How do I