There’s one kitchen gadget you should avoid using this Thanksgiving in order to prepare the ideal turkey. Ironically, it’s the pop-up turkey timer.
Of all the kitchen appliances, a pop-up turkey timer—the kind that fits into your store-bought bird—is arguably the least dependable. By the time the timer does actually pop, your turkey will be overcooked and as dry as sawdust. Advertisement.
This is due to the fact that commercial turkey buttons are programmed to pop at 180 to 185 degrees Fahrenheit, even though the turkey should be taken out of the oven at 160 degrees F. As it rests on the counter, the temperature will rise to the FDA-recommended 165 degrees Fahrenheit. If you use a pop-up timer, you end up drastically overcooking your turkey.
Ah, Thanksgiving. A time for family, friends, and of course, the centerpiece of the feast – the glorious turkey. But amidst the merriment and mashed potatoes, a crucial question arises: where the heck do you put that pop-up turkey timer? Fear not, fellow culinary crusaders, for I, your trusty guide, am here to illuminate the path to perfectly cooked poultry.
The Quest for the Perfect Placement:
The pop-up timer, a beacon of culinary precision, is nestled snugly within the turkey’s breast. But simply inserting it isn’t enough. The placement of this culinary compass is paramount to ensuring your turkey emerges from the oven juicy and succulent, not dry and disappointing.
The Thigh-High Truth:
Contrary to popular belief, the pop-up timer should not be placed in the thickest part of the turkey’s thigh. This seemingly logical location can lead to an undercooked bird, as the timer pops up before the breast reaches a safe internal temperature.
The Breast is Best:
Instead, the pop-up timer finds its true home in the thickest part of the turkey’s breast. This ensures that the timer pops up when the breast reaches a safe internal temperature of 165°F, signaling a perfectly cooked bird.
A Few Extra Tips for Turkey Timer Triumph:
- Calibrate your timer: Ensure your pop-up timer is accurate by calibrating it in boiling water. It should pop up within 1-2 seconds.
- Insert the timer correctly: Push the timer all the way into the breast, ensuring the tip touches the meat.
- Don’t rely solely on the timer: Use a meat thermometer to double-check the internal temperature of the turkey, especially in the thickest part of the breast.
- Rest the turkey: After removing the turkey from the oven, let it rest for at least 20 minutes before carving. This allows the juices to redistribute, resulting in a more succulent bird.
With these tips in your culinary arsenal, you’ll be a turkey-timing champion, impressing your guests with a perfectly cooked bird that’s the envy of the Thanksgiving table.
But the best way to take the temperature of a turkey is with a digital instant-read thermometer.
It’s not that hard to jab a turkey with a thermometer and see if it’s done or not. Simply insert a digital instant-read thermometer into the space between the thigh and the breast to get an accurate reading. We also recommend probe-style digital thermometers, which can be inserted into your bird with a wire leading out of the oven door to a digital display that monitors the temperature. (And if you buy a turkey that already has a pop-up timer inserted, either ignore it or pull it out, if you can do so without mangling the bird.)
Get yourself a good meat thermometer before it’s too late.
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Here’s how turkey timers actually work.
Inside a standard pop-up turkey timer, there’s a red plastic indicator stick that sits in a plastic casing. The stick has a spring wrapped around it. The soft metal in the tip warms as the turkey roasts and eventually melts at around 180 degrees F. Then the red stick is released from the metal and the spring makes it pop up. That’s 15 degrees higher than the recommended 165, making your turkey extremely dry.Advertisement