A classic British sticky toffee pudding recipe made deliciously gooey by cooking it to the perfect temperature.
How Long to Rest a Turkey
Cooking a deliciously juicy turkey is highly dependent on resting it perfectly. Resting is just as crucial as cooking when it comes to ensuring a juicy turkey.
To find out the scientific secrets behind cooking the perfect turkey, we carried out the ultimate temperature experiment. Here we’ve summarised our findings on the resting front, but you can read the experiment blog to learn more about the full process.
Read on to find out how long to rest a turkey for the best results.
When to Remove a Turkey from the Oven
First up, before we get into the resting, let’s make sure to remove the turkey from the oven at the optimal time. Turkey is safe to eat once it reaches 74 °C, but it still continues rising in temperature once it comes out of the oven. If your turkey goes much higher than 74 °C, its juices will start to dry out.
Use a meat thermometer to check that the internal temperature reaches 67 °C before removing it from the oven. Our experiment showed removing your turkey at this temperature will allow it to reach 74 °C during the rest.
How Long to Rest a Turkey
The longer you rest your turkey, the juicier the meat will be. Rest your turkey for a minimum of 45 minutes, but ideally for around 1 hour 30 minutes.
Resting time depends on the turkey's size and your room temperature, so using a meat thermometer is more reliable than relying on time alone.
The best way to check your turkey has finished resting is to check the temperature. It should have finished rising and started to drop down to around 60-65 °C. At this point, it will be easier to carve, nice and juicy, and still warm.
You can intermittently check the temperature using an instant-read thermometer like a Thermapen, or you can use a leave-in meat probe like the DOT to keep track the whole time.
Should You Cover a Turkey While It Rests?
Lightly tenting your turkey with foil as it rests will help keep it warm and allow the juices to redistribute, ensuring it stays moist. However, it can trap steam and make the skin soggy.
For extra crispy skin, you can skip covering it altogether. If you do decide to tent it with foil, avoid wrapping tightly to minimise the sogginess of the skin.
Where to Rest a Turkey
Place your bird on a cooling rack over a drip tray to rest. Leaving it inside your hot cooking tray could cause the internal temperature to climb too much and make it overdone. The drip tray will collect the juices so you can use them for the gravy.
Summary
- Remove your turkey from the oven at 67 °C — it will rise to a safe 74 °C as it rests
- Rest your turkey for 45-90 minutes
- Monitor the temperature as it rests and carve at around 60-65 °C
- Tent with foil for juicier results, or leave uncovered for crispy skin
- Rest over a drip tray to collect the juices for your gravy
Related products
Thermapen® ONE Thermometer
Thermapen® Classic Thermometer
BlueDOT Bluetooth Thermometer
DOT Digital Thermometer
ChefAlarm® Cooking Timer & Thermometer
TeamTemperature Thermapen® ONE
Smoke Wireless Barbecue Thermometer
Signals 4 Channel Wi-Fi & Bluetooth Thermometer
Thermapen® ONE Limited Edition Colours
Thermapen® ONE Limited Edition Prints
White Thermapen® ONE Set with DOT
White Thermapen® Classic Set
Grey Thermapen® Classic Set
Grey Thermapen® ONE Set with DOT
AA Duracell alkaline batteries - 6 pack
Grey Silicone Pot Stand or Trivet
Grey Silicone & Stainless Steel Kitchen Tongs
Digital Fridge Thermometer
Batteries for Thermapen® Classic - 2 Pack
AAA Batteries - 6 pack
Probe Spool for DOT, ChefAlarm & Smoke
Protective Zip Wallet for Thermometers & Probes
Temperature Guide Fridge Magnet
Silicone Coloured Probe Rings
Thermapen® Tea Towel with Cooking Temperatures
Thermapen® Classic Protective Cover
Thermapen Stainless Steel Wall Bracket
Thermapen® Protective Pouch
Thermapen® Protective Holster
Related posts
Search
Categories
- Baking (32)
- BBQ (74)
- Autumn (14)
- Cheap Eats (9)
- Sweet Treats (37)
- Tips, Advice & Info (78)
- Christmas (27)
- Drinks (2)
- Thermapen Father's Day Recipes (16)
- Team Temperature (20)
- Date Night (34)
- Celebrations (20)
- Family & Kids (6)
- Fish (20)
- Low & Slow (12)
- Meat (129) click
-
Chefs (123)
click
- Kenny Tutt (16)
- Richard Holden (16)
- Barbechoo (5)
- Only Slaggin (1)
- SoSaSe Chocolat (1)
- Genevieve Taylor (5)
- Becky Excell (2)
- Charlotte Stirling-Reed (3)
- The Smokin Elk (12)
- Marcus Bawdon (2)
- Thermapen Chef (25)
- Edd Kimber (2)
- Humble Plates (7)
- Simon May (4)
- The Hedgecombers (3)
- Billy & Jack (4)
- Perfectly Preserved (3)
- Mike Tomkins (16)
- DJ BBQ (2)
- Nick Nairn (4)
Latest recipes
Gooey dark chocolate brownies filled with crushed bourbon biscuits. This bourbon brownie recipe will be a treat for...
To find out the scientific secrets behind cooking the perfect turkey, we carried out the ultimate temperature...
A classic Viennese whirls recipe filled with homemade raspberry jam by My Kitchen Drawer. The biscuits are melt in...
This pork salad recipe is part of Mike Tomkins’ Summer Salad series. Check out the series to get more inspiration for...