Thanksgiving cooks’ top query is: “Where is the best place to check the temperature of your turkey?”
These are both important concerns, as is how to get my mother-in-law out of the kitchen, but today I’m going to talk about how to properly insert your meat thermometer in your turkey.
Cooking a turkey can be a daunting task. The majority of whole turkeys weigh four to eight times as much as the typical whole chicken. It is understandable why cooking a turkey is so challenging given its size and the risk of its breasts drying out before the rest of the bird is done.
Every time you serve meat, it will be perfectly cooked thanks to the use of a reliable meat thermometer. Having one already is half the battle in creating a delicious, juicy turkey, so congrats if you do.
Don’t worry if you don’t have an oven-safe or instant-read digital meat thermometer; I’ll recommend some good ones. You might be wondering how to put a meat thermometer inside a turkey at this point.
The First Step: Accurate Probe Placement
For best results, insert your thermometer’s oven-safe probe ( a DOT® with a Pro-Series® High Temp Straight Penetration probe [included with every DOT]) into the deepest part of the turkey breast, avoiding bone. You want an even layer of meat above and below the probe so that it’s evenly surrounded by the meat.
Because bones have different thermal characteristics from meat, it’s important to avoid them. For the meat itself, a probe resting against a bone will not provide an accurate temperature reading. Additionally, the bones are not in the bird’s thermal center.
Insert the probe horizontally, from near the neck cavity.You can now use the probe to monitor the breast’s internal temperature as it cooks. Keep in mind that the temperatures at which the breast and leg should be cooked should differ, but the breast is the one that will dry out if overcooked. So be sure to temp that breast! If you want to learn more about the differences between white and dark meat, read our in-depth post on turkey.
Bring a pan to a rolling boil by adding about three inches of water to it. Put the thermometer stem into the water for at least two inches, making sure the sensing tip is fully inserted. Use caution to avoid burns. The tip shouldn’t make contact with the pan’s bottom or sides.
The small indentation at the sensing tip, which is about 1 1/2 inches from the stem’s end, needs to be fully inserted into the bird. (Look for a tiny dimple on the stem. ) The temperature should register in about 15-20 seconds. Before and after each use, wipe with a sanitizer.
Your thermometer should be calibrated and its accuracy should be confirmed. These thermometers should ideally be calibrated when first purchased and periodically checked for accuracy. If the thermometer has been dropped or exposed to drastic temperature changes, accuracy may be affected. There are two simple ways to test for accuracy.
With the help of these thermometers, you can measure the internal temperatures of meat quickly and accurately. They are not intended to remain in the food while it is being cooked. If using this kind, remove the turkey from the oven far enough to insert the stem into the thickest part of the meat, about 2 1/2 inches deep, without touching bone or the roasting pan.
Where to Put Thermometer in Turkey
It’s crucial to understand where to place your thermometer in the turkey so that you can determine when it is finished cooking, whether you are preparing a turkey for Thanksgiving, Christmas, any other holiday, or simply for a gathering.
Before deciding whether your turkey is done, there are 2 to 3 key areas you should check the internal temperature. Below, we will go into greater detail about this and provide additional useful advice for preparing a turkey.
Check out the following information to ensure that your turkey is delicious!
To understand which parts we are referring to when we say we should stick a thermometer in a turkey, let’s first take a look at the anatomy of a turkey. The turkey breast, thighs, legs, and wings are the three most important parts of the bird to understand. Please see the diagram below for reference.
Let’s now examine the various thermometer types and their applications.
A thermometer that can be used in the oven is known as an oven-safe thermometer. Usually, this is a probe thermometer that can withstand high temperatures. That implies that you may pierce the turkey with the probe and leave it there while it bakes. This will enable you to keep an eye on the internal temperature and spare you from having to remove the turkey to do so.
The kind of thermometer you will need to remove the turkey from the oven is an instant read thermometer, which is used to determine the internal temperature of your bird.
To get an accurate reading, you must let the thermometer rest inside the turkey for a brief period of time. The turkey shouldn’t have this kind of thermometer in it while it bakes in the oven.
On the other hand, pop-up thermometers are those tiny thermometers that sporadically arrive in your turkeys. They typically look like tiny red dots and are useful because they flash when your turkey is supposed to be done.
FAQ
Where do I put the thermometer in my turkey thigh?
Put an instant-read meat thermometer in the thickest part of the breast, the innermost part of the thigh, and the wing when checking the temperature of your turkey. Before putting your turkey in the oven, place an oven-proof food thermometer in the thickest part of the inner thigh.
Where does the probe go in a turkey thermostat?
When the breast temperature reaches 165 degrees and the thickest part of the thighs reaches 170 to 175 degrees, it is advised that you take the bird out of the oven.
What temperature should turkey thigh be?
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.
