How long does it take to cook a turkey weighing 21 pounds?

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425 degrees Fahrenheit for 4 to 4 14 hours. 400 degrees Fahrenheit for between 4 1/4 and 4 1/2 hours. 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 412 to 434 hours.

Which temperature is better for a turkey: 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 should a 21 lb. turkey bake at 350 degrees?

The amount of time it takes to cook a turkey can change based on a number of factors, including the temperature of the oven, whether or not the turkey is filled, and whether or not the recipe asks for the bird to be prepared without stuffing. When roasting a turkey without stuffing it, we recommend cooking it at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 13 minutes per pound.

How long should a 21 lb. turkey bake at 375 degrees?

How Long To Cook Turkey At 375?

The following should be done to prepare the turkey: Turn the oven on to 375°F.
For stuffed turkeys, the cooking time should be 12–15 minutes per pound of weight.
You can tell whether the juices are fully cooked by looking at their temperature.

How long should a 21-pound Butterball turkey be cooked?

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.

Should I use aluminum foil to cover my turkey?

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.

How long should a 22-pound turkey be baked?

If your turkey weighs 21 to 22 pounds, roast it at:

for 4 to 414 hours at 425°F.
For 414 to 412 hours, 400°F.
For 412 to 434 hours, 350°F.
For 4 to 5 hours, 325°F.

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.

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. It is possible to end up with dry flesh if you cook the breasts past 165 degrees, but the dark meat may be cooked to 180 degrees.

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How long should a 20-pound turkey bake at 375 degrees?

Heat the oven to 375 degrees before preparing the bird.
For stuffed turkeys, allow 12–15 minutes of cooking time per pound.
Checking the temperature or the color of the juices to determine whether something is done.
Finishing: Take the bird out of the oven.

Is roasting a turkey at 375 degrees okay?

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.

What degree should the oven be set at when roasting a turkey?

At what temperature should the turkey be cooked? After placing the turkey in the oven, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit from the previous setting of 450 degrees. Where do you recommend setting the temperature of the turkey? When the internal temperature of the turkey reaches a minimum of 165 degrees in the thickest section of the thigh, the bird is ready to be served.

What ought to I stuff the turkey cavity with?

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.

A 22-pound Butterball turkey should be cooked at what temperature?

Prepare the oven to 325 degrees F. After removing the liquids, dry the meat with clean paper towels. Place the turkey so that the breast side is facing up on a level rack and place it in a shallow roasting pan that is between 2 and 212 inches deep.

How long does it take for a 20-pound turkey 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.

What can I do to 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 long should a turkey be left out before being cooked?

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.

How is crispy turkey skin made?

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 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.

Do you wash the 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 I need to add broth to the turkey pan?

Before I start cooking the turkey, I also like to pour one cup of chicken broth or stock into the bottom of the pan it will be cooking in. This will produce a climate in the oven similar to a steam chamber, which will assist maintain the breast’s moisture but will not prevent the skin from browning.

How frequently should a turkey be basted?

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 long should a 20-pound turkey bake at 325 degrees?

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 hot should I cook a 20-pound turkey?

There are recipes available that recommend cooking a turkey at temperatures ranging from 325 degrees Fahrenheit to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, or even higher. While cooking the turkey at a higher temperature will result in a more quickly cooked bird, it also increases the likelihood that the turkey may be overdone, dry, or even burned. Because of this, we advise 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

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Before carving a turkey, how long should it rest?

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 tell if a turkey is done without a thermometer?

In the absence of a thermometer, you may determine whether or not your turkey is cooked by inserting a fork into the muscle located in the middle of the thigh, as recommended by Nicole Johnson, co-director of the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line. When the fluids flow clear and no longer have a rosy or crimson tint to them, this is a good indicator that the turkey is ready to be served.

Where do you stick thermometer in 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.

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.

Should you let a turkey rest after cooking?

3. Before you can begin slicing the turkey, it has to rest. It is important to let the meat rest for around 45 minutes so that it may reabsorb the fluids; otherwise, the juices would run out when you slice it, leaving the flesh dry. It is not required to tent the turkey with foil in order to keep it warm while it is resting, and doing so will cause the skin to get soggy.

Do you bring turkey to room temp?

