Should You Let Your Turkey Sit Out Before Cooking?

Despite arguably being one of the most popular items on the Thanksgiving table, turkey has still managed to become the most stressful—and even feared—dish you’ll prepare over the entire holiday season. After all, the turkey is a big, sensitive bird prone to either undercooking or overcooking, resulting in something either downright dangerous or completely dried out and inedible. And whether you’re preparing your first ever turkey dinner, or have been battling the bird for years with little success, keeping mind of these common mistakes will help you have your most successful Thanksgiving ever, leaving your guests asking for seconds and thirds of the dinner’s main event.

It’s a tale as old as time: The day before Thankgiving you look up when you should start defrosting your frozen bird, only to realize you should have started days ago. For the best result, a turkey should be thawed slowly in the refrigerator, and given the size of the animal this process will likely take days. As a rule, about 4 pounds of turkey thaws each day in the refrigerator, so depending on the weight of your bird you can determine approximately how long you’ll need to let it defrost before getting to work cooking your turkey.

As Thanksgiving approaches, it’s time to start prepping the star of the meal – the turkey! One key question is whether you should let the raw turkey sit out at room temperature before putting it in the oven Here’s a comprehensive guide on the safety, benefits, and ideal timelines for letting your turkey come to room temp before roasting

Is It Safe to Leave Turkey Out Before Cooking?

Safety is the number one priority when handling raw poultry. Raw turkey must be refrigerated at 40°F or below to prevent bacterial growth The danger zone for bacterial growth is 40-140°F

It is generally safe to leave raw turkey out at room temperature for 1-2 hours before cooking. Leaving it out for longer than 2 hours risks potential bacterial growth.

As a general food safety rule, never leave any perishable food out for more than 2 hours. This includes raw turkey and other meats, dairy products, eggs, cooked foods, produce, and more.

Benefits of Letting Turkey Sit Out Before Roasting

There are two main benefits to letting your turkey sit out before cooking:

It helps the turkey cook more evenly. Starting from a warmer temperature allows the meat to cook through more uniformly.
It reduces overall cooking time. Letting the turkey warm up for an hour cuts down on time in the oven slightly.

Pulling the turkey from the fridge an hour before roasting gives it time to gently warm up and come closer to room temp before cooking begins. This gives you the advantages of more even cooking and slightly faster roasting.

Ideal Timeline for Letting Turkey Sit Out

The ideal timeline for letting your raw turkey sit out before roasting is:

Remove turkey from fridge 1 hour before cooking
Turkey can sit out for up to 2 hours maximum before cooking
If turkey sits out for more than 2 hours, it must be discarded for safety

So for a typical Thanksgiving timeline, if you want to start roasting your turkey at 2pm, you would take it out of the fridge by 1pm.

You have wiggle room if your timeline gets delayed. The turkey is still safe out on the counter for up to 2 hours. But you don’t want to push it past the 2 hour limit before the turkey goes into the oven.

Should You Stuff the Turkey Before It Sits Out?

It’s best not to stuff the turkey cavity before letting the raw turkey sit out. Stuffing the turkey adds extra time that harvested ingredients like bread cubes or vegetables are left at room temperature.

For food safety, only stuff the turkey immediately before putting it in the preheated oven. If you’re short on fridge space, you can stuff and refrigerate the turkey up to 24 hours before roasting.

Food Safety After Cooking the Turkey

Once cooked, turkey should not sit out for more than 2 hours before being refrigerated. Slice turkey and refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours of cooking.

Refrigerate leftover turkey for 3-4 days. Reheat thoroughly to 165°F. Frozen leftovers will keep for 2-6 months in the freezer.

Quick Takeaways

It is safe to leave raw turkey out for 1-2 hours maximum before cooking
Letting it sit out helps it cook more evenly and reduces roasting time slightly
For food safety, only stuff the turkey immediately before putting it in the oven
Cook turkey to an internal temperature of 165°F and refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours

The 1-2 hour timeline lets your turkey benefit from coming to room temp before roasting without any risk of improper food safety. Follow these simple guidelines for a delicious and safe holiday turkey!

should you let turkey sit out before cooking

Not Following a Carving Guide

While you might think you can eyeball your turkey carving, you’ll likely end up butchering your lovingly cooked bird after all the hard work that went into preparing it. Check out this guide to carving your turkey properly before the big day comes, so that you’re well versed in the art of slicing up a bird.

Putting the Bird in Too Early

While it might seem like you need to put the bird in the oven at the crack of dawn to get it ready for an early afternoon feast, jumping the gun on your turkey’s oven time can result in a bird that has to sit around way too long before it’s finally time to eat. At 350 degrees, your turkey will take 13 minutes per pound to cook, so do the math on how long your bird really needs in the oven, adding a little extra time for resting and carving.

While basting—pouring the juices at the bottom of the turkey pan back over the top of the meat—will result in a more colorful skin, it doesn’t actually help make your bird any juicier. In fact, excessive basting could be a detriment to the overall success of your bird, as opening the oven door frequently to baste will let the heat out and deter the cooking process as a whole.

How long should you let a turkey sit out before cooking?

FAQ

How long can a turkey sit out before cooking?

Frozen meat thaws from the outside in. Left to defrost on the counter, the exterior of a turkey will thaw faster than the center, putting areas that reach the USDA “danger zone” temperature (anywhere between 40° and 140°F) at risk for bacteria development. The two-hour mark is where things start to get pretty dicey.

Should you let a turkey come to room temp before frying?

Allow turkey to come to room temperature while the oil heats. Once the oil is the right temperature, turn off the burner and lower the empty basket into the pot for about 30 seconds. Remove the basket from the oil, place the seasoned turkey inside, then lower carefully and slowly back into the oil.

Can you put a cold turkey in the oven?

If you’ve thawed your turkey in the fridge, you don’t want to put it straight from the fridge into the oven. Roasting a cold turkey can result in a dry, unevenly cooked turkey.

How long should a turkey rest after coming out of the oven?

It is essential to rest your turkey for 30-45 mins before carving (the temperature will continue to rise, but there’s no need to test). Put the bird in a warm place, tented with foil.