You will need to bake a turkey that weighs 20 pounds in the oven for 4 to 5 hours if it is unstuffed, and for 4 14 to 5 14 hours if it is stuffed, if you bake it at the lowest temperature that the USDA advises, which is 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
How long does it take to cook a 20lb turkey at 350 degrees?
Roast your turkey at these temperatures if it weighs between 18 and 20 pounds:
350 degrees Fahrenheit for 4 to 4 14 hours. 325 degrees Fahrenheit for between 4 1/4 and 4 1/2 hours.
Is it better to cook a turkey at 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.
How long does a 20 pound turkey take to cook?
There is no set time for cooking. For instance, the cooking time for a turkey weighing 20 pounds will be between 4 1/4 and 5 hours; after 4 1/4 hours, check the temperature on the thermometer.
How long should a 20 lb turkey cook at 325?
How long should a turkey be cooked for every pound? According to the guidelines provided by the USDA, a fresh or frozen unstuffed turkey should spend around 15 minutes per pound in a normal oven set to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. If you are cooking your turkey in an oven that has convection capabilities, the cooking time will be reduced somewhat.
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.
What temp should a 20 lb turkey be?
When the thermometer reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit, it is time to serve.
The food is ready when the thermometer registers 165 degrees Fahrenheit. If not, put it back into the oven on the same rack. Check it again at 15-minute intervals until it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. It is preferable to err on the side of undercooking the chicken by a few degrees rather than overcooking it since the bird will continue to cook even after it is removed from the oven.
Should a turkey be rinsed before cooking?
Should You Rinse a Turkey Before Cooking It? To put it simply, no. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports that rinsing a raw turkey in the kitchen sink can lead to the spread of bacteria on countertops, neighboring food, and other surfaces, which can cause cross-contamination. This can occur when the turkey is exposed to water at high temperatures.
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 half an hour (for a cut) before cooking it. Keep it covered and put it somewhere cold.
Is it necessary to baste a turkey?
The meat may be seasoned without the need to baste the surface of the meat. You will infuse the skin with flavor, but each time you open the oven to baste it, you will also allow some of the heat escape. Brown explains that this will result in the chicken being cooked for a longer period of time, which will cause it to become drier.
How long to cook a 20 lb turkey covered or uncovered?
Cover the turkey and continue cooking it in this manner for at least the first couple of hours. If you like, you may bast it every thirty minutes while it’s cooking. In order to achieve a golden brown color on the turkey, cook it uncovered for the final hour and a half of the cooking time.
How long does it take a 20 pound turkey to thaw in the refrigerator?
The calculation is as follows: Prepare for a thawing time in the refrigerator of 24 hours for every 5 pounds of frozen turkey (for example: budget 4 full days of thawing in the fridge for a 20-pound turkey). Maintain the wrapping on the turkey, and check on it periodically to determine whether the baking sheet or roasting pan requires any further draining.
How long should you cook a 20 pound stuffed turkey?
Tent the turkey with a heavy-duty piece of aluminum foil and cover it loosely. The amount of time needed to cook a stuffed turkey is increased. For illustration’s sake, the cooking time for a stuffed turkey weighing 20 pounds will range from 4.25 to 5.25 hours.
Does the turkey roasting pan have water in the bottom?
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.
At 165 or 180 degrees, is turkey done?
Even though some recipes call for the turkey to be cooked to an internal temperature of 180 degrees Fahrenheit, the bird can be consumed without risk once it reaches a temperature of 165 degrees. When the breasts are cooked past 165 degrees, the flesh can become dry, while the dark meat can be cooked to 180 degrees.
How much time should a turkey rest?
Thanksgiving Help Line
As soon as the temperature reaches 165 degrees or even a slightly lower level, remove it from the oven. The length of time spent resting will vary according to the size of the bird, but it will be a minimum of twenty minutes. Depending on how warm the atmosphere is, a big bird could be able to hold its breath for up to forty minutes at a time.
How do I keep my turkey moist?
Here is a useful piece of advice: to prevent the turkey breast from drying up and to ensure that it remains juicy: Make a triangle out of a huge square sheet of foil by folding 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.
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 do you cook a twenty pound turkey?
