Getting the right temperature while you cook turkey is the most important task. Recall that the key is not the heat of the oven but the temperature of the meat itself. It is very useful to have a kitchen thermometer with a probe; simply put it in the thickest part of the meat, taking care to not touch the bone.
A thermometer is absolutely necessary because that is the only way to know if the bird is well cooked. Temp charts can help but they are only hints. Cutting the meat to see if the juice runs clear is a bad way to control it.
Cook Turkey to the Right Temperature
Turkey is safe when it reaches internal temperature of at least 165°F. You check the temperature in the deepest part of the thigh, the wing and the thick part of the breast. If you cook a stuffed bird, ensure that the stuffing also reaches 165°F for saefy. To reduce the chances of food disease, you could consider cooking the stuffing separately.
Even so, here starts the difficult part. If the bird reaches 165°F in the oven, it probably will go over 170°F after you withdraw it, which makes it too dry. The belief that poultry must reach 165°F comes from the fact that at that temperature germs die immediately.
Even so, germs die also at lower temperatures, if you wait longer. For instance, 145°F is safe if the meat stays at that heat for about 10.8 minutes. Reaching 165°F commonly means that the meat is already too cooked.
For white meat 145°F is ideal, especially for the breast, which dries very quickly because it is lean.
Cooking a whole bird is stressful because of various troubles. The biggest problem is that the breast overcooks while the thighs still need heat. It helps to put the dark meat at the back of the oven, because here it is usually more warm.
Some suggest a target of 160°F for the breast and at least 175°F for the thighs.
When you set the oven, do not set it lower than 325°F. Usually, you cook unstuffed turkey at 350°F for around 13 minutes for every pound. Recall that the position of the rack can affect the flow of the heat, and if the bird or the pan is too big, it could block the air. One method is to start at 400°F for one hour, and later lower the oven to 200°F. Others like to cook at 325°F mostly, and increase it to 425°F during the last 45 minutes with butter basting.
After the cooking, serve the bird immediately or keep it warm above 140°F. Leave it rest for 15 minutes before you cutit.