Know if a turkey is done cooking
I am making a turkey in a bag this weekend and I was wondering if there is a sure fire way to know when your turkey is done cooking. I don't have a meat (or any other) thermometer.
Best Answer
Go get a $15 probe thermometer. There is really no point in cooking turkey or any other roast without one.
The actual answer is- there is no good way without measuring the internal temperature. Any time-based approach will be a guess at best.
The built in thermometer in some turkeys is a spring with some epoxy that melts a specific temperature. They are somewhat unreliable and either way they spring at 180F or so. This is well overdone for white meat but covers the turkey seller's liability.
Really- it's worth it to just get the thermometer and take the guess work out.
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How can you tell if the turkey is done without a thermometer?
To find out if your turkey is done without a thermometer, pierce it with a fork in the mid-thigh muscle, explains Nicole Johnson, the co-director of the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line. "When the juices run clear, and no longer reddish or pink in color, it's a good indication that your turkey is done."Can turkey be fully cooked and still look pink?
The color of cooked poultry is not always a sure sign of its safety. Only by using a food thermometer can one accurately determine that poultry has reached a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 \xb0F throughout the product. Turkey can remain pink even after cooking to a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 \xb0F.Is turkey OK slightly pink?
The color of cooked meat and poultry is not always a sign of its degree of doneness. Only by using a meat thermometer can one accurately determine that a meat has reached a safe temperature. Turkey, fresh pork, ground beef or veal can remain pink even after cooking to temperatures of 160\xb0F.More answers regarding know if a turkey is done cooking
Answer 2
Use a probe thermometer. A turkey is cooked at 165F (according to the USDA), so you should take it out of the oven around 161F. The turkey internal temperature will keep rising after you take it out of the oven, so cover it with foil, let it sit for 15 minutes after you take it out of the oven and you are good to go.
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