Remove the turkey from the refrigerator an hour before you want to start roasting it so that it may come to room temperature. This will allow the bird to cook more evenly and more quickly. If you intend to stuff your turkey, you should hold off on placing the stuffing into the turkey until you are ready to place the turkey in the oven.

What is the lowest safe temperature to cook a turkey?

Ensure food safety by following the guidelines provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which states that the minimum temperature for cooking meat and poultry should not go below 325 degrees Fahrenheit. To ensure that the turkey is well cooked, it should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Why put a lemon in a turkey?

Citrus fruits

You may add a new dimension of taste to your turkey by stuffing it with wedges of citrus fruits like lemon, orange, lime, or even grapefruit. In addition, the moisture that these fruits contribute to your turkey while it cooks will result in a succulent centerpiece for your Thanksgiving meal.

Do you put an apple in a turkey?

Scott elaborates on the rationale behind this recommendation, saying that “when you put apples inside the turkey, the steam, vapor, and flavor from roasting the apples is being concentrated inside the turkey and being absorbed into the turkey meat.” According to him, this enables “the sweet taste of the apples [to] permeate… into the bird,” which in turn “… causes the bird to become addicted to the apples.”

Why put an orange in a turkey?

If you want a turkey that is moist and has a subtle taste, try stuffing it with citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes instead of traditional stuffing. If you do not use conventional stuffing, which is often laden with butter that soaks into the meat, you will reduce the number of calories and fat grams that you consume.

What does Butterball mean in slang?

The meaning of the term “butterball”

1: bufflehead. 2: a person who is overweight

How do you tell if a turkey is done?

In order to ensure that you cook your turkey to the appropriate temperature, you will want a meat thermometer. Place it so that it is near to the thigh bone but without touching it. It is ready to be served when the internal temperature of the thigh registers 180 degrees Fahrenheit and the internal temperature of the breast registers 170 degrees Fahrenheit.

Why does my turkey smell like rotten eggs?

People are often able to determine whether or not a turkey has gone bad based on the “texture and smell” of the bird. According to Hanes, the skin of the turkey may become slippery, and the odor is frequently described as being “rotten eggs or like sulfur.” According to Hanes, the process of identifying foodborne germs becomes increasingly difficult.

Can I leave my turkey out overnight to thaw?

Is it possible to defrost a turkey by leaving it out on the counter for the night? 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 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.

Should I put butter or oil 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. Instead, before roasting, coat the skin with vegetable oil to prevent it from drying out.

Is it better to cook a turkey at 325 or 350?

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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 I cover my turkey with aluminum foil?

Should you cover a turkey in oven?

Cook the Turkey in the Oven.

You are now prepared to place the item in the oven. Cook the turkey for two hours at an oven temperature of 325 degrees Fahrenheit, uncovered. (It is important to keep an eye on the turkey because if you roast it without a cover at the beginning of the baking period, the bird will brown more quickly.)

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.

Do you need to baste a turkey?

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. According to Brown, this implies that the bird will stay inside for a longer period of time while it is being cooked, which in turn means that it will dry up more.

How do you get a golden brown turkey skin?

Simply massage the skin of the turkey dry before placing it in the oven, which should be quite hot. The hotter the oven, the quicker the skin will dry out completely and the browning process can begin. After you’ve gotten the browning process started, you may reduce the temperature of the oven for the remaining portion of the cooking time.

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.

Should I tent my turkey?

After the turkey has been cooking for approximately two thirds of the total length of time required (the exact amount of time may vary depending on the size of the bird), Butterball recommends covering the breasts with a tiny tent made of aluminum foil. The turkey breasts’ cooking time will be lengthened as a result of this change.

How do I keep my turkey warm while resting?

If it is finished around one hour early, let it rest uncovered for approximately twenty to thirty minutes before serving. Then, in order to maintain its temperature, cover your turkey with aluminum foil and a heavy cloth or blanket. The initial heat is released if you initially let it rest for some time. In this manner, once it is covered, it will not overcook.

Do you put water in bottom of roasting pan when cooking a turkey?

Is a 2 year old frozen turkey still good?

Frozen Turkey

Turkeys may be stored in the freezer for an infinite amount of time. To have the finest flavor, turkeys should be cooked within a year of being purchased.

How long does it take to cook 20 lb turkey?