Should I Cover My Turkey With Aluminum Foil While It Cooks?

Whether youre a seasoned chef or a novice in the kitchen, these step-by-step instructions for how to roast a turkey will ensure that your turkey emerges golden brown, moist, and full of flavor.

Check out all the other Easy Recipes for Thanksgiving to create the perfect holiday meal for your family. Make sure you download and print out the FREE Turkey Cooking Charts at the bottom of the blog post!

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. There are no gifts to buy, no presents to wrap. Its all about FOOD. I love all the preparation that goes into the biggest meal of the year as well.

Its a lot of work, but so rewarding to sit down to a delicious meal with my family.

Check out the NEW Place Cards available to help you set a GREAT table for Thanksgiving! And if you want to cook a turkey breast, read my post on Crock Pot Turkey Breast.

Dont forget to print out the FREE Turkey Roasting Chart to refer to while the turkey is cooking. I keep mine on the windowsill above the kitchen sink and refer to it often while the turkey is cooking. [feast_advanced_jump_to]

Cooking a delicious, juicy turkey is the star of many holiday meals. But achieving the perfect golden brown, tender and moist turkey can be tricky. One of the most debated questions around roasting turkey is whether or not to cover it with aluminum foil. Here’s a detailed look at the pros and cons of using foil when cooking your turkey.

Why Use Foil When Cooking Turkey?

Covering your turkey with foil while it cooks provides some useful benefits:

Prevents Drying Out: The main reason to use foil is that it prevents the turkey skin from drying out. Turkeys need to cook for several hours to reach a safe minimum internal temperature. Keeping it covered for most of the cooking time allows the meat to cook through without drying out.
Evens Out Cooking: Covering the breast with foil can help it cook more evenly with the legs and thighs. Since white breast meat cooks faster, the foil helps prevent it from overcooking and drying out.
Keeps Moisture In: Foil creates a protective barrier that keeps moisture inside the turkey as it cooks. This steam helps keep the meat tender and juicy.
Easy Method: Tenting foil over your turkey is an easy cooking method. It doesn’t require special equipment and foil is inexpensive and readily available.

Potential Drawbacks of Using Foil

However, there are a few drawbacks to using foil that you should keep in mind:

Less Crispy Skin: Covering the turkey the entire time can make the skin less crispy. Foil blocks the hot dry oven air from crisping the skin.
Messy Application: Getting foil to properly tent over an irregular shaped turkey can be tricky and messy, especially if basting. Cheesecloth can be an alternative.
Can Stick Turkey skin and juices can stick to the foil, making removal frustrating after cooking. Non-stick foil can help avoid this
May Smoke: If foil makes contact with oven heating elements, it can smoke or even catch fire. Ensure foil is properly tenting turkey only.

Best Practices for Using Foil

To get the benefits of foil without the potential drawbacks, follow these tips:

Cover turkey with foil for the first 2/3 of stated cook time, then remove foil for remainder of time This crisps the skin.
Tent the foil so it hovers over the turkey rather than touching it. This prevents sticking and smoking risks.
Only cover the breast if your turkey recipe calls for it. This evens out cooking.
Use heavy duty or non-stick foil to minimize sticking. Make foil tent walls wide and tall.
Ensure foil tent walls don’t contact oven sides. Keep several inches of clearance to prevent smoking.
Add broth or water to bottom of roasting pan if desired. The foil tent will keep steam in to moisten meat.
Watch carefully as you remove hot foil at end to prevent turkey juices from dripping everywhere.

Other Moisture Boosting Tips

If you choose not to use foil at all when cooking your turkey, here are some other tips to keep it moist:

Brine your turkey in saltwater overnight before cooking. This infuses moisture deep into the meat.
Rub butter or oil over the skin and under breast skin. This bastes from the inside as turkey cooks.
Cook your turkey breast-side down, then flip over later in cooking. This allows moisture to permeate into the breast.
Place a rack in the roasting pan so the turkey isn’t sitting in drippings. This allows air circulation for crisper skin.
Baste your turkey several times while cooking with pan juices, broth or butter. This replenishes surface moisture.
Let your turkey rest for 15-30 minutes before carving. This allows juices to redistribute for moister meat.

