Tips | Turkey | Turkey tips
Turkey Temperature Tips Infographic
Click the image below to download a PDF of our Temperature Tips for the Perfect Roasted Turkey infographic!
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Thank you so much for the updates. I love my thermapen and the others that I have ordered from you. I have now given one to each of my children and they love them also.
Adele,
So glad to hear you and your children are enjoying your Thermapens! They really are an essential cooking tool.
Thanks!
-Kim
How do you cook the leg/thigh to 175/180, and the breast to only 157? Seems like one undercooks the dark meat, or overcooks the white meat.
Allan,
The breast meat needs to come to 165ºF, while the leg meat needs a higher temperature (175-180ºF) to render the fat and connective tissue and become tender. A turkey seems to be built for such a result. The large mass of protein in the breast will take longer to come up to its temperature, and the leg meat will increase in temperature faster because it’s small, and has a higher ratio of exposed surface area. Keep your ChefAlarm in the thickest part of the breast meat, and when you get close to the pull temperature, test the leg meat with a Thermapen to be sure its temperature is just about ready too. Keep an eye on your temperatures and your turkey will be moist and delicious.
Thanks!
-Kim
I disagree with when to pull the turkey out of the oven. if the temp can rise at least 12 degrees while resting. Shouldn’t you pull it at least at 150.
165 seems a little too conservative?
Jeff,
Suggested in the infographic (and the standard we go by in our test kitchen) is to pull the turkey at 157F to allow for up to a 12 degree rise in temperature. The carryover cooking doesn’t always increase the temperature that much, and we do feel it’s safest to allow the turkey to roast in the oven until it reaches an internal temperature of 157F to be sure it will reach the necessary 165F for food safety. Thanks for your comment!
-Kim