When you cook with any type of poultry, it is important to cook it for a long enough time. Why is that? That is because poultry is very prone to salmonella. Salmonella can really make you ill and can even send you to the hospital. So how can you avoid all of that? You can avoid all of that by making sure that your turkey is cooked properly! The cooking time for turkey should always be taken seriously. In fact, when you are cooking turkey you should leave it cooking for a little longer just to be certain.
How can you tell when your turkey is supposed to be done? One way is to use a thermometer. This is a cooking device that you put into the turkey to check at what temperature the turkey meat is. The temperature will climb until it reaches the specified temperature. However, if you are not certain that the turkey is done, trust your own judgment. Many times, the turkey will still need to be cooked longer. You can also tell how long your turkey should cook by how large or how small a bird it is. This means cooking the turkey by the pound. For each pound, there is a little more time added to the cooking.
What if you are just cooking the turkey breast? If this is the case, you will not have to cook it as long as you would an entire turkey. Whether you are cookng a wild turkey or a frozen one though, you need to make sure it is cooked long enough!
