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.
Cooking a turkey is a time-honored tradition for many holidays and special occasions Once the bird is cooked, you want to keep it warm and delicious until it’s time to carve and serve it But how long will the turkey stay warm after cooking? Here are some tips to keep your turkey piping hot for as long as possible.
Resting Time After Cooking
Once the turkey is fully cooked, it’s important to let it rest before carving. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat. The minimum resting time should be 15-20 minutes. During this time, the turkey will stay quite hot.
Cover the turkey loosely with foil during the resting period, The foil helps lock in heat Don’t wrap it too tightly or the turkey will steam and become soggy,
Keeping the Turkey Warm for Short Periods
If your turkey is done early or you need to hold it for up to an hour before serving, there are easy ways to keep it piping hot.
After the initial resting period, cover the turkey with foil and then place a kitchen towel on top. The towel will further help keep things warm. Your turkey should stay warm for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours using this method.
You can also keep the turkey warm in a 200-225°F oven, loosely covered with foil, for around an hour. The oven’s ambient heat will keep it hot without further cooking.
Maintaining Heat for Longer Periods
For occasions when you need to keep the cooked turkey warm for several hours, additional steps should be taken.
Placing the foil-covered turkey into an insulated cooler is very effective. Surround it with crumpled newspaper or towels to maintain the heat. Your turkey can stay hot for up to 4 hours this way.
Another option is to use a slow cooker. Put the turkey in the cooker, add some broth, and set it on low. This can keep your turkey warm for up to 4 hours.
You can also place the turkey into a deep roasting pan with chicken broth added. Cover it tightly with foil and keep it in a 200-225° oven. The liquid ensures it doesn’t dry out.
Serving Hot Turkey
When it’s finally time to serve your masterpiece turkey, you’ll want it to be as hot and delicious as possible. Here are some final tips:
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Carve the turkey just before serving so it doesn’t cool down.
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Heat up the gravy or sauce right before dinner. Hot gravy poured over the turkey will reheat it.
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If any parts of the turkey have cooled, quickly reheat them in the microwave right before placing them on the platter.
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Keep the carved turkey in a warm oven set to 170°F until everyone is ready to eat.
With proper resting, insulation, and reheating methods, your holiday turkey can stay piping hot and delicious for several hours after cooking. Follow these guidelines, and your guests will enjoy tender, juicy turkey at its best.
Frequently Asked Questions About Keeping Turkey Warm
Here are answers to some common questions about how to keep turkey warm after cooking:
How long can I keep a cooked turkey warm before eating it?
A properly cooked and safely handled turkey can be kept warm for 2-4 hours before serving. Any longer than that is not recommended.
Should I let the turkey rest before keeping it warm?
Yes, allow 15-20 minutes of resting time after removing the turkey from the oven and before keeping it warm. This lets the juices redistribute through the meat.
What’s the best way to keep turkey warm for a couple hours?
Covering it in foil and towel and placing it in an insulated cooler is very effective. Using a warm oven or slow cooker also works well.
Can I keep turkey warm in a crockpot or chafing dish?
Absolutely. Use the low setting on a crockpot and keep the temperature above 140°F. Chafing dishes with a heat source underneath are ideal for keeping food warm.
Is it safe to keep turkey at room temperature for long periods?
No. Bacteria grows rapidly at room temperature. Turkey should be refrigerated after 2 hours maximum at room temp.
How can I reheat a cooled turkey?
Place slices or pieces in a baking dish, cover with foil, and reheat at 325°F until warmed through, about 15-20 minutes. Gravy or sauce will also reheat the meat.
What temperature should I reheat turkey to?
Reheated turkey should reach an internal temperature of 165°F. Use a food thermometer to verify this before serving reheated turkey.
Can I keep turkey warm in the oven? At what temperature?
Yes, keeping the foil-wrapped turkey in a 200-225°F oven will keep it safely warm for about an hour. Higher temperatures can overcook it.
What happens if turkey stays warm too long?
If kept warm for longer than 4 hours, turkey will become dry and the texture suffers. The flavor also declines over extended warming times.
Keeping your holiday turkey perfectly hot and delicious is easy with some simple resting and heat retention techniques. Follow these guidelines, and your turkey will be a warm and delectable centerpiece of your special meal.
️ Perfect Turkey Temperature
There are many debates about how you should cook your turkey. Some people like to deep fry the bird, while others like to grill or smoke it.
However, the most common method is low-and-slow baking. This is when you place your turkey in the oven at about 325-350°F and let it cook for several hours.
The reason why this method is so popular is that it produces a moist, perfectly cooked turkey.
Even though we cook the turkey at 350°F, we don’t expect it to reach that internal temperature.
You want your turkey breast to hit 170°F and the thighs to reach 180°F. Anything higher than that can cause the meat to dry out and overcook. Check out Butterball’s temperature guide.
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.