When do you stick the thermometer on the turkey

Ideally, these thermometers should be calibrated when first purchased as well as checked for accuracy regularly. Accuracy can be altered if the thermometer has been exposed to extreme temperature changes or has been dropped. There are two simple ways to test for accuracy. Place at least two inches of the thermometer stem into the cup, making sure the sensing tip is fully inserted. The tip should not touch the bottom or side of the cup. Fill a pan with about three inches of water and bring to a rolling boil.

Place at least two inches of the thermometer stem into the water, making sure the sensing tip is fully inserted. Use caution to avoid burns.

The tip should not touch the bottom or side of the pan. If the temperature does not reach the boiling point, an adjustment should be made. Email: info turkeyfed. Temperature Matters: Meat Thermometer Guidelines. Ice-point method. Standard meat thermometers are metal and designed to withstand oven temperatures. The sensing area is from the tip to a half-inch past the dimple. This area registers the temperature of the food.

Examine the thermometer and familiarize yourself with the dial settings. Positioning the thermometer in the turkey is not difficult.

Always place the thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh because the dark meat of turkey thigh takes longer to cook than any other part. Place the thermometer tip in the thick part of the thigh away from the bone.

The thigh area closest to the body of the turkey is the thickest part. While you are washing the untrussed turkey, look for a spot to position the thermometer. If using an oven-proof food thermometer, place it in the turkey at the start of the cooking cycle. Maybe not. Because of the way that heat is transferred through substances, the outside of a turkey will be at a higher temperature than the inside.

This difference in temperature between the exterior and interior of the meat is called a temperature gradient. When cooking anything, the higher the temperature you cook at, the larger the temperature gradient inside the meat. Kenji Lopez-Alt. Understanding temperature gradients leads to understanding proper probe placement: the thermal center. The thermal center is the point in any food including turkey that is furthest from the exterior of the meat and therefore takes the longest to cook. This is where the temperature needs to be tracked during the cook because it will be coldest here and your meat is only as done and safe as the lowest temperature found.

This is because their sensor is that long. The tiny sensor of our leave-in probes can hit that thermal center almost exactly. We all want the same thing on Thanksgiving: a juicy, flavorful, picture-perfect turkey you can be proud to share with your loved ones.

But most of us only cook a turkey once a year, making it difficult to get really good at making one in the first place. And cooking a whole turkey is actually a fairly complicated undertaking.

With two kinds of meat and a weird, uneven shape, it can be hard to get it just right. Placing a leave-in probe in the thermal venter of your turkey to track the temperature as you cook will help you get that bird out of the oven before it dries out.

So remember, no matter how you cook your turkey, roasted , smoked , deep-fried , or spatchcocked , the first and most important step to getting it just right is getting your probe in the right place. You are correct that there are many different recommended ways to roast a turkey.

Please provide your recommended method. Ideally it would be applicable for large and smaller birds, provide the juiciest result, minimize flipping or even rotating the pan, and look beautiful whether stuffed or not.