What is the best temp to cook a turkey. I hear 325, also have heard 275?!


Question: this answer comes from the egullet forum where Heston Blumenthal, a 3 michellin star chef answers some questions.
this is about chicken but i think it would apply on turkey as well,


I think that the basic premise of using impeccable produce with true technique could never be questioned.

One of the best examples that I can think of how the knowledge of the science of cooking can improve classical kitchen technique is in the roasting of a chicken.

The probelm is how to cook a chicken so that the breast and leg are cooked perfectly. Either the breast is spot on the legs are not cooked or the legs are cooked and the breasts are like cardboard.

Th classical solution is to cook the chicken first on one leg, then on the other asnd finally on its back, so that the heat from the roasting tray would speed up the cooking of each of the legs while resting on it.

I then begen to think, if the oven is on fixed temperature, why should the roasting tray be hotter than the air in the oven?

It is because the heat retaining capacityof the breasts are different to that of the legs. The breasts heat up much faster a given temperature.

Imagine then, placing a chicken in an oven set at 180C with the intention of cooking the chicken to an internal temperature of 65C to 70C.

The breasts reach the desired internal temperature before the legs as the oven is set at 180C. The breasts, waiting for the legs just get hotter and hotter and, by the time that the legs have reached the desired temperature, the breasts have probably hit 100C and are as dry as anything.

If however, the oven is set at say 70C, then although the breasts reach the desired temperature first, they do not get any hotter while waiting for the legs.
This way a perfectly roast chicken is obtained.
The only downside to this is that there are no browning flavours on the skin. THis can be countered by giving the chicken a very quick blast in the hottest oven possible for five to ten minutes.


Answers: this answer comes from the egullet forum where Heston Blumenthal, a 3 michellin star chef answers some questions.
this is about chicken but i think it would apply on turkey as well,


I think that the basic premise of using impeccable produce with true technique could never be questioned.

One of the best examples that I can think of how the knowledge of the science of cooking can improve classical kitchen technique is in the roasting of a chicken.

The probelm is how to cook a chicken so that the breast and leg are cooked perfectly. Either the breast is spot on the legs are not cooked or the legs are cooked and the breasts are like cardboard.

Th classical solution is to cook the chicken first on one leg, then on the other asnd finally on its back, so that the heat from the roasting tray would speed up the cooking of each of the legs while resting on it.

I then begen to think, if the oven is on fixed temperature, why should the roasting tray be hotter than the air in the oven?

It is because the heat retaining capacityof the breasts are different to that of the legs. The breasts heat up much faster a given temperature.

Imagine then, placing a chicken in an oven set at 180C with the intention of cooking the chicken to an internal temperature of 65C to 70C.

The breasts reach the desired internal temperature before the legs as the oven is set at 180C. The breasts, waiting for the legs just get hotter and hotter and, by the time that the legs have reached the desired temperature, the breasts have probably hit 100C and are as dry as anything.

If however, the oven is set at say 70C, then although the breasts reach the desired temperature first, they do not get any hotter while waiting for the legs.
This way a perfectly roast chicken is obtained.
The only downside to this is that there are no browning flavours on the skin. THis can be countered by giving the chicken a very quick blast in the hottest oven possible for five to ten minutes.

When you cook a turkey at a low temperature for a longer period of time, it comes out very moist. I cook mine breast down at 350 and turn it an hour before it is done. It comes out perfect every time.

the best thing to do is 400 for 1/2 hour to get the skin nice and cripsy then lower to 350-325ish and use a meat thermometer to tell you when the breast(white meat) is at 160 which is the FDA approved time. Then cover the breast with aluminum so it doesnt dry out the cook it until the red meat (thighs,drumsticks, etc.) is at 180 then youll have the perfectly cooked turkey. All this woll take about an hour and a half to two hours.

325 degrees.. its should say it right on the wrapper.. its so many minutes per pound.. I think its 20 minutes per pound. And don't stuff the turkey just cover with aluminum foil the first 3 hours and then take the foil off the last hour so it browns.

www.butterball.com





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