We can tell you whether a turkey should be finished at 165° or 180° if it is almost done cooking.
How to Take the Turkey Temperature
Turkey Breast Temperature To take the temperature of the breast, insert the thermometer into the deepest part of the breast, holding it parallel to the bird at the neck end. Confirm the temperature by inserting the thermometer in both sides of the breast, being careful to not go so deep as to hit the bone (which can compromise the reading).
Turkey Thigh Temperature Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, away from the bone, to take the temperature. Confirm the temperature by inserting the thermometer in both thighs.
What Temperature to Cook the Turkey?
For the majority of the cooking time, cook your turkey at 325 degrees F; for the final 45 minutes, remove the foil tent from the bird, raise the oven’s temperature to 425 degrees F, and baste it with butter. The initial lower oven temperature cooks the turkey through evenly. When the foil is removed at the end, increasing the oven temperature results in crispy, golden skin.
Creating a Tent for Your Turkey Breasts
In order to cook your turkey to 180 degrees without drying out the breasts, you’ve chosen to try the tenting technique. Please be aware that mastering this requires some skill and is not something that can be done easily.
To begin with, figure out how to loosely wrap the tin foil around the turkey while still holding it in place around the pan’s edge. The meat won’t cook properly if the foil is too tightly wrapped.
Once you’ve mastered that, you still need to make a decision regarding one more thing, namely when you intend to take the foil off the turkey so that the skin can brown. Before removing it from the oven, we advise performing this step for 30 to 60 minutes.
Anyhow, keep in mind that this isn’t an exact science and that using the tenting method, even if you cook your turkey to 180°, you still run the risk of overcooking the breasts.
FAQ
Is turkey done at 165 or 180?
Hold the thermometer still until the numbers stop to properly read the temperature. The turkey is cooked if it reaches a temperature of between 160 and 165 degrees F.
Is turkey breast done at 160?
For safety, the USDA advises that a turkey’s internal temperature be at least 165°F (74°C). But since the turkey breast will continue to cook after you remove it from the oven, remove it when it reaches 160°F (71°C).
At what temperature is turkey breast fully cooked?
Look for temperatures of 180°F in the following areas of your turkey: thigh 170°F in breast. 165°F in stuffing.
Is turkey breast OK at 155?
Cook your turkey until your thermometer reads 155 -160 degrees. (Yes, we are aware that the new safe cooking guidelines recommend cooking your turkey to 165 degrees (instead of 180! ), but keep in mind that your turkey will continue to cook after being taken out of the oven and that while it is resting, its temperature will rise by 10 degrees.