There is often a timer built into supermarket turkeys that will go off whenever the internal temperature reaches 178 degrees Fahrenheit. Your chicken breasts will be dry and overdone if you wait that long. If you want a well cooked bird, take it out of the oven when the thermometer reads 165 degrees on the breast and 170-175 degrees on the thickest part of the thighs.
To take the breast temperature, hold the thermometer parallel to the bird’s neck and enter it into the thickest portion of the breast. Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the breast muscle, being cautious not to go all the way to the bone, and read off the results (which can compromise the reading)..
Thigh temperature should be taken at the fullest part of the thigh, away from the bone. Insert the thermometer into both of your thighs to double-check the reading.
Here are Three More Pointers For Determining When Your Turkey is Ready:
1. Don’t be Afraid to Eat Some Pink Meat Once in a While.
A reddish hue on a turkey slice is not necessarily indicative of undercooked meat. Myoglobin, a red protein pigment found in muscle cells, is responsible for giving meat its typical red or pink colour.
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2. The Meat is Safe to Consume if The Thermometer Reads The Proper Temperature.
Since dark meat stores and utilises oxygen differently than white meat, it does take longer to cook. Fatter, denser, and slower to heat up, the active muscles that make up turkey legs are the reason why they take so long to cook.
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3. Let The Turkey Sit For a While Before Slicing it.
The meat will be dry if you cut into it before letting it rest for at least 45 minutes to reabsorb the liquids. Don’t bother tenting the turkey with foil to keep it warm while it rests; doing so will only make the skin mushy. The turkey will cool very slowly if it is still whole.
