How to Cook a Thanksgiving Turkey | Reynolds Brands (2024)

FAQs

How to Cook a Thanksgiving Turkey | Reynolds Brands? ›

Bake: In a preheated 450°F oven, bake your prepared, foil-wrapped turkey in a roasting pan at least 2 inches deep. Roast the turkey until a meat thermometer reads at least 165°F, or 180°F if you prefer a well-done turkey. To brown your turkey, open and turn back the foil 30 minutes before the roasting is complete.

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!).

Preheat oven to 325° F. Drain juices and pat dry with clean paper towels. Place turkey breast-side-up on a flat rack in a shallow roasting pan 2 to 2½ inches deep. Turn the wings back to hold the neck skin in place.

How Long Do You Cook a 15-Pound Turkey at 325 Degrees? An unstuffed bird of 15 pounds will likely finish at around the 4-hour mark (or just before). A stuffed turkey will take at least 4 hours to cook, and typically takes an extra 15 minutes until you've hit that desired internal temperature.

To achieve a perfectly golden, juicy turkey, let the bird spend time both covered and uncovered in the oven. We recommend covering your bird for most of the cooking time to prevent it from drying out; then, during the last 30 minutes or so of cooking, remove the cover so the skin crisps in the hot oven.

There are four essential steps for a perfectly roasted Thanksgiving turkey: brining, stuffing with aromatics, rubbing with herb compound butter, and roasting to perfection. The herb butter does double duty. Part of it is rubbed under the skin and over the meat of the bird for a major boost in flavor.

Wash your hands, but not the turkey! Many consumers think that washing their turkey will remove bacteria and make it safer. However, it's virtually impossible to wash bacteria off the bird. Instead, juices that splash during washing can transfer bacteria onto the surfaces of your kitchen, other foods and utensils.

In general, you may need to increase the baking time by 10-25% to compensate for the lower temperature.

First, allow your cooked turkey to sit for about 20 minutes before starting to carve. Beginning halfway up the breast, slice straight down with an even stroke. When the knife reaches the cut above the wing joint, the slice should fall free on its own.

Is it better to cook a turkey in a roasting bag or not? ›

It will yield juicy and tender meat and will avoid entirely the brining or basting steps that most turkey recipes require. By trapping the moisture and heat, oven bags cook the bird faster and make it a breeze to collect all the juices to start making the gravy while the turkey rests.

Stick with salt and pepper, put herbs like rosemary, thyme, and sage to work, or take spicy Cajun seasoning for a spin for some kick. Whatever blend you choose, spread it all over the turkey—on top, underneath, between the body and wings and legs, under the skin, and even in the cavity of the bird.

Your turkey will cook more evenly and faster if you start it out at room temperature so remove the turkey from the refrigerator 1 hour before roasting. If you plan to stuff your turkey, wait until you're ready to put it in the oven before putting the stuffing in the turkey.

The meat should feel soft and the leg will move easily when twisted. Another check is to run a long-tined fork into thick muscle; the meat should feel tender and the juice should show no pink tinge.

It's personal preference whether you choose to cook a turkey breast-side up or breast-side down. The United States Department of Agriculture advises to cook a whole turkey breast side up during the entire cooking time.

Oven-Roasted Turkey

We recommend starting the turkey in a 425 degree oven for 30-45 minutes before tenting the pan with foil and lowering the temperature to 350 degrees until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees when inserted into the thickest part of the bird.

It is not safe to cook any meat or poultry in an oven set lower than 325 °F. At lower temperatures, meat stays in the Danger Zone (between 40 °F and 140°F for too long.