No Thanksgiving visitor is extra necessary than the turkey. However you might need a late arrival in your fingers if you do not get it within the oven on time. Planning a 3 p.m. meal? You may have to have a 20-pound chook (sans stuffing) cooking by round 10:30 a.m. Do not stress concerning the math although—comply with our straightforward chart for a way lengthy to prepare dinner a turkey, plus suggestions from the USDA for cooking frozen and stuffed turkeys.


Simply bear in mind: Even with this turkey cooking chart, the most secure method to know your turkey is cooked is to make use of a meat thermometer. Your turkey is completed when the interior temperature is minimal 165°F.





How Lengthy Does it Take to Prepare dinner a Turkey?

Whereas one of the best temperature to prepare dinner a turkey is at all times 325°F, how a lot time your chook will want within the oven will rely on its weight. An unstuffed 8-pound turkey can take lower than 3 hours, whereas a stuffed 24-pound turkey can take over 5 hours. Here is how lengthy it takes to prepare dinner a completely thawed turkey.


Katie Discipline

How Lengthy to Prepare dinner an Unstuffed Turkey

Weight Prepare dinner Time
8 to 12 kilos 2¾ to three hours
12 to 14 kilos 3 to 3¾ hours
14 to 18 kilos 3¾ to 4¼ hours
18 to twenty kilos 4¼ to 4½ hours
20 to 24 kilos 4½ to five hours


How Lengthy to Prepare dinner an Stuffed Turkey

Weight Prepare dinner Time
8 to 12 kilos 3 to 3½ hours
12 to 14 kilos 3½ to 4 hours
14 to 18 kilos 4 to 4¼ hours
18 to twenty kilos 4¼ to 4¾ hours
20 to 24 kilos 4¾ to 5¼ hours



Can You Prepare dinner a Frozen Turkey?

It’s protected to prepare dinner a turkey from the frozen state, in accordance with the USDA. Nonetheless, the cooking time will likely be a minimum of 50 % longer than what’s advisable within the desk above.





Cooking a Stuffed Turkey Tips

For security causes, the USDA recommends cooking Thanksgiving stuffing exterior your turkey to ensure uniform doneness. For those who do select to stuff it, examine the temp of the middle of the stuffing to verify it, too, reaches the protected 165°F (in any other case micro organism might contaminate your cooked turkey). Preserve moist stuffing components refrigerated forward of time, and separate from dry components till simply earlier than mixing, stuffing loosely and cooking.


Sticking with a casserole dish? You need to nonetheless prepare dinner the stuffing to 165°F. For those who’re caught with out a thermometer, do not stress: Here is know if a turkey’s carried out with out a thermometer.




For extra turkey and stuffing security and cooking ideas, try the USDA’s web site.