How long should a turkey be cooked?

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How many minutes per pound do you cook turkey?

Determine how long to cook the turkey for and at what temperature. The easiest approach to determine how long to roast a turkey is to calculate 13 minutes per pound at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for an unstuffed turkey (which is around 3 hours for a bird weighing 12 to 14 pounds), or 15 minutes per pound for a turkey that has been stuffed.

Which temperature is better for a turkey: 325 or 350?

Which temperature, 325 or 350 degrees, should I cook a turkey at? Although cooking a chicken “low and slow” is a good rule to follow, there is no one tried-and-true method for doing so without risking the bird’s skin being burned. You can cook it a little warmer for about the same amount of time, or just a little less time overall, but all of our temperature instructions make the assumption that you are cooking at 325.

Should I use aluminum foil to cover my turkey?

We have discovered that roasting a turkey with the breast covered in foil produces much more moist results than roasting the turkey without any foil. Because of this, we prefer to just wrap the breast in foil to ensure that the cooking time is distributed evenly.

Do you cook a turkey with a cover or without one?

A turkey weighing 10 pounds should be able to carry around 7 cups of stuffing. Should I cover the chicken as it roasts or leave it uncovered? A: The guys at Butterball suggest roasting the turkey in a roasting pan with the lid off. According to Butterball, the breast portion can be covered with aluminum foil at the two-thirds mark of the cooking time in order to prevent it from drying out.

At 325 degrees, how long does a 14-pound turkey take to cook?

Assuming that you will be roasting your turkey in an oven preheated to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, you should count on 15 to 17 minutes of cooking time for each pound of an unstuffed turkey. When cooking a stuffed turkey, plan on spending 20 to 22 minutes per pound of bird. 8-12 pound. 12-14 pound.

Do you cook a 10 lb turkey at 325 or 350?

For a child that weighs 10–13 lbs. turkey (weight including giblets): Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 1/4 hours. If you weigh between 14 and 23 lbs. turkey (weight including giblets): Bake in an oven preheated to 325 degrees for two to three hours.

How long should a 14 lb turkey cook?

How Long to Roast a Turkey:

  1. 4 to 8 pounds (breast only): 1 1/2 to 3 1/4 hours.
  2. 8 to 12 pounds: 2 3/4 to 3 hours.
  3. 12 to 14 pounds: 3 to 3 3/4 hours.
  4. 14 to 18 pounds: 3 3/4 to 4 1/4 hours.
  5. 18 to 20 pounds: 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 hours.
  6. 20 to 24 pounds: 4 1/2 to 5 hours.

Do you put water in the bottom of the roasting pan for turkey?

Arrange in a single layer on the bottom of the roasting pan. On top of the veggies, place the turkey with the breast side facing up. The roasting pan should have about a half an inch of liquid (either water or stock) added to it. This will prevent the oven from drying out and will also ensure that the turkey stays juicy.

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How do I keep my turkey moist?

Folding a huge square sheet of foil into a triangle is a great way to shield the turkey breast from drying out while still keeping it moist. Here’s how to do it: After you have rubbed olive oil on one side of the triangle and formed the foil (with the oiled side facing down) over the turkey breast, you can then remove the foil; this will protect your turkey breast and prevent it from becoming dry.

How do you make turkey skin crispy?

The fat should be rubbed into the skin.

The next step you can do to assure that the skin of your turkey will turn out wonderfully crispy is to massage it with a fat, such as butter or oil, after you have properly dried off the surface. Because oil does not include any water, it will produce a skin that is more crisp than butter, which has at least 20 percent water by weight.

What is the best temperature to cook a turkey?

After you have roasted the turkey at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 to 45 minutes, reduce the temperature of the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for the remainder of the cooking time. It is recommended, similar to the other approach, to baste the turkey with butter or olive oil every 15 to 20 minutes while it is cooking in order to assist the surface brown and to keep the flesh moist.

How long should a turkey rest before you carve it?

Allow the turkey to rest for at least half an hour before you begin slicing it to prevent the fluids from the bird from dripping onto the cutting board.

How often do you baste a turkey?

