Turkey 101: Cooking & Roasting |
Roasting your whole Turkey
- Preheat oven to 325°F(160°C).
- If stuffing turkey, do so while oven is preheating. Spoon stuffing lightly into turkey instead of packing because stuffing expands while cooking. (Allow ½ a cup (125 ml) of stuffing per pound (500 g) of turkey.
- Place turkey breast up on a rack in a shallow roasting pan.
- Insert meat thermometer in the deepest part of the inner thigh, but not touching the bone.
- Roast uncovered, or loosely covered with foil. If you choose to baste your turkey, limit the number of times you open and close your oven (once an hour is sufficient).
- Turkey is cooked when the meat thermometer reads 170°F(77°C) for an unstuffed turkey or 180°F(82°C) for a stuffed turkey and the juices run clear. See Cooking Times and Temperatures for approximate cooking times.
- Remove turkey when cooking is completed and let stand 15 to 20 minutes to allow the juices to set.
Using a Meat Thermometer
Whole turkey: prior to cooking, insert stem of oven-proof thermometer (stem will need to be at least 4 1/2" (11 cm) long) into the thickest part of the inner thigh meat, not touching thigh bone AND/OR near end of cooking, remove from heat and insert instant-read thermometer stem or fork thermometer tines into inner thigh meat (as above). If stuffed, check stuffing temperature by inserting thermometer stem into centre of stuffing.
Always wash the tongs, plate and thermometer stem used in checking partially cooked meats/poultry before using again.
Roasting a Turkey in Conventional vs. Convection Oven
The Canadian Turkey Marketing Agency recommends that consumers check with their manufacturer as to how much faster and hotter their oven might be compared to a conventional oven. Generally speaking, convection oven cooking temperatures should be 25 degrees to 50 degrees lower than conventional oven temperatures to prevent overbrowning due to surface drying. Convention cooking does typically cause greater moisture loss in turkey.
The result of roasting a turkey is the same in conventional or convection ovens in that the turkey is done when the endpoint temperature is reached. Your turkey is done when a meat thermometer inserted into the thigh reads 180F (82C) for a stuffed turkey 170F (77C) for an unstuffed turkey. The drumsticks should also move easily in the joints at this point.
Avoid overcrowding in the oven when roasting in a convection oven as crowding may inhibit air circulation and slow cooking.
Roasting a Turkey Breast
Turkey breasts are a popular choice today and a great alternative to roasting a whole turkey for a nutritious everyday meal item.
Whole breasts vary in weight from 1 1/2 to 3 lbs (750 g - 1.5 kg) and are sold boneless, with or without skin and whole, halved or formed into a roast with netting around it.
A turkey breast weighing 2 lbs (1kg) will take approximately 1 hour to cook. But because of the variation in sizes and shapes, it is recommended to use a meat thermometer when roasting.
Prepare the turkey breast in a roasting pan as you would a whole turkey. Insert a meat thermometer into the centre of the thickest part of the meat. Cover loosely with foil and place in an oven pre-heated to 325ºF (160ºC). Cook until the meat thermometer registers 165ºF - 170ºF (73ºC - 77ºC).
Turkey 101 courtesy CMTA Canadian Turkey Marketing Agency
