You spend the entire day preparing and cooking the turkey. You may end up ready to serve hours before feast time and guests arrive. So, you’re left wondering how to keep a turkey warm.
Thanksgiving dinner is a staple in almost every household. Usually, the star of that dinner is a warm, juicy turkey that we are all craving. You’ve spent all month planning your menu, determining how big of a turkey to cook, how long it will take to cook the bird and making sure your guests will be entertained and your table set beautifully.
There are many ways to maintain the temperature of a turkey for a while. Let’s take a look at how to keep your turkey toasty and the factors that affect the process.
Keeping Your Turkey Warm in the Oven After Cooking
Cooking the perfect turkey for a holiday meal takes time and effort. After spending hours preparing your bird, you want to make sure it stays hot and moist until serving time. A common question many home cooks have is – can you keep a cooked turkey warm in the oven?
The short answer is yes, you can keep your turkey warm in the oven for 1-2 hours after cooking. However, there are some important factors to keep in mind.
Follow these tips for keeping your turkey hot and delicious using your oven:
Cook the Turkey Thoroughly
The turkey must reach an internal temperature of 165°F in the breast and 175°F in the thighs before removing from the oven Use an instant-read thermometer to verify doneness Undercooked turkey can harbor dangerous bacteria.
Let It Rest
Once the turkey is fully cooked, let it rest for 15-20 minutes before keeping it warm. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat for better moisture.
Choose the Right Oven Temperature
To keep the turkey warm without continuing to cook it, set your oven temperature between 200-225°F. Any hotter may lead to overcooking. You want the oven warm, not hot.
Cover It Well
Cover the turkey tightly with 2 layers of aluminum foil to lock in heat. Ensure there are no openings for heat to escape.
Use the Roasting Pan
Keep the turkey right in the roasting pan when returning to the oven. The pan will help retain and distribute heat evenly.
Add Liquid
Add 1-2 cups of chicken or turkey stock to the bottom of the roasting pan. The liquid creates a moist heat environment.
Baste Occasionally
Every 30 minutes or so, remove the turkey from the oven, uncover, baste with the juices, then re-cover and return to the oven. This bastes the meat and replaces evaporated moisture.
Carve the Breast Meat First
If keeping warm longer than an hour, consider carving the breast meat which dries out quicker. Leave legs and thighs intact.
Mind the 2 Hour Rule
Don’t keep the turkey warm for longer than 2 hours. According to USDA food safety guidelines, food left in the “danger zone” between 40-140°F for more than 2 hours may start growing harmful bacteria.
Make Gravy Just Before Serving
Gravy can be kept warm separately from the turkey but should be added just before serving, not while oven is on warm setting.
Use Within 4 Days
Be sure to carve up any leftovers within 4 days and store in the fridge or freezer. Turkey meat does not hold well after 4 days.
Reheating Tips
If turkey cooled before serving, reheat thoroughly to 165°F. Slice breast meat and reheat in sauces, not dry. Reheat legs and thighs in a 325°F oven until hot.
Signs of Trouble
Discard turkey if there is an unpleasant odor, slimy texture, or mold growth indicating spoilage. Do not taste suspicious food. When in doubt, throw it out.
Storing Leftovers
Refrigerate carved turkey in shallow containers within 2 hours of cooking. Use leftover turkey within 3-4 days. Freeze portions in airtight containers for longer storage.
Other Ways to Keep Turkey Warm
Besides the oven, you can keep cooked turkey hot and moist using a slow cooker, chafing dish, or insulated food carrier. Place cooked turkey in broth in a slow cooker on warm setting. Use a chafing dish if carving meat – keep base filled with hot water to maintain temperature. An insulated bag will hold a fully cooked turkey for up to 2 hours for easy transport.
The Method of Cooking
Another factor that plays a major role in turkey temperature is the cooking method. Depending on how you cook the bird, it’ll cool down at different rates.
This is because each cooking method uses a slightly different temperature.
- Roasting: 350°F
- Deep frying: 320°F
- Smoking: 140°F
- Sous vide: 152°F
As you can guess, if you cook your bird at a higher temperature, it can stay warm for longer. That’s due to the turkey storing more heat energy while it cooks. However, this may lead to your bird drying out. So, don’t use more heat than required for a particular cooking method.
We celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November. For many people, this kicks off the holiday season.
However, as the holidays roll in, so does winter. This is about the time when everything starts to get colder.
The temperature of your home will affect the rate that the turkey cools down, but most folks keep their house around 70°F, so unless you are eating it outside in the cool weather, or you live in the warm south, this won’t be a major factor.
Finally, post-cooking time is the most important factor in keeping a turkey warm. So how long does the turkey sit around before its carving time?
Generally, you want to let your turkey rest after cooking. This allows for all the juices to resettle throughout the bird. About 15-30 minutes should do the trick. During this time, the turkey holds on to most of the heat inside it.
At this point, the turkey is moist, soft, and ready for carving.
After that, the turkey starts to cool off, and within a couple of hours, the bird reaches room temperature.
It’s important to note that, as a matter of safety, you shouldn’t let your turkey sit for too long out of a refrigerator. Letting the bird spend more than two hours at room temperature can be hazardous. That’s when microorganisms can start growing.
Methods to Keep a Turkey Warm
Keeping a turkey warm can a tricky ordeal, but we’ll help you out. You want to keep adding heat without drying out the meat.
Here’s our favorite ways to maintain your turkey’s temperature.
The most common method of keeping a turkey warm is wrapping it up with foil. Not only is this process fairly simple, but it’s also quite effective.
You can follow these steps to use this method:
- Take your turkey out of the oven.
- Let it rest for about 15-30 minutes.
- Drain any excess juices from the pan.
- Cover the whole turkey in aluminum foil.
- Place a warm kitchen towel over the foil.
- Set the turkey down in a warm area.
Pro: This method can help keep your bird warm for an extra couple of hours. It uses the residual heat and steam trapped in the bird to keep it toasty.
Con: This isn’t the ideal method for you if you like crispy skin. Because you trap steam in with the turkey, the skin starts to soften.
Removing excess juices helps reduce this issue, but it will cause the skin to lose its crispiness.
How to Reheat a Fully Roasted Turkey | Step by Step
FAQ
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