T Take out the neck and giblets from the neck and body cavities.<br />
<br />
U Use an oven temperature of 325 degrees F. If you use a lower temperature than this, your turkey may not cook fast enough to be safe. A 12-pound unstuffed turkey will take about three hours to roast while a 24-pound unstuffed turkey may take up to five hours. Most turkey packages will give guidelines for approximately how long to cook your turkey. <br />
<br />
R Roast your turkey until the pop-up timer in the breast has popped up. Or, use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. Insert the thermometer in the inner thigh area near the breast of the bird, but not touching bone. (Even if your turkey has a pop-up timer, it's always a good idea to use a meat thermometer to double-check the temperatures.) A turkey is done when the thigh temperature reaches 180 degrees F. When you poke into a cooked turkey with a fork, the juices should be clear. For greatest safety, it is recommended to cook stuffing outside the bird, in a casserole dish, or on the stove top until the center of the stuffing reaches 165 degrees F.<br />
<br />
K Keep cooked turkey at room temperature no longer than two hours. Debone turkey and refrigerate all leftover turkey, stuffing and gravy in shallow pans within two hours of cooking or freeze these foods.<br />
<br />
E Enjoy leftover turkey. Use leftover refrigerated turkey within three to four days, stuffing and gravy within one to two days, or freeze them. For best flavor, use frozen turkey in about four months and stuffing and gravy in one month. <br />
<br />
Y You can roast your turkey up to a year later if you don't get around to fixing it this year! Just keep it stored in the freezer at 0 degrees F or lower. <br />
<br />
HELP! If you have questions relating to buying, thawing, cooking or using leftovers here are some excellent resources:<br />
For more information about food safety (in English and Spanish), call: USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854)TTY: 1-800-256-707210:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through FridayE-mail:
[email protected] <br />
<br />
"Ask Karen," FSIS' Web-based automated response system - available 24/7 at www.fsis.usda.gov. <br />
<br />
Or http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Lets_Talk_Turkey/index.asp