The takeaway is that using foil when cooking turkey can help ensure a moist, tender bird that cooks evenly. But removing it later in cooking allows the skin to crisp up. Follow these foil tips for the perfect holiday turkey!

should i cover my turkey with aluminum foil

How to Make Homemade Lump Free Gravy

Instructions on how to make lump-free gravy are in my post for Pot Roast. Its the SAME recipe, only youll be using the turkey drippings for turkey gravy instead of the beef broth from the pot roast.
Step-by-step photo instructions are included in that post as well.

should i cover my turkey with aluminum foil

How long to cook a Turkey in an Electric Roaster?

Follow the steps above for prepping the turkey, and seasoning the turkey. Place the turkey in the electric roaster and set the cooking temperature to 325°F.
When cooking a turkey in an electric roaster, the cooking time can vary based on the weight of the bird.
Cook the turkey for about 8-10 minutes per pound at 325°F for an unstuffed turkey.

Place any leftover turkey in an airtight container or wrap it tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate within two hours of cooking.
Leftover turkey can be stored in the refrigerator for up to four days or you can freeze it for longer storage.

Should I cover the turkey with foil while it cooks in the oven?

FAQ

Is it better to cook a turkey covered or uncovered?

So, yes, you do want to cover the turkey with foil to give it a chance to roast without getting dry. But then, towards the end of the cook time, remove the foil so the skin—the best part in this writer’s opinion—gets a chance to crisp up.

Do you put water in the bottom of the roasting pan for turkey?

“Often, consumers will inquire about adding water to the bottom of their roasting pans. We do not recommend adding water to the bottom of the pan. Cooking a turkey with steam is a moist heat-cook method and is acceptable, sure, but is not the preferred method for cooking your turkey.”

Are turkey bags better to use rather than covering turkey with foil?

If you’re aiming for an easy method to cook an extra juicy, tasty turkey with plenty of flavorful juices for gravy, oven bags are the best method. However, if you prefer crispy, roasted brown skin, you’ll want to skip the oven bag and try using one of our other methods on how to cook a Thanksgiving turkey.

Do you cook a turkey at 325 or 350?

Roasting the bird slowly, at a lower temperature is the best way to achieve tender meat. You should still prep the bird with butter, salt, and pepper, as described above (or dry-brine it). To cook, set your oven to 325°F and roast for 3½ to 4 hours for a 12- to 14-pound bird.

Should you cover a Turkey with aluminum foil?

Yes, covering your turkey with aluminum foil is recommended when roasting a whole turkey. This method helps to prevent the turkey from drying out, while still allowing the skin to crisp. It is the best way to cook a turkey and ensures a moist and golden result. To enhance the browning, remove the foil cover for the last 30 minutes of cooking. 1.

Should you wrap a Turkey in foil before cooking?

While it may seem like a good idea to wrap your turkey in foil before cooking it, it is recommended to only cover it loosely with foil. The foil helps to keep the turkey moist and prevent excessive browning, but it should be removed about an hour before the cooking time is up to allow the turkey to brown nicely.

How do you cook a Turkey on aluminum foil?

Tear off a piece of 18-inch-wide, heavy-duty aluminum foil that is three times longer than the length of the turkey. Lay it over a large roasting pan, centered lengthwise. Place the turkey on the aluminum foil breast-side up. Brush the turkey with melted butter or vegetable oil. Bring the sides of the aluminum foil up along the sides of the turkey.

What happens if you don’t cover a Turkey with foil?

If you do not cover a turkey with foil, the turkey may dry out. The skin will not brown evenly, and the turkey may not cook evenly. Additionally, the turkey may take longer to cook. To avoid this problem, it is important to cover the turkey with foil during the first half of cooking time.