Turkey Cooking Times Rules Ensure the Best Thanksgiving Dinner for Guests
The proper turkey cooking times ensure the best tasting food this Thanksgiving day. By following some simple tips, anyone can cook their dinner with guests raving for more.
(Media-Newswire.com) - The proper turkey cooking times ensure the best tasting food this Thanksgiving day. By following some simple tips, anyone can cook their dinner with guests raving for more.
Cooking a turkey is not rocket science! Follow a few basic rules and plan out your dinner for the best results.
First, set the oven to 325 degrees and move the rack to a middle to lower position. Next, clean turkey of the inner guts through the front cavity opening. Dry the turkey well with paper towels.
Place the turkey in a shallow roasting pan usually with water on the bottom for basting later.
Pin the wings close to the turkey using cooking rope and wrap around the neck. Use an oven safe thermometer which has the stem into the thick part of the leg. This will ensure the proper cooking temperature needed to decide when it has been fully cooked. Make sure the thermometer does not touch the bone or you will get a misreading.
The inner temperature is the most important when cooking a turkey. Most cooks will use the 12 minutes per pound under 10 pounds. This rule is basically 2 hours for a 10-12 pound turkey. If the bird is larger than this, theory is to add 15 minutes per pound on top of this two hours.
Averages for an 18-20 pound turkey is 3-3.5 hours if it is unstuffed. With stuffing inside the cavity of the bird, expect to cook it from 4-4.5 hours in the oven. Temperatures usually are around a minimum of 325 degrees but you must check the label on the turkey as each are different.
Related Content
Published by:
N/A
Release Date
This story was released on 2009-11-26. Please make sure to visit the official company or organization web site to learn more about the original release date. See our disclaimer for additional information.