Introduction

Thanksgiving is a big meal for many families. The turkey is the centerpiece, but it’s also an enormous undertaking. If you don’t cook your turkey properly, it can make everyone sick—and no one wants that! To get your Thanksgiving dinner right, you need to know how long to cook a turkey at 325 degrees F. Then we’ll discuss how to know when the turkey is done and what temperature it should be cooked to ensure that it’s properly cooked through.

Cooking a turkey for Thanksgiving is a big job.

When you’re preparing for Thanksgiving, it’s important to remember that cooking a turkey is a big job. You need to be organized, patient and have a game plan in place before you start cooking.

It’s also helpful to make sure you have all the ingredients on hand so that nothing gets forgotten or missed out on during the preparation process–especially when there are multiple people helping out with dinner prep!

Large turkey vs small turkey

The larger the turkey, the longer it takes to cook. The smaller the turkey, the shorter it takes to cook.

Turkeys that are larger than 12 pounds will take at least 18 minutes per pound to cook (or about 3 hours). For example, if your turkey weighs 16 pounds and is stuffed with stuffing and giblets (which add about 2 pounds) then you’ll want to plan on cooking for about 4 hours total at 325 F degrees.

Smaller turkeys (less than 8 pounds) can be cooked in as little as 2-2 1/2 hours at 325 F degrees

The best way to cook a turkey is to cook it at 325 degrees.

It’s important to remember that the cooking temperature and time are different for every bird. For example, if you’re cooking a small turkey (8 pounds or less) at 325 degrees, it will take about 2 hours per pound. If you’re cooking a large turkey (18 pounds or more) at 325 degrees, it will take about 1 hour per pound.

The best way to cook a turkey is by using an oven thermometer to ensure that you have your oven set correctly–at least 325 degrees Fahrenheit! It’s also important not to open the oven door during the first 30 minutes of cooking time so that heat doesn’t escape from inside of your oven when it needs it most!

How long does it take to cook a turkey at 325 degrees?

You can expect your turkey to be fully cooked after about three hours. The exact time will depend on the size of your bird, but it’s safe to say that the larger the turkey, the longer it will take to cook. The smaller your turkey is, on average–and depending on how much meat there is inside–your bird will probably be ready earlier than three hours.

The temperature in your oven also plays an important role in determining how long it takes for a turkey to cook throughly enough so that you can eat it without worrying about getting sick or getting food poisoning from undercooked poultry products like chicken wings or legs (which are often eaten raw). If you’re cooking at 325 degrees Fahrenheit or above with no other factors affecting how long it takes for your roast chicken/roast duck/roast goose/roast Cornish hen/whatever else comes from farm animals fed grain instead of grasses and insects like cows eat then yes: 3 hours should work fine!

Cooking temperature of 325 degrees and time are different for every bird.

As with any meat, cooking temperature and time are different for every bird. These factors include:

• The size of the turkey – A large turkey will take longer to cook than a small one. If you have a very large bird, consider using two oven racks in order to allow it plenty of space to cook without touching other pieces of food or getting too close to hot walls or heating elements.
• The weight of your turkey – If your turkey weighs more than 20 pounds (9 kilograms), then plan on adding about 20 minutes per pound (500 grams) when calculating how long it will take for it to cook throughly at 325 degrees F (163 C). For example, if your 23-pounder needs two hours total at this temperature before serving up with all those tasty sides and fixings, then expect about 46 minutes per pound instead–or about 1 hour 40 minutes total cooking time for this particular size/weight specimen!
• Type & age – Freshly killed birds should be cooked immediately after purchase; otherwise they may spoil faster than frozen ones because bacteria grow more rapidly at room temperature than they do when refrigerated temperatures are maintained inside cold storage units like freezers.”

If you want to cook your turkey in the oven, you should remove it from the oven when the internal temperature reaches 180 F.

If you want to cook your turkey in the oven, you should remove it from the oven when the internal temperature reaches 180 F. This is considered fully cooked and safe to eat.

If you don’t have a meat thermometer, there are other methods of checking whether or not your turkey is fully cooked:

• Use an instant-read thermometer inserted into various parts of the bird (the thigh and breast) until you find one that reads 160 F (71 C). The USDA recommends using this method only if your oven has no built-in thermometer or if yours doesn’t work properly. If so, then check for doneness every 15 minutes after removing from heat until reaching 160 F (71 C).
• Another way to tell if dinner’s ready involves using a rubber band–just pull out one leg bone at a 45 degree angle; if it slips out easily with no resistance from meat fibers binding together around it then it’s done cooking!

Follow these guidelines to get your turkey cooked just right.

The cooking temperature and time for your turkey will depend on its size. A 15-pound turkey will take about 3 hours to cook at 325 degrees F, but a 20-pounder can take up to 4 hours.

If you’ve got the time and are feeling ambitious, it’s worth taking a few extra steps to make sure your holiday bird is perfectly roasted:

• Remove the bird from its packaging and pat dry with paper towels before placing it in an oven bag or roasting pan with 1/2 cup of water (this will steam the meat as it cooks).
• Trussing helps keep things tidy while also helping maintain juiciness by holding in juices during roasting. Follow these instructions on how to truss a turkey if you haven’t done so before!

Conclusion

Hopefully, this article has helped you understand the best way to cook a turkey. It can be a little confusing at first, but once you get the hang of it, cooking your own Thanksgiving dinner will become second nature!