How to Check a Turkey for Doneness (2024)

FAQs

How to Check a Turkey for Doneness? ›

Hold the thermometer still until the numbers stop increasing. If it is not ready, return it to the oven. According to the Department of Agriculture, a turkey must reach 165 degrees F to be safe, but you can take it out of the oven as low as 160 degrees F because the temperature will rise at it rests.

Hold the thermometer still until the numbers stop increasing. If it is not ready, return it to the oven. According to the Department of Agriculture, a turkey must reach 165 degrees F to be safe, but you can take it out of the oven as low as 160 degrees F because the temperature will rise at it rests.

To find out if your turkey is done without a thermometer, pierce the mid-thigh muscle with a fork, explains Johnson. "When the juices run clear, and no longer reddish or pink in color, it's a good indication that your turkey is done." In most cases, the deep thigh is the last part of the turkey to be done.

Only by using a food thermometer can one accurately determine that poultry has reached a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F throughout the product. Turkey can remain pink even after cooking to a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F. The meat of smoked turkey is always pink.

For the juiciest meat, you'll want to remove your bird from the oven when the temperature reaches 150°F. The temperature will continue to rise as the turkey rests and should reach 165°F within 30 minutes of being removed from the oven.

What temperature should a turkey be? The food-safe temperature for a turkey is 165°F, and it's best to temp between the thigh bone and the breast. But, as we mentioned above, letting your turkey rest can bring it up to this temperature, so you don't necessarily have to take it out when it hits exactly 165°F.

Before you cut a thing, let your turkey rest — at least 30 minutes — so its juices don't end up on the cutting board. Use a board large enough to fit the entire bird and preferably with grooves around the edges to catch stray liquid.

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.

Be Thanksgiving-ready with the help of the Test Kitchen experts. The little pop-up thermometer in the turkey breast is designed to pop when the internal temperature of the breast meat reaches 178 degrees F. By then, your turkey is bone dry. Even the Best Turkey Gravy won't save it.

If you let the turkey rest a bit, the juices reabsorb into the meat rather than running out of the bird and landing on the cutting board. Carve it to order. The longer you let it sit after you slice it, the drier it will be. If you need to slice it, cover it with foil or plastic wrap to keep it from drying out.

Is it better to cook a turkey at 325 or 350? ›

We recommend roasting turkey at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 13 minutes per pound for an unstuffed turkey. We've done the math for you — check out the chart below to determine both turkey cook times and estimated servings (with leftovers!).

For best results, insert your thermometer's oven-safe probe ( a DOT^® with a Pro-Series^® probe) into the deepest part of the turkey breast, avoiding bone. You want an even layer of meat above and below the probe so that it's evenly surrounded by the meat.

First thing first: The Agriculture Department says that the safe internal temperature for a turkey is 165 degrees Fahrenheit. It recommends confirming this in the thickest part of the breast, innermost part of the thigh and innermost part of the wing.

The internet and cookbooks all give too high a temperature. But despite what they all say, you absolutely should NOT cook your turkey breast meat to 165°F (74°C) or to—heaven forbid—180°F (82°C)! Our answer? Cook the breast meat to 157°F (69°C) for moist, juicy turkey.

A food thermometer should be used to ensure a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °F has been reached to destroy bacteria and prevent foodborne illness. Many variables can affect the roasting time of a whole turkey: A partially frozen turkey requires longer cooking. A stuffed turkey takes longer to cook.

When it reaches a USDA-recommended internal temperature of 165°F, it's done. You can remove the turkey from the oven at 155°F and let the temperature rise as it rests. If stuffed, the internal temperature of the stuffing should also reach 165°F. You can use the resting time to make homemade turkey gravy.