The vast majority of turkey recipes will instruct you to baste it every thirty minutes. However, our general rule of thumb is to check in every forty minutes, and the reason for this is as follows: It is important to avoid opening the oven door too frequently since doing so may cause the entire chicken to take considerably longer to cook, which is a very inconvenient outcome.

How long do you cook a turkey at 325 degrees?

This data comes from the USDA, and it assumes that you are using an oven set to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and either a fresh or fully defrosted chicken. (We’re talking about around 15 minutes per pound for a bird that has not been stuffed.) If you wish to cook a turkey that has been frozen, it will take at least 50 percent longer than the periods that are indicated. A convection oven set to 325 degrees Fahrenheit helps speed up the cooking of your turkey.

How long does a 10 lbs turkey take to cook?

How long should you roast a turkey that weighs 10 pounds? Until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit when using a regular oven, you will need to cook a 10 pound turkey for two and a half to three and a half hours and twenty minutes.

How long does it take to cook a 16 pound turkey?

When it comes to cooking a turkey, the general rule of thumb is 13 minutes per pound. It was predicted that it would take around three and a half hours to roast our 16-pound turkey. However, there are various preparation methods, such as brining the bird, cooking it with an empty (un-stuffed) cavity, and without trussing the legs, that will contribute to a significantly faster cooking time.

Do you cook a 12 pound turkey at 325 or 350?

What temperature to cook a turkey: 325°F or 350°F?

  • Bake at 350°F for any turkey that’s less than 14 pounds (5.9kg) (5.9kg)
  • Bake at 325°F for bigger turkeys over 14 pounds.

How long does it take to cook 11 pound turkey?

Completely cooking a turkey that weighs 11 pounds shouldn’t take more than three hours and 40 minutes in total.

Should you take turkey out of fridge before cooking?

The turkey should be brought to room temperature before being placed in the oven; thus, remove it from the refrigerator at least an hour (for a whole turkey) or thirty minutes (for a cut) before cooking it. Keep it covered and put it somewhere cold.

What temperature do I cook a 15 pound turkey at?

Brown the turkey that weighs 15 pounds by beginning the cooking process at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for the first 20 minutes. After that, turn the heat down to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and continue cooking for another hour to two, until the breast achieves an internal temperature of around 140 to 145 degrees Fahrenheit. The cooking time, which can range from half an hour to an hour or longer, should be completed once the temperature is lowered to 225 degrees Fahrenheit.

How long does it take to cook a 16 lb turkey at 350 degrees?

We recommend roasting turkey at 350 degrees F for 13 minutes per pound for an unstuffed turkey.
How Long to Cook a Turkey.

Turkey Weight Servings Cooking Time
15 to 18 lb 10 to 12 3 1/4 to 4 hours
18 to 20 lb 12 to 14 4 to 4 1/4 hours
20 to 22 lb 14 to 16 4 1/4 to 4 3/4 hours
23 to 24 lb 16 to 20 5 to 5 1/4 hours

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

Should you wash turkey?

You should wash your hands, but you shouldn’t touch the turkey! There is a widespread misconception among customers that washing their turkey would eliminate pathogens and render it safer. However, it is quite difficult to remove germs from the bird by washing. Instead, fluids that splash about during cleaning can spread bacteria not just onto the surfaces of your kitchen but also onto other meals and utensils.

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Do you cook turkey breast side up or down?

Cooking a whole turkey with the breast side up for the duration of the cooking period is recommended by the United States Department of Agriculture. It can be risky to turn over a large bird while it is still hot, and it is quite simple to break the skin in the process, which will make the completed product less appealing.

What do I put in the bottom of the pan when cooking a turkey?

Onions, celery, and carrots should be diced and placed in the bottom of the roasting pan. Remove a few leaves of the herbs from their stems and mix them in with the veggies.

Should I put butter or oil on my turkey?

Don’t butter your bird

Although inserting butter beneath the skin may hasten the process of the skin browning, it will not make the meat any more juicy. However, butter contains around 17 percent water, and according to López-Alt, this will cause your bird to have a blotchy appearance. Instead, apply some vegetable oil all over the surface of the meat before roasting it.

What do you put inside a turkey?

