Nov. 17--Among all the Thanksgiving cooking questions each year, cooking the turkey poses the most. Wrestling a 20-pound bird from grocery freezer case to oven to table without wrecking it proves daunting for many cooks. That's why these thawing and roasting times from the USDA come in so very handy.
You can thaw the bird in the refrigerator (at 40 degrees or below) if you have time; it takes 24 hours per 4-5 pounds of turkey. Or speed things up by submerging it in cold water that you change every 30 minutes; it will thaw at the rate of 30 minutes per pound, according to "How to Cook a Turkey," by the editors and contributors of Fine Cooking magazine. Do not thaw the turkey on the counter at room temperature. If thawing in the refrigerator, place the turkey on a tray or pan to contain any liquid that may drip. After thawing in the refrigerator, the uncooked turkey can remain in the refrigerator for 1-2 days, according to the USDA, but a turkey thawed in cold water should be cooked right away.
Thawing times
IN THE REFRIGERATOR
8 to 12 pounds: 2 to 3 days
12 to 16 pounds: 3 to 4 days
16 to 20 pounds: 4 to 5 days
20 to 24 pounds: 5 to 6 days
IN COLD WATER
8 to 12 pounds: 4 to 6 hours
12 to 16 pounds: 6 to 8 hours
16 to 20 pounds: 8 to 10 hours
20 to 24 pounds: 10 to 12 hours
Roasting times
Use these USDA recommended times instead of those found in older cookbooks and references. The times are for an oven temperature of 325 degrees and assume the turkey is fridge-cold. A whole turkey is safe when cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees as measured with a food thermometer "in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast," according to the USDA. If cooking stuffing inside the bird, make sure the center of the stuffing reaches 165 degrees.
Unstuffed
8 to 12 pounds: 2 3/4 to 3 hours
12 to 14 pounds: 3 to 3 3/4 hours
14 to 18 pounds: 3 3/4 to 4 1/4 hours
18 to 20 pounds: 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 hours
20 to 24 pounds: 4 1/2 to 5 hours
Stuffed
8 to 12 pounds: 3 to 3 1/2 hours
12 to 14 pounds: 3 1/2 to 4 hours
14 to 18 pounds: 4 to 4 1/4 hours
18 to 20 pounds: 4 1/4 to 4 3/4 hours
20 to 24 pounds: 4 3/4 to 5 1/4 hours
Source: http://www.fsis.usda.gov
