Asked by: Lijana Melzner
food and drink barbecues and grilling

How do you test a turkey for doneness?

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Start checking for doneness on the early sideandinsert the thermometer in the thickest part of theturkey'sthigh. Be sure you're not hitting the bone, whichwill give you aninaccurate reading. Give it a minute to settle on atemperature.What you're looking for is a reading of 170°F inthethigh.


People also ask, how do I know if my turkey is done without a thermometer?

The internal temperature should reach180°F.To check for doneness without athermometer, piercethe thigh and pay attention tothe juices: ifthe juices run clear, it'scooked, and if thejuices are reddish pink, it needsmore time. Put the turkeyback in the oven andcheck again after a shorttime.

is the turkey done when the button pops out? When the metal melts, it releases the red stick (A)andthe spring (C) pops up the stick so you knowtheturkey is done. Turkey is done whenitreaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit (73 degrees Celsius). Ifitregisters 165 degrees Fahrenheit, it's done.

Also Know, is Turkey done at 165 or 180?

Some confusion is inevitable, as until 2006, theFDArecommended a cooking temperature of 165 for the breastmeatand 180 for the thighs. For turkey that's165degrees, you'll want to remove the bird from the ovenwhen thetemperature reaches 155 to 160 degrees because it willcontinue tocook outside the oven.

At what temperature is the turkey done?

165 °F

Related Question Answers

Adorinda Anderson

Professional

Is it OK for Turkey to be a little pink?

Only by using a food thermometer can oneaccuratelydetermine that poultry has reached a safe minimuminternaltemperature of 165 °F throughout the product.Turkey canremain pink even after cooking to a safeminimum internaltemperature of 165 °F. The meat of smokedturkey isalways pink.

Jaimee Meierto

Professional

How long does a turkey need to rest after it is cooked?

Keep in mind that during the resting period,theturkey will keep cooking, and theinternaltemperature will rise by 5 to 10 degrees. Pull it outassoon as the temperature hits 165, or even a littlelower.The amount of resting time depends on the size of the bird,but atleast 20 minutes is needed.

Kesha Indaberea

Professional

Do you cover turkey while resting?

Cover the turkey loosely with foil,butremove it just under an hour before the timing is up to gettheturkey nicely browned. Once cooked, carefully lifttheturkey out of the tray and rest on a board.Coverloosely with foil for at least an hour while youget oncooking your roast potatoes.

Cerasela Vetterick

Explainer

Can you eat undercooked turkey?

You're at risk when you consumeraw,undercooked, or unpasteurized items. Salmonellafoodpoisoning is commonly caused by: undercookedchicken,turkey, or other poultry.

Jaquelyn Oechsler

Explainer

Can you Recook undercooked turkey?

So, you have to recook the same.Whilecarving your turkey if you realize it isn'tcookedthoroughly, you can recook the undercookedportions.Place the tray in the oven and roast it at 375oF untilfully cooked. Since it is cut into slices, your turkeywillbe cooked within a matter of minutes.

Vitaly Artes

Explainer

What if my turkey is done too early?

If your turkey is done several hoursbeforeyour meal, let it rest. Then carve off the breast meat, thelegs andthe thighs and arrange them on a serving platter and coverwithfoil. Just before you're ready to serve, reheat the platter intheoven (about 20 minutes at 350°F).

Ekaterina Mittermeier

Pundit

Do you cook a turkey at 325 or 350?

Roast in a 325° or350°(depending on size of bird; see below) oven untilthermometerregisters 160°. If turkey is unstuffed, tipslightly todrain juices from body cavity into pan.

Serigne Buermann

Pundit

What temperature do you cook a Butterball turkey?

Preheat oven to 325° F. Hold under running waterandremove giblets, neck, and gravy packets. Place turkeyonflat rack in a shallow roasting pan, 2 to 2 1/2 inchesdeep.Brush or spray skin lightly with vegetable or cookingoilfor best appearance. Cover neck and exposed stuffing with foiltoprevent over-browning.

Tudorel Feigelman

Pundit

Where do you stick the thermometer in a turkey?

Follow These Steps. Slip your meatthermometerinto the thickest part of the turkeythigh, pricking thebird just above the crease between the thigh andthe placewhere the turkey breast begins, and drivingit into thethigh meat. When the counter reads 165 degrees, yourturkeyis ready.

Roque Ruepp

Pundit

Should I baste my turkey?

Basting is optional when roasting aturkey.To ensure a moist turkey, the key is to notovercook it. Ifyou choose to baste the bird, do soevery 30 minutes.Be sure to check out a few other ideas on addingflavor and moistureto your holiday turkey.

Aili Jerzumbek

Pundit

What temperature do you pull a turkey off the smoker?

As a quick tip, we recommend taking the turkeyofthe grill our out of the smoker when it reachesaninternal temperature of 160°F. It will continue tocookwhile it rests, leaving it exactly at the safetemperatureof 165°F by the time you are ready to digin.

Zula Herbin

Teacher

What is the red thing on a turkey?

The red fleshy bits hanging off turkeys' beaksarecalled “snoods,” not to be confused with wattles,thefleshy bits under the neck that Richard the lawyer on AllyMcBealfetishized. When a male turkey is strutting, thesnoodengorges with blood and extends to hang down overthebeak.

Reposo Francela

Teacher

Dahman Dodenhoeft

Teacher

When should I take my turkey out of the freezer?

If your turkey is between 12 and 15 pounds,Ihighly recommend taking it out of thefreezerthis evening or tomorrow at latest. Because you knowwhat no oneever said, at any time, about theirThanksgivingturkey?

Sibilla Sarstedt

Teacher

Does the turkey pop up timer work?

If you're wondering if the turkey is done,thetimer gives you a "yes" or "no" answer. Whentheturkey is done cooking, the indicator stick popsup.If you peek in the oven and the stick hasn't poppedup yet,the turkey's not done.

Titel Fronhofer

Reviewer

Do you leave the meat thermometer in while cooking turkey?

This type of meat thermometer should not beleftin food while it's cooking. Digitalinstant-readthermometer: The thermometer's probeshould beplaced at least 1/2 inch into the food and willregister thetemperature in about 10 seconds. The thermometershould notbe left in the food while it'scooking.

Abelina Freijeiro

Reviewer

Do Butterball turkeys have the pop up timer?

Even Butterball, the brand probably mostfamiliarto home cooks, doesn't endorse the pop-uptimer. Thecompany's birds have “never, never,never” hadtimers in them, says Carol Miller,supervisor for theButterball Turkey Talk-Line. “Andthey've been aroundfor 60 years.”

Ching Scheiermann

Reviewer

Do I remove plastic from turkey legs?

Remove neck and giblets from turkeymainand neck cavities. (These can be discarded or used to makebrothfor gravy or soup.) If turkey has a metal orplasticclamp holding the legs together, removeand discardit.

Cinderella Villabona

Reviewer

Are pop up timers accurate?

To determine the pop-ups'accuracy,we also measured the internal temperature of themeat with acalibrated reference thermometer. Our findings may makea feweyebrows pop: But three timers popped upwhenmeat was still below that safe zone, one as low as139.5°F.