Put the chicken on a rack inside of a big roasting pan with the breast side facing up. Heavy-duty aluminum foil should be used to tent the chicken and cover the whole baking dish to ensure a good seal. Put the turkey in the oven, and roast it for about ten minutes for every pound it weighs. (So, approximately 3 and a half hours for a turkey that weighs 20 pounds; approximately 2 and a half hours for a bird that weighs 15 pounds.)
How long do I cook a 21 pound turkey?
Depending on how filled your turkey is, the cooking time for a turkey weighing 21.5 pounds at 325 degrees Fahrenheit might range anywhere from 4.5 to 5 hours. The overall cooking time has to be increased by at least 15 minutes if it is stuffed with your preferred filling. Use solely the interior temperature to determine when the turkey is done cooking.
How long do you cook a turkey at 350 degrees?
When roasting a turkey without stuffing it, we recommend cooking it at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 13 minutes per pound.
Why you shouldn’t wash your turkey?
The practice of washing raw meats increases the likelihood of cross-contamination, which may result in food poisonings such as salmonella and campylobacter. Cooking anything thoroughly is the best way to kill germs of this kind.
Does a Butterball turkey need to be washed?
Is it necessary for me to wash my turkey? You really shouldn’t do it at all. The fact that Butterball turkeys have already been cleaned out and prepared in other ways is one of the many reasons why they are so popular. In addition, if you wash the turkey, raw fluids will run all over your kitchen. This is a very unsanitary practice.
Can I unwrap turkey night before?
4. Take the turkey out of its wrapping the night before. It is possible to achieve the perfectly browned and extra-crisp exterior of a bird by first allowing the skin to dry out in the refrigerator for eight to ten hours before cooking the bird. 5.
Can I leave my turkey out overnight to thaw?
Is it possible to defrost a turkey by leaving it out on the counter overnight? The simple answer to that question is no. The following are several incorrect ways to defrost your bird, as well as the most secure method for thawing a turkey.
Can you clean a turkey the day before cooking?
And some other food safety pointers. Remove yourself from the area around the sink, and no one will be harmed. There is no requirement for you to wash your turkey before you roast it, and in fact, doing so might be harmful.
Should I put butter 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.
What do you put in the bottom of a turkey pan?
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.
Do you add broth when roasting a turkey?
If you roast a turkey without adding any water, the turkey will develop its own tasty juices during the roasting process. After the cooking process is complete, you may enhance the flavor of the gravy by thinning the fluids left over from the turkey with some broth or wine.
What do you put in a turkey cavity?
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.
What do you baste turkey with?
You can baste the turkey with melted butter, another type of fat, stock, or the drippings that have collected in the roasting pan.
What is the perfect temperature for turkey?
The Appropriate Method for Taking the Temperature of Your Turkey
The recommended internal temperature for turkey breast is 165 degrees Fahrenheit (74 degrees Celsius). I like to cook my turkey breast to an internal temperature of 150 degrees Fahrenheit (66 degrees Fahrenheit), at which time it is significantly more juicy (particularly if you dry brine it!).
When should I put my turkey in the refrigerator to thaw?
Defrosting the Refrigerator (Recommended)
The thawing process will take around four days for a turkey that weighs 16 pounds. Since the turkey may be safely consumed for another two days after it has been thawed, you can begin the thawing process six days before Thanksgiving (the Friday before Thanksgiving).
Why do you have to change the water every 30 minutes when thawing a turkey?
It is important to remember to replace the water every half an hour while the turkey is defrosting. The periods required to defrost frozen food using the cold water approach are detailed in the table below. In order to avoid the probable growth of microorganisms, the water is changed often. After being submerged in water to thaw, the turkey should be cooked as soon as possible.
Can you put turkey back in fridge after thawing in cold water?
Turkey that has been thawed in cold water and then placed back in the refrigerator can be cooked without any concerns.
Can I cook turkey at 375?
The members of the Test Kitchen have come to the conclusion that 375 degrees Fahrenheit is the optimal temperature for cooking a turkey. This temperature is ideal in that it is neither too hot nor too cold, and it allows the turkey to cook at a rate that allows it to be ready in time for dinner.
Where do I put the thermometer in the turkey?
Here are few tips to keep in mind:
- Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the breast, the innermost part of the thigh, and the innermost part of the wing when cooking a whole turkey.
- Be sure the thermometer doesn’t come in contact with any bone, gristle, or pan.
How long do you cook a stuffed turkey at 325 degrees?