The interior of the turkey should be heavily seasoned with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with a sprig of thyme, a lemon cut in half, an onion cut into quarters, and the garlic. The butter mixture should be painted onto the outside of the turkey, and then the turkey should be seasoned with salt and pepper.

Should you baste a turkey?

Do Not Baste. The meat may be seasoned without the need to baste the surface of the meat. You’ll add flavor to the skin, but every time you open the oven to baste the chicken, you’ll also let some of the heat escape. Brown explains that this will result in a greater degree of dryness in the chicken since it will be cooked for a longer period of time inside the oven.

Should I use an oven bag for my turkey?

Using a Reynolds® pan to prepare the Thanksgiving turkey is a traditional practice. The Turkey Oven Bag is an excellent tool for ensuring that your turkey will retain its natural juices and luscious flavor while also achieving a delightfully browned exterior. The greatest thing is that all of the wonderful juices stay in the Oven Bag, so following these simple instructions won’t even need you to clean the roasting pan.

What do you baste a turkey with?

The process of basting involves regularly dripping some liquid over roasted meat in order to flavor it and keep the meat wet while it is being cooked for a lengthy period of time. You can baste the turkey with melted butter, another type of fat, stock, or the drippings that have collected in the roasting pan.

What temperature do I cook a 12 pound turkey?

How Long Does It Take to Cook a Turkey?

Turkey Weight Cooking Time Doneness Temperature
4-6 lb. breast 1 hr 30 mins–2 hrs 15 mins 165°F
6-8 lb. breast 2 hrs 15 mins–3 hrs 15 mins 165°F
8-12 lbs. 2 hrs 45 mins–3 hrs 170-175°F
12-14 lbs. 3 hrs–3 hrs 45 mins 170-175°F

How do you tell if a turkey is done?

In order to ensure that you cook your turkey to the appropriate temperature, you will want a meat thermometer. Place it so that it is near to the thigh bone but without touching it. It is ready to be served when the internal temperature of the thigh registers 180 degrees Fahrenheit and the internal temperature of the breast registers 170 degrees Fahrenheit.

Should I tent my turkey?

After the turkey has been cooking for approximately two thirds of the total length of time required (the exact amount of time may vary depending on the size of the bird), Butterball recommends covering the breasts with a tiny tent made of aluminum foil. The turkey breasts’ cooking time will be lengthened as a result of this change.

How do you know when turkey is done without thermometer?

In the absence of a thermometer, you may determine whether or not your turkey is cooked by inserting a fork into the muscle located in the middle of the thigh, as recommended by Nicole Johnson, co-director of the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line. When the fluids flow clear and no longer have a rosy or crimson tint to them, this is a good indicator that the turkey is ready to be served.

Is it better to cut turkey hot or cold?

Your Meat Should Be Served on a Cold Platter

As a rule of thumb, you should serve hot food on a hot plate and cold food on cold plates; this is only one of the fundamental restaurant secrets that every home cook should be aware of. A platter that is at room temperature or cooler will chill down your meal that much faster.

Should I butter my turkey the night before?

Absolutely! In point of fact, buttering your turkey the night before not only saves you time on the day you roast it, but many people feel that letting the butter to stay overnight on and under the skin of the bird infuses the turkey with even more flavor.

Should I season turkey the night before?

What kind of preparations should be made to the chicken before roasting it? Add a combination of seasonings to your turkey the night before you plan to put it in the oven. Perhaps some fresh herbs, garlic, shallots, and/or onions, along with olives or another component according to your custom.

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How long do you cook a 9 lb stuffed turkey?

Roast in an oven preheated to 325 degrees for two and a half hours. Take off the foil and trim a strip of skin or thread from between the drumsticks to ensure that the thighs cook evenly. Continue roasting for an additional 30 to 45 minutes, or until the thermometer reads 180°F; and the center of the stuffing (if using) is 165°F. If the turkey is filled, increase the roasting time to 1 to 1-1/4 hours.

How long does it take to thaw out a 13 pound turkey?

If the turkey weighs between 4 and 12 pounds, you should count on letting it thaw in the refrigerator for between one and three days. If it weighs between 12 and 16 pounds, put it in the refrigerator at least three to four days before the holiday is scheduled to begin.

