Every kitchen should have a trusty meat thermometer (especially on Thanksgiving). All that separates a juicy, delicious turkey from a dry, disappointing mess are a few degrees. More importantly, though, cooking your meat to a safe temperature prevents dangerous foodborne illnesses. Here’s how to check your turkey’s temp the right way this holiday:
Get It Right: Proper Thermometer Placement for Perfectly Cooked Turkey
Come November, turkeys take center stage. After thawing and prepping your bird, the next step is crucial – thermometer placement. With juicy meat and food safety on the line proper insertion of a meat thermometer can make or break your Thanksgiving turkey. Follow these tips and thermometer placement photos to guarantee ideal doneness.
Thermometer Essentials
First choose the right thermometer for the job. You need two kinds
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Instant-read thermometer – This provides quick, accurate temperature readings. The Thermapen by ThermoWorks is the gold standard instant-read.
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Oven-safe “leave-in” thermometer – Attach this thermometer’s oven-safe probe before roasting so you can monitor the temp without repeatedly opening the oven. The ChefAlarm by ThermoWorks connects to an easy-to-read base unit.
Next, understand where to insert the thermometer probes. The key factors are avoiding bone and hitting the thermal center – the deepest, thickest part of meat that cooks most slowly. Proper placement ensures an accurate reading.
Leave-In Probe Position
For the leave-in thermometer, insert the probe horizontally into the breast, 1⁄2 to 1 inch from the cavity. Here are the steps with photos:
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Start near the neck opening and aim the probe toward the opposite end of the breast.
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Make sure the probe tip rests in the thickest part of the breast, completely surrounded by meat.
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The probe should not touch any bones. Bones conduct heat differently than meat.
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Check your thermometer specs for minimum probe depth. Allow the full probe to penetrate for precise accuracy.
With the probe in position, the leave-in thermometer will track the breast temp so you know exactly when to pull the turkey from the oven.
Instant-Read Thermometer Placement
Insert an instant-read thermometer into multiple spots to verify doneness at the end. Again, target the thickest breast area without touching bone. Also check the thigh and wing joints.
For safety, the breast and thigh must reach 165°F minimum. The deep breast often needs the most time to cook through. Take photos of the instant-read temps in different areas for your records.
Additional Tips for Success
With your thermometer probes properly placed in the turkey’s thermal center, follow these extra pointers:
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Allow at least 30 seconds for an instant-read to stabilize before reading temp. Slow and steady!
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Heat and cook times can vary. Rely on thermometer temps, not timers, to determine doneness.
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Let the turkey rest 20 minutes before carving so juices redistribute. Temp will rise 5-10 degrees.
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Maintain food safety. Never leave thermometers inside the cooked turkey once removed from the oven.
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Calibrate your thermometer annually for accuracy. Boiling water should read 212°F.
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Wash thermometer probes thoroughly before and after use with hot, soapy water.
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Documenting temps provides proof the turkey cooked to a safe minimum internal temperature.
With the right techniques and equipment, your holiday turkey will be perfectly cooked from edge to edge. Crispy, golden skin on the outside covers moist, flavorful meat inside. Just be sure to place those thermometer probes precisely in the poultry’s thermal center! happy Thanksgiving!
Instant Read Thermometer vs. Leave-In Thermometer
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An instant read thermometer is exactly what it sounds like: A thermometer that reads temperatures instantly. Most instant read thermometers have a handle that displays the temperature and a stainless steel probe that is inserted into food. (Looking for the best instant read thermometer? We tried a ton—and this one was our favorite by a longshot).
A leave-in thermometer is equally aptly named: It’s a thermometer that you leave in the meat during the cooking process. Some leave-in thermometers have an analog face and a stainless steel probe. Others are more complex, with an oven-proof wire that connects the probe to a device that sits outside of your oven. (Psssst: This one has more than 2,000 5-star reviews).
Why Do You Have to Measure the Internal Temperature?
There’s a reason you don’t measure the temperature of the outside of the turkey, and it’s called a temperature gradient. A temperature gradient is the difference in temperature between the interior and the exterior of the meat.
Since the outside cooks first (it’s closer to the heat, after all), measuring the external temperature isn’t an accurate way to determine the doneness of the bird throughout.
Think of it this way: Have you ever taken a pie out of the oven and admired its beautifully baked top crust, and then cut into it to discover a completely underdone filling or bottom crust? You can blame a temperature gradient for that, too.
How to Insert a Meat Thermometer into Turkey
FAQ
Where do you put the thermometer in an upside down turkey?