Turkey in convection oven - help

[22go]

We have a new convection oven and I can not find any directions for cooking times for our turkey (maybe 16-20 pounds?). Any help would be appreciated - nothing worse than a dried out turkey. Thanks

 

[Kay H]

I have a combination regular/convection oven. According to the instruction booklet Unstuffed turkey 16 to 20 lb = 10 to 15 min/lb. If you have a meat thermometer (might be a good idea for new oven) internal temp 180 to 185F. Hope this helps. Happy Turkey eating.

 

[Kal]

You need to be very careful with a convection oven as the bird will cook extremely FAST. If you follow the standard chart for roasting the bird will be done WAY TOO SOON.

Here's what I do for a stuffed turkey:

* Preheat oven to 450F
* Place turkey, breast side up, in a shallow roasting pan
* Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breast not touching the bone

* Roast turkey for not longer than 15 minutes (to seal the skin)

* Reduce temp to 315-325F, place a foil tent over the breast and continue roasting
* Remove foil tent after 1-1.5 hours of roasting

* When the internal temp of the breast reaches 165F, move thermometer to the thigh.
* Remove turkey from oven when thigh temp is 180F
* Let sit for 20 minutes to retain juices

Cooking time (convection):

18-22 lbs = 3.25 to 3.75 hours

You'll need to carefully monitor the meat thermometer temp and determine the rate of change. This way you can project when the turkey will be done so preparation of other dishes will be completed at the same time. Sometimes you need to reduce the oven temp so the bird is not done too quickly.

 

[Ann-Marie]

I purchased a convection oven 8 years ago. I have made my turkey using it every year, and we LOVE it! Would never roast a turkey any other way. The first year was very scarry! I called the butterball hotline, and they were not much help. I finally searched online, and got the best information from the "National Turkey Federation" which can be accesed online. This is what I have from them: Unstuffed Whole Turkey in convection oven, roast at 300F
14-18 pounds - 2 1/4 - 2 1/2 hours. 18-22 pounds - 2 1/2 - 3 1/4 hours. You might need to add 1/2 hour for stuffing. I never thought I would cook a 14 pound turkey in 2 1/2 hours, and it really did cook that fast. I took it out of the oven and left it tented on top of the stove for 2 hours because I gave it 4 hours to cook, never thinking that these directions were accurate. It was perfect.
As a side note, my father owned a large poulty coumpany that has since become a branch of Perdue poultry. My father would never sell or allow my mother to cook a turkey larger than 14 pounds. He said that Tom turkeys are tough, and should only be used for cut up dishes. Anyway, for years my mother and I have made 2 turkeys, anywhere from 10-14 pounds. When cooking, we put them in the same large roasting pan, side by side. Have one face frontwards, and the other in reverse. It still take the same cooking time as a 10 or 14 pounder. So much better.

 

[mo1950]

Know Thanksgiving is over, but just wanted to tell you about my first turkey using my new convection oven.
I have a new Frigidaire slide-in stove which I bought in June. The instructions say to not cover the meat with foil when using convection, so I didn't.
The turkey was 15 pounds and it took exactly 2 hours before it was done - and it turned out great.
It was a Honeysuckle White with pop-up timer. I put it on a broiler pan up on a rack. Then hit Convection Roast at 350 degrees, but it automatically lowered the temp. to 325.
My booklet says it should sit up in the air, and not down inside the pan, so that the air flow will seal every surface of the bird and therefore seal in all the juices and cook it evenly. It worked exactly as it was supposed to with the instructions I used.
I love my new oven - have never had convection before and it is really, just great.

 

[PigsDad]

We have a convection oven in our new home, and we absolutely love the convection roast mode. Our favorite is pork loins -- it seals in the moisture and they are never dry, not to mention it cooks a whole lot faster!

Kurt