffing Recipe
- Choose a fresh turkey instead of a frozen one.
- Roast two small turkeys rather than one large one.
- Brine the turkey.
- Rub soft butter under the skin.
- Truss loosely, or not at all.
- Roast the turkey upside down at first.
- Don’t overcook it.
- Let the turkey rest before carving.
Should I cover my turkey with aluminum foil?
We’ve found that covering a turkey in foil yields much moister results than roasting it without foil, and we favor simply covering up the breast to even out cooking time.
How do you flip a turkey in the oven?
Make sure the turkey isn’t sticking to its roasting rack by running a spatula or table knife between the two. Hand protection in place, grasp the turkey at its neck and tail ends and quickly but carefully flip it. Try to keep the turkey level, so any juice or ingredients in the cavity don’t spill out.
Should I put olive oil on my turkey?
You may be wondering if you can use olive oil instead of butter on turkey for The Best Oven Roasted Turkey and the answer is, yes. Use olive oil on turkey instead of butter. Olive oil is a nice, healthy alternative to butter and it won’t compromise the taste at all.
What do I put on top of turkey before cooking?
It also requires you to constantly open the oven, which causes the oven to loose heat and the turkey to take longer to cook–which could lead to a dry turkey. By smearing an herb butter mixture over the outer and inner skin of the turkey you will ensure the skin will brown beautifully, and taste amazing.
Should you salt turkey before roasting?
We recommend brining or salting a turkey to make it moist and flavorful. How can you choose which one is right for you? Salting turkey in advance is one way to season the meat and keep it juicy. When salt is applied to raw poultry, juices inside are drawn to the surface.
Do you put water at the bottom of a roasting pan?
No, when roasting, you should not add water to the pan. Water in the pan will steam the food rather than roast it, making the food soggy and less flavorful. This is a good rule for roasting any type of meat.
Should you put water in turkey roasting pan?
Add about a half-inch of liquid (water or stock) to the roasting pan. This will keep the oven moist, and the turkey juicy.
What size turkey is the most tender?
The youngest turkeys that are available, usually less than 4 months old and under 8 pounds in weight, are labeled fryer/roasters and have the most tender meat of all.
What should I put in the cavity of my turkey?
Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the turkey cavity. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, halved lemon, quartered onion, and the garlic. Brush the outside of the turkey with the butter mixture and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Can you put a stick of butter in a turkey?
I like to stuff mine with a mix of orange wedges, lemon wedges, garlic, onion and fresh herbs. For this Thanksgiving turkey recipe, I use 1/2 a stick of butter to make a garlic herb butter to spread under the skin. The skin protects the fresh garlic and herbs, and the butter, garlic and herbs flavor the turkey meat.
How do I add flavor to my turkey?
Baste the turkey with fresh beer, wine or juice every hour. The natural sugars will help caramelize the outside of your turkey, giving it a nice crispy and flavorful skin. Injecting with butter or apple juice will add flavor, moisture and help penetrate down into the meat, which will make the turkey more flavorful.
When should I take my turkey out of the refrigerator before cooking?
Your turkey will cook more evenly and faster if you start it out at room temperature so remove the turkey from the refrigerator 1 hour before roasting. If you plan to stuff your turkey, wait until you’re ready to put it in the oven before putting the stuffing in the turkey.
Should I butter my turkey the night before?
Absolutely! In fact, buttering your turkey the night before not only saves you time the day your roast, but many believe allowing the butter to sit overnight on and under the skin infuses even more flavor into the turkey.
Can a turkey be prepared the day before?
It’s easy: Simply cook it a day or two in advance, let it cool completely, then carve the bird into large pieces—breasts, wings, thighs and drumsticks. Store in a container in the refrigerator until the big day. This method actually result in juicier meat—and an infinitely more relaxed host.
How do you cook a turkey so it’s not dry?
“When roasting the whole bird, the key is to cook the legs longer than the breast,” Tommy says. “Once the breast is cooked, remove the bird from the oven, remove the legs and then put them back in. This stops the breasts drying out.”
How long do you let a turkey rest?
Before you cut a thing, let your turkey rest — at least 30 minutes — so its juices don’t end up on the cutting board.
Is Butterball turkey better than other brands?
Butterball turkeys are of the highest quality product and will be sure to impress your guests. Here’s why Butterball is the right (and only!) choice this holiday season: Butterball turkeys are always tender and juicy because we take the extra step of individually pre-brining them based on size.
What is the difference between a Butterball turkey and a regular turkey?
Butterball is known for its pre-basted turkeys. The frozen Butterball turkeys have an eight percent solution of water, salt, spices and “natural flavors,” while the turkeys it sells as fresh (which, by law, mean they’ve never been chilled below 26 degrees Fahrenheit) only contain four percent of that solution.