How do you cook a turkey chart?

Here’s a handy turkey cooking chart.
How Long to Cook an Unstuffed Turkey.

Weight Cook Time
8 to 12 pounds 2¾ to 3 hours
12 to 14 pounds 3 to 3¾ hours
14 to 18 pounds 3¾ to 4¼ hours
18 to 20 pounds 4¼ to 4½ hours

How long does it take to thaw a 16 pound turkey in the refrigerator?

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) suggests thawing your turkey in the refrigerator. Because the turkey will thaw at a stable temperature throughout the process, this is the approach that is considered to be the safest. Because this strategy requires some time, set aside one day for every 4 to 5 pounds of weight that you want to lose. The thawing process will take around four days for a turkey that weighs 16 pounds.

How long does it take to thaw a 17 pound turkey in the refrigerator?

To safely defrost a frozen turkey, the ONLY method that is suggested is thawing it in the refrigerator. You will, however, require a significant amount of time in order for it to be successful: 24 hours of defrosting time for every 4 to 5 pounds of bird. A large turkey, say 15 to 20 pounds, will need to be stored in the refrigerator for four to five days before it can be consumed.

Should I cover my turkey with aluminum foil?

We have discovered that roasting a turkey with the breast covered in foil produces much more moist results than roasting the turkey without any foil. Because of this, we prefer to just wrap the breast in foil to ensure that the cooking time is distributed evenly.

How long should I cook a 12 lb turkey?

10. Determine the amount of time and temperature needed to cook the turkey. The easiest approach to determine how long to roast a turkey is to calculate 13 minutes per pound at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for an unstuffed turkey (which is around 3 hours for a bird weighing 12 to 14 pounds), or 15 minutes per pound for a turkey that has been stuffed.

How long does a 14 lb turkey take to cook at 325?

Assuming that you will be roasting your turkey in an oven preheated to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, you should count on 15 to 17 minutes of cooking time for each pound of an unstuffed turkey. When cooking a stuffed turkey, plan on spending 20 to 22 minutes per pound of bird. 8-12 pound. 12-14 pound.

How long do you cook a 15 lb turkey at 300 degrees?

The general recommendation is to smoke the turkey at a temperature of 300 degrees for 15 minutes for every pound of weight, for a total of 30 minutes smoking time.

Should you put water in turkey roasting pan?

The roasting pan should have about a half an inch of liquid (either water or stock) added to it. This will prevent the oven from drying out and will also ensure that the turkey stays juicy.

Should I flip my turkey while cooking?

Cook the bird with the breast flesh facing down, as if it were upside down, then flip it over halfway through the cooking process based on your assessment. If you are using a kettle and have all of your charcoal on one side of the grill, you will want to rotate the turkey as you turn it so that it does not overcook on one side. This will prevent the turkey from being undercooked on the other side.

Do you cook a turkey at 325 or 350?

If you are dead set on stuffing the turkey, you will need to cook it at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 to 25 minutes per pound. During this time, you should cover the turkey with a tent made of aluminum foil to prevent it from drying out or burning, paying special attention to the wings and drumsticks.

How long do you cook a 17 lb turkey?

How Long to Roast a Turkey:

  1. 4 to 8 pounds (breast only): 1 1/2 to 3 1/4 hours.
  2. 8 to 12 pounds: 2 3/4 to 3 hours.
  3. 12 to 14 pounds: 3 to 3 3/4 hours.
  4. 14 to 18 pounds: 3 3/4 to 4 1/4 hours.
  5. 18 to 20 pounds: 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 hours.
  6. 20 to 24 pounds: 4 1/2 to 5 hours.

Can you cook a turkey at 350 degrees?

Roast the turkey without any covering at a temperature ranging from 325 degrees Fahrenheit to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Higher temperatures may cause the flesh to dry out, but this is better than temperatures that are too low which may not enable the inside of the turkey to cook to a safe temperature.

How long should you cook a 20lb turkey?

If you’re baking it at 325°F (the lowest temperature the USDA advises), you’ll need to roast a 20-lb turkey in the oven for 4 to 5 hours if it’s unstuffed, and 4 ¼ to 5 ¼ hours if it’s stuffed.