It needs a proper time, temperature, and process to make food, including rice, fish, meat, etc. However, turkey is a kind of food or meat that you must prepare by maintaining proper time and temperature.
Yesterday I organized a dinner party at my place, and turkey meat was the main focus of my party. As it was the main focus of my party, it can be the main focus of your party at the same time. That is why I am sharing some important information about cooking turkey and related things.
Are you curious to know “what to do if turkey is cooking too fast?” Let yourself be calm and relaxed because, in this article, I will give some necessary information to help you cook a turkey perfectly.
The Reasons Why Your Turkey Is Cooking Too Fast
There are some reasons why your turkey is cooking too fast. This section will tell you the reasons responsible for cooking turkey too fast. The reasons are given below:
The Temperature
The first reason is the temperature. To get your turkey on time, you must follow the specific temperature and timing.
The Weight
The second reason is the weight. The amount of time your turkey takes to cook is determined by its weight. If you use a small piece, it will be cooked faster than a large piece.
Cooking Type
The third reason is the kind of cooking. How you cook your turkeys, deep fry, grill, or oven, is crucial because it can impact the timing.
As you know the reasons for cooking turkey too fast, you may show curiosity to know “what to do if turkey is cooking too fast.” There is nothing to worry about because I will talk about that in the latter section of this article.
The Amount of Time to Cook An Entire Turkey
Cooking a turkey is not a simple task. You may have to consider some essential aspects, such as time.
In this section, I will explain how long to cook a turkey in the oven. However, the solution can vary a lot depending on the weight, the temperature, and whether the turkey is stuffed or unstuffed.
You can follow the following parameters for an unstuffed turkey. You can cook turkey for around 13 minutes per pound when the oven is 350 degrees.
For example, you have a turkey weighing 14 pounds. So, 13 minutes per pound means it will take 182 minutes or three hours and two minutes to cook a 14 pounds of turkey. As a result, you can guess the total cooking time, approximately 3 hours.
Likely, if the weight of the turkey is 8 pounds, it will take 75 minutes to cook. Secondly, if the turkey weighs 12 pounds, you will get the turkey after 1 hour and 45 minutes.
After getting the cooked turkey, you have to put an internal thermometer into the thickest section of the thigh. If it counts 165 degrees Fahrenheit, then the turkey is done. Keep yourself aware by not touching the turkey bones when you take the temperature because it can give you an inaccurate temperature.
Moreover, you have to give two extra minutes to cook per pound of meat if you fill your turkey with other pieces of stuff. The cooking time for a 14-pound stuffed or filled turkey is 3 hours and 30 minutes. Keep in mind that you must heat the stuffing to at least 165 degrees.
The Temperature for Cooking A Whole Turkey
In cooking turkey, the temperature is another crucial thing. However, you may want to know what temperature to cook a turkey in the oven. So, in this section, you will learn about the temperature of cooking a turkey.
Keep the oven’s temperature to 325 to 350 degrees when cooking a whole turkey. If the temperature is too high, the meat will dry up. Contrarily, if it is too low, the turkey will not cook properly.
Therefore, the best temperature for cooking a whole turkey is 350 degrees. In addition, it does not matter so much if the temperature lowers a few degrees.
So, you have to be cautious while grill-roasting the turkey. Otherwise, you will not get an adequately grilled turkey if you do not maintain the temperature.
Required Tools in Cooking Turkey
I have said that time and temperature are two important things to remember while cooking turkey. Besides, you have to have some useful tools on hand if you will grill-roast your turkey.
You can use these tools even if you decide to use the oven. The tools are:
- Butcher’s twine or cord; a type of twine used in the meat processing industry
- Shears or scissors for the kitchen
- Aluminum foil
- Instant-read digital thermometer
- Sharp knife
- Rack for roasting a turkey
- Tongs that can hold high temperatures
- Claws for lifting
- A pan for roasting
- A big bucket
- A cutting board
- A serving tray
Some Important Things to Do If Turkey Cooks Too Fast
You can do two things if the turkey cooks too fast. The two ways are as follows:
Reduce The Temperature
You will be happy to know that you can slow down the turkey cooking time by lowering or reducing the temperature. So, reducing temperature is the answer to your question about how to slow down turkey cooking time.
If you see that the turkey is cooking too quickly at 165° F, cover the turkey breast with aluminum foil and reduce the oven’s temperature. Depending on how much time you want to cook, you can go for a lower temperature than 200 degrees. Using foil to cover the turkey can keep them from drying out during the long cooking time.
Make Use Of The Faux Cambro Method
You can apply the Faux Cambro method when the turkey is cooking too fast. The process is given below:
This Faux Cambro method demands keeping the prepared food in a warm cooler until you serve it. The term “Cambro” refers to a container. Caterers use this container to keep food hot.
To make a Faux Cambro at home, boil some water and pour it into a cooler that can hold the turkey. Additionally, let the cooler cool the water.
After that, remove the turkey from the oven and wrap it in aluminum foil. Then, throw out the water you have added to the cooler and without removing the foil, cover the turkey with a towel. Eventually, close the cooler lid after placing the turkey inside the cooler.
In this way, you can keep your turkey warm for around 3 to 4 hours. However, when the time to serve the turkey comes, take the turkey out from the cooler and uncover it as you covered the turkey with a towel and foil.
Frequently Asked Questions
Despite having the information stated above, you may still have some more questions regarding cooking turkey. So, some questions are given below:
How Long Does A 15-pound Turkey Take to Cook at 250° F?
A 15-pound turkey will take around five hours to roast at 250° F.
Can I Prepare Turkey Overnight?
It is not a good idea to cook a turkey overnight because it will take some time if you want to cook the turkey properly.
Is It Possible to Keep A Turkey That Is Not Fully Cooked?
Yes, it is possible to save or keep a turkey that is not fully cooked.
What Is The Best Way To Cook A Turkey Which Is Undercooked?
To cook an undercooked turkey, you must heat your oven to 325° F. Then, you have to put the turkey in a pan and cook it for two and half hours.
Is It Necessary to Cover Turkey While It Rests?
Covering a turkey while it is resting is not a good idea because you will not get crispy skin if you cover it.
When It Comes to Resting A Turkey, How Long Should It Take?
The resting time for a turkey varies based on its size, but it must be at least 20 minutes.
Final Journey
You know that you have to maintain a particular time and temperature to cook a turkey properly. Otherwise, you will not get the best-cooked turkey.
On the other hand, you do not have to worry because I provided the best time and temperature in the article. Not only that, I have provided the specific answer to your question, which was, “what to do if turkey is cooking too fast.”
However, you only have to follow the information thoroughly. If you follow it correctly, you will get a properly cooked turkey.
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