How to Calculate How Long to Cook a Turkey

Cooking a turkey can be a all-day event. You need to determine how long to cook a turkey before the cooking day so you can plan your meal time. With a little bit of planning, you can have your turkey ready for carving when your guests are ready to eat.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Turkey
• Calculator

1. Determine the weight of your turkey, in pounds. It is usually printed on the turkey packaging.

2. Multiply the weight of your turkey in pounds by 15 to determine the total number of minutes to cook your turkey.

   For example, if your turkey is 20 lbs:

   20 x 15 = 300 total cooking minutes, or 5 hours (300/60)

   *this is for an unstuffed, thawed turkey in a 325 degree F oven.

3. Add approximately 15 minutes cooking time if your turkey is stuffed.

4. Insert a cooking thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh to ensure your turkey is cooked to 180 degrees F before taking it out of the oven. If your turkey is stuffed, the temperature of the stuffing should be at least 165 degrees F.

Tips & Warnings

• Let your turkey rest for about 20 minutes outside of the oven before carving.

• These timings are based on oven roasting a thawed turkey at 325 degrees F.

• These timings are approximate. Always test your turkey with a cooking thermometer. The internal temperature at the thickest part of the thigh should reach 180 degrees F. If your turkey is stuffed, the temperature of the stuffing should be at least 165 degrees F. Undercooked turkey can cause food poisoning.