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Don’t be concerned if this is your first time roasting a turkey. Everyone has been there! One of your many inquiries is certainly, should you roast a turkey at 325 or 350 degrees? Today, we’ll address that question, as well as a few others on roasting a great, juicy turkey in the oven. So, if you’re ready, let’s get started.

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Cooking Turkey at 325 vs. 350- What’s the Difference?

While looking at recipes for oven-roasted turkeys, you may discover that various directions indicate varying cooking temperatures. Add to it the fact that roasting a turkey is a time-consuming operation, and you’re undoubtedly feeling worried and confused.

To answer the question succinctly, turkey can be cooked at 325°F or 350°F. The most crucial factor, according to the USDA, is that your turkey registers 165F when a meat thermometer is placed at the thickest portion of the thigh.

The fundamental debate isn’t whether you should cook your turkey at 325F or 350F, but rather what the conditions are for each. Picking one temperature over another has advantages and disadvantages, so let’s look at them now.

Do You Cook a Stuffed Turkey at 325 or 350?

Remember that you may roast a stuffed or unstuffed turkey at 325°F or 350°F depending on your taste. Nonetheless, there will be pros and downsides to each.

Here are a few things to think about while deciding on the optimal temperature for your bird.

The Recipe

A recipe that specifies the temperature at which a turkey should be cooked should be followed. You should attempt to stay to the script unless you know precisely what you’re doing and how long the turkey will need to roast based on its weight.

Preparing an oven-roasted turkey is not something you want to leave to chance. It takes subtlety, which, if lacking, may destroy this beloved traditional dinner.

The Weight of the Turkey

The weight of the bird is one of the most important elements to consider when determining how long to cook a turkey at 325 or 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

The weight of the turkey has a direct impact on cooking time and may add up to 1-2 hours (or more) to the time required for oven roasting.

We’ll go into more detail on how to sync cooking times with turkey weight later, but note that cooking times may vary depending on how hefty your bird is.

The Intended Results

Do you want your turkey skin to be lovely and crisp when you serve it? Do you value tender and juicy turkey meat? The length of time and temperature at which you cook your chicken will provide diverse outcomes.

Of course, the ultimate aim is for the turkey to be fully cooked, but there’s more to it than that. A juicy and soft chicken with crisp exterior skin is achievable, but youll need to experiment with your oven a little to get the results you want.

Stuffed or Unstuffed

If your turkey is stuffed, you’ll need to add 10 minutes or more to the cooking time per pound.

This is due to the fact that stuffing your chicken might prevent it from cooking correctly and evenly. Because of this, several chefs now advise against filling the bird totally.

Despite this, many people want to fill their bird with something, even if it isn’t stuffing. Onion, lemon, and herbs are some ideas. If this is the case, keep in mind that your turkey will take a little longer to cook this manner than if you hadn’t filled it.

Please keep in mind that using twine may impact the way your turkey cooks. To help the chicken cook more evenly, skip the string.

Your Schedule

Last but not least, cooking a turkey at 325 degrees Fahrenheit will take somewhat longer than at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Before you begin, be sure you have time in your schedule to allow prolonged cooking times.

How Long to Cook a Turkey at 350?

Now for the details!

If you wish to cook a turkey at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, allow at least 2-2.5 hours.

Understand that the length of time required to roast your turkey will be proportional to its weight. At 350°F, a turkey will take around 13-15 minutes per pound to cook.

How Long Should You Cook a Turkey at 325?

Roasting a turkey at 350°F may result in moist, succulent flesh with crisp skin. Other individuals, however, prefer slow roasting.

If this describes you, plan on cooking a turkey at 325°F for at least 3 hours. Again, the length of time will be determined by the weight of your bird. Roast turkeys for 17 minutes per pound at 325°F, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest portion of the thigh registers 165°F.

Is It Safe to Cook a Turkey at 325 Degrees?

It is entirely safe to cook a turkey at 325°F. The most essential thing is to cook the turkey for the appropriate amount of time based on how long it takes to cook the bird thoroughly at this temperature.

Recall that turkey takes roughly 17 minutes per pound at 325°F. Before you slice and serve, it should also read 165F.

Turkey Roasting Temperatures and Times

Do You Cook a 10 lb Turkey at 325 or 350?

Remember that any turkey may be cooked at 325 or 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If you opt to cook your turkey at 325°F, it will take around 170 minutes, or close to 3 hours. Cook the chicken for 150 minutes, or about 2.5 hours, at 350°F.

If you’ve stuffed your bird, the cooking time for your turkey may be significantly longer. To be certain, use a meat thermometer.

How Long Do I Cook a 12 lb Turkey at 325 Degrees?

A 12lb turkey will take roughly 204 minutes to cook through, or close to 3.5 hours.

Do You Cook a 14 lb Turkey at 325 or 350?

A 14-pound turkey may be cooked at 325°F or 350°F, albeit the bird will take longer to cook at a lower temperature.

How Long Do You Cook a 14 lb Stuffed turkey at 325?

Cook a stuffed chicken at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 252 minutes, or slightly more than 4 hours.

How Long Does it Take to Cook a 14 lb Turkey at 350 Degrees?

A 14-pound turkey may be roasted at 350°F for around 210 minutes, or roughly 3.5 hours.

How Long Do You Cook a 20 lb Turkey at 325 Degrees?

A 20-pound turkey will take a long time to roast at 325°F. A turkey of this size should take roughly 340 minutes, or little more over 5.5 hours.

How Long Do You Cook a 20 lb Turkey at 350?

A 20-pound turkey may be roasted at 350°F for around 300 minutes, or 5 hours.

Remember to save the leftovers from this large bird to top a great turkey sandwich the following day!

Do You Cook a Turkey at 325 or 350? Either One Works!

As you can see, cooking a turkey at 325F or 350F requires a little adjustment to your cooking timeline.

Always use 13-15 minutes per pound for 350F ovens and 15-17 minutes per pound for 325F ovens when determining cooking timings for your turkey. Every time, the outcome should be a nicely brown turkey with moist and juicy flesh.

Best wishes!

FAQs

What is the best temperature to bake a turkey?

Most experts advocate cooking turkey at 325-350F for the best results. Some even suggested cooking the turkey at 425F for 5-10 minutes before lowering the oven temperature. In any case, oven temperatures of 325F or 350F will provide excellent results.

What temperature to cook a turkey?

Depending on your preferences, a turkey may be roasted at 325°F or 350°F. Several chefs prefer to cook at a higher temperature, such as 350 degrees Fahrenheit, for a shorter amount of time. Nonetheless, slow-roasting your turkey at 325°F is an alternative.

How long to cook a turkey at 325?

If you want to cook your turkey at 325 degrees Fahrenheit, multiply the weight of your bird by 17 minutes to get how long it should be cooked.

How long to cook a 20-pound turkey at 350?

A 20-pound turkey takes roughly 5 hours or 300 minutes in the oven to completely cook. If your turkey still seems undercooked at this point or does not register 165F, cook it for a little longer. When cut, the meat should be soft and the fluids should flow clear.

FAQs

Should I use 350 or 325 for turkey?

4 hr. Roast a 14-23-pound turkey (weight with giblets) in a 325° oven for 2-3 hours. 2–2 1 Roast a 10-13-pound turkey (weighted with giblets) in a 350° oven for 1 12 hours.

Do you cook a Butterball turkey at 325 or 350?

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Take the whole breast from the bag. Drain fluids and pat with clean paper towels to dry. Put the breast, skin side up, in a 2-inch deep roasting pan with a flat roasting rack.

Is 325 a good temp to cook a turkey?

The best technique to produce soft flesh is to roast the chicken gently at a lower temperature. You should still butter, salt, and pepper the chicken as indicated above (or dry-brine it). Set your oven to 325°F and roast a 12- to 14-pound turkey for 312 to 4 hours.

What is the best temperature to cook a whole turkey?

In terms of oven temperature, the Test Kitchen believes that 375°F is the Goldilocks zone for turkey roasting – it’s not too hot, nor too cold, and cooks rapidly enough to assure that a bird is well cooked by dinnertime. Insert a thermometer into the thickest portion of the thigh to see whether the turkey is done.

What setting is best for cooking turkey?

A temperature of 300-325°F is optimal for generating a delectable chicken with a wet exterior and an optimum inside temperature of 165°F. While cooking the whole turkey, ordinary ovens are normally set at 350°F.

Is it too high to cook a turkey at 350?

For an unstuffed turkey, we suggest roasting it at 350°F for 13 minutes per pound.

Is 325 too low to cook a turkey?

Our Test Kitchen suggests roasting a turkey at 325o for the whole cooking period. This temperature is low enough that moisture does not evaporate fast and dry out the turkey, but it is also warm enough to cook the bird all the way through quickly.

How do I keep my turkey moist?

Here’s an excellent trick for keeping the turkey breast juicy: Make a triangle out of a huge square piece of foil. Rub one side of the triangle with olive oil and form the foil (oil-side down) over the turkey breast, then remove foil; this will protect your turkey breast from drying out.

Do you put water in bottom of roasting pan for turkey?

“Customers often ask about adding water to the bottom of their roasting pans. We do not advocate putting water in the pan’s bottom. Cooking a turkey using steam is a wet heat-cook technique that is acceptable, although it is not the ideal way.”

How long to cook turkey at 325?

Plan on 15 to 17 minutes of cooking time for each pound of unstuffed turkey if you’re roasting it in a 325°F oven. For a stuffed turkey, allow 20 to 22 minutes per pound.

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