Here is an approximate per-pound guidance from the experts at foodsafety.gov, using an oven set to 325 degrees Fahrenheit: These cooking times for stuffed turkey have been tried and tested by our staff in the Test Kitchen, and they have been proved to work well: Roast the turkey for three and a half to three and a half hours for every 10 to 12 pounds. Roast the turkey for 312 to 4 hours for every 12 to 14 pounds it weighs.
Is it better to cook a turkey at 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 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.
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.
Should I cover my turkey with foil while cooking?
In order to strike this delicate balance, the bird should ideally be allowed to spend time both covered and uncovered: We recommend covering your bird for the most of the cooking period to prevent it from drying out. After doing so for the majority of the cooking time, you should remove the cover for the last half an hour or so to enable the skin to get crispy.
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 do you rest a turkey after cooking?
After it has finished cooking, the turkey should be removed from the tray and placed on a board to rest. While you are cooking the roast potatoes, cover the chicken with aluminum foil in a loose manner for at least an hour.
Should you let a turkey come to room temperature 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.
Do you flip a turkey when 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.
How long do you cook a 20lb turkey at 350?
Roast your turkey at these temperatures if it weighs between 18 and 20 pounds:
350 degrees Fahrenheit for 4 to 4 14 hours.
Do you put an apple in a turkey?
Apples. When stuffing your turkey, you might want to consider cutting an apple or two into quarters. During the cooking process, they will impart a very mild taste that will bring to mind the season of autumn and provide the turkey with a little bit of additional moisture.
Is it better to cook a turkey on a rack?
The primary reason for this is that using a rack will physically keep the turkey from touching the bottom of the pan while it cooks. This will guarantee that hot air is circulating about the bird as it is roasting, which will result in a more equal cooking by allowing heat to reach all surfaces of the skin.
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 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 put water in the bottom of my roasting pan?
No, you should not add any water to the pan when you are roasting something. If there is water in the pan, the food will steam instead than roast, which will result in the dish being mushy and lacking in flavor. When roasting any kind of meat, this is a good rule of thumb to follow.
How do you keep a turkey moist when baking?
Here is a useful piece of advice: to prevent the turkey breast from drying up and to ensure that it remains juicy: Make a triangle out of a huge square sheet of foil by folding 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 long does a 20-pound turkey take to defrost in the fridge?
The calculation is as follows: Prepare for a thawing time in the refrigerator of 24 hours for every 5 pounds of frozen turkey (for example: budget 4 full days of thawing in the fridge for a 20-pound turkey). Maintain the wrapping on the turkey, and check on it periodically to determine whether the baking sheet or roasting pan requires any further draining.
How long should a 20-pound, unstuffed turkey be cooked?
There is no set time for cooking. For instance, the cooking time for a turkey weighing 20 pounds will be between 4 1/4 and 5 hours; after 4 1/4 hours, check the temperature on the thermometer.
At 165 or 180 degrees, is turkey done?
Even though some recipes call for the turkey to be cooked to an internal temperature of 180 degrees Fahrenheit, the bird can be consumed without risk once it reaches a temperature of 165 degrees. When the breasts are cooked past 165 degrees, the flesh can become dry, while the dark meat can be cooked to 180 degrees.
How long does it take to cook a 22 lb Butterball turkey?
For an unstuffed bird, Butterball recommended the following cooking times:
- 2 12 hours for 6-7 pounds.
- 212-2 hours for 7-10 pounds.
- 3-312 hours for 10–18 pounds.
- 312-4 hours for 18–22 pounds.
- 4-412 hours for 22–24 pounds.
- 42–5 hours for 24–30 pounds.
How do I keep my turkey from drying out?
Classic Bread Stuffing Recipe
- Instead of a frozen turkey, pick a fresh one.
- Instead of roasting one large turkey, roast two smaller ones.
- Turkey must be brined.
- Incorporate soft butter into the skin.
- No trussing at all, or only loosely.
- First, roast the turkey inverted.
- Avoid overcooking it.
- Before carving the turkey, let it rest.
How long do you roast a 19 pound turkey?
The United States Department of Agriculture estimates that it will take between 4 1/4 and 4 1/2 hours for an unstuffed frozen or fresh turkey weighing 18 to 20 pounds to finish cooking in an oven heated to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. This results in a total cooking time of around 14 minutes per pound. This works out to around four hours and 26 minutes for a turkey weighing 19 pounds.