How can i figure out how much my turkey weighs?
I want to cook a turkey but there is no weight listed anywhere on the turkey! So I have no idea how long to thaw/cook it. My scale batteries are dead so I cant use that and the roads here are terrible right now from a huge snow storm. It is a young turkey if that makes any difference.. anyone know what the average weights of young turkeys are? Or have a recommendation of a safe guideline for thawing and cooking without knowing the weight?
@ Been there, i did think of that but as i said my scale has batteries that are dead… so i will just have to cook it until the juices run clear and guess at the weight, i tried comparing it to my daughter who is 20 lbs and my dog 25 lbs and it seems to be a bit less than my daughter or close to the same
If you have a gallon of milk, or an empty milk jug lying around, 1 gallon of milk/water is about 7 pounds. Does the turkey seem lighter or heavier than a milk jug full of water?
If that doesn’t help, don’t worry about the weight. Regardless of its weight, turkey needs to be cooked until the thickest part, the breast, hits 180. You DO have a meat thermometer, right? No, not that little pop-up doohickey stuck in the turkey! Ignore that.
Thaw the turkey in your sink. It can remain in its plastic wrapper if you like. Fill with cool (not hot, not cold – COOL) water, put in the turkey, let it sit 20 minutes, empty the sink and refill with cool water again. Repeat until turkey is thawed….probably an hour or two. Turkey should be nice and flexible – not hard and crunchy. No ice anywhere, etc. If you’re really paranoid, take a sharp knife and stick it in the breast all the way down to the bone. If it feels like you’re cutting frozen/icy turkey, put it back in the sink for another 20 minute soak.
Set the oven to 400, and throw in the turkey. Stick the thermometer or probe into the thickest portion of the leg, do not hit the bone (that will throw off the reading.) Start checking after an hour or so (or if your thermometer has an alarm setting, set it for 180) When the legs are done (180 degrees), move the thermometer/probe to the thickest part of the breast. Cover the legs and back part of the turkey with tin foil so it doesn’t overcook and dry out. The breast should be done within another 30-40 minutes.
When done the turkey breast should be white and firm, not soft and pink. The juices should be clear, not pink.
Remove the turkey from the oven and cover the the whole thing with foil and let rest 20 minutes. This ensures the juices will stay in the turkey when you slice it.
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