Introduction
Thanksgiving is the most fun day of the year for food lovers, and it’s all about a big meal with family. But if you’re like me, prepping for Thanksgiving can be stressful. I love to cook but don’t have much time to plan out my menu or shop for groceries; I’m a busy mom! This means that my family doesn’t get our favorite dishes each year because I just don’t have time to make them. The one exception is turkey: It’s so easy to make and requires very little prep work. That also means that it can take up a lot of space in your oven while cooking! So today we’re going over how long to cook a Butterball turkey so it comes out perfectly every time — no matter how many people are coming over or how much time you have available before dinner starts!
How long to cook a Butterball turkey depends on how you want it to look and taste.
How long to cook a Butterball turkey depends on how you want it to look and taste.
First, let’s talk about size. If you’re cooking a whole turkey, there are two main factors that determine how long it takes: the size of your oven and the weight of your bird (which is different from its height). The larger the oven, the more heat energy can be transferred into cooking food–and thus the less time it takes for them to cook through. For example, if you have an electric range with a top element that puts out 1 kW (kilowatt) versus one with an 8 kW top element on its range hood then there would be no question which one will cook faster!
The second factor is weight; all else being equal (i.e., temperature setting), heavier turkeys take longer than lighter ones because they require more energy input from heat transfer during cooking in order for internal temperatures within each piece/particle (muscle fiber) throughout every inch/millimeter across their entire length/breadth reach safe levels before reaching maximum quality potentials within those same areas where pathogens could otherwise grow while waiting until later when exposed surfaces begin drying out too quickly due to high ambient temperatures around them causing other safety concerns such as burning skin off hands while handling hot surfaces without proper protection like oven mitts made specifically designed just for this purpose.”
When you place the turkey in the oven, it should be at room temperature.
When you place the turkey in the oven, it should be at room temperature. This helps ensure that all parts of your bird cook evenly and completely. If you put cold turkey in an oven that’s hot from previous cooking (say, if you’re using last year’s Thanksgiving leftovers), then the outside will cook faster than the inside–and vice versa if you put hot turkey into a cold one!
When cooking the turkey, set your oven to a minimum temperature of 325 degrees Fahrenheit and a maximum of 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- When cooking the turkey, set your oven to a minimum temperature of 325 degrees Fahrenheit and a maximum of 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- The turkey should be cooked at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Butterball recommends cooking turkeys in an unheated oven for 15 minutes per pound, plus an additional 20 minutes if frozen (or until internal temperature reaches 165 F). This will give you plenty of time to prepare everything else while it’s cooking!
While roasting, rotate the turkey every hour or so.
While roasting, rotate the turkey every hour or so. Rotating the turkey will help it cook more evenly and can also speed up its cooking time by as much as 25%.
If you don’t have an oven thermometer, there are three ways you can check if your oven is at the correct temperature:
- Use an instant-read thermometer to measure the temperature inside your oven (at least 15 minutes before baking). If it’s too hot, lower it by 25 degrees; if too cool, raise it by 25 degrees.
- Place a few ice cubes on top of an upside-down pan in the center of your preheated oven; if they melt within 15 minutes without burning or smoking up too much smoke from burning fat on top of them–and if this happens consistently–then congratulations! You’ve got yourself one properly heated roasting pan!
Basting with butter and herbs is important for keeping moisture inside the meat and adding flavor.
Basting with butter and herbs is important for keeping moisture inside the meat and adding flavor.
- Take a turkey baster, fill it with melted butter, and then squeeze it over the turkey. Repeat this process until you run out of melted butter or your arm gets tired (whichever comes first).
- You can also use olive oil instead of butter if you want a more savory taste.* This will help keep your bird moist throughout cooking time.* Don’t overdo it though–you don’t want to add too much fat into your bird!
Bake until there are only about 20 minutes left to cook.
With about 20 minutes left in the cooking process, remove your turkey from the oven and let it rest for about 20 minutes. This allows for redistribution of juices within the meat and helps keep it moist when serving. If you don’t allow time for this step, your turkey will be dry and tough.
Cooking a Butterball Turkey takes some time, but if you follow these directions you’ll get a moist, tasty bird
Now that you know how long to cook a Butterball Turkey, let’s talk about how.
- Make sure your turkey is at room temperature when you put it in the oven. If it’s cold, it will take longer to cook and dry out more easily.
- Set your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, which is standard for most home cooks. You can go higher or lower if you like; there are no hard-and-fast rules here! Just make sure that whatever temperature you choose isn’t too high or low for safety reasons (like burning).
- Every hour or so while cooking, rotate your bird on its roasting rack so that all sides get equal exposure to heat and air circulation–this helps prevent uneven cooking throughout different parts of the meat as well as scorching from overbrowning certain areas faster than others due simply because they were closer than others were originally when placed inside during prep work before being cooked later down toward completion two hours later…but don’t worry too much about this step; just make sure not miss any opportunities where possible by paying close attention instead 🙂
Conclusion
So, we’ve covered how long to cook a Butterball Turkey. If you follow these directions and do your research, you’ll have a delicious meal for your family on Thanksgiving or any other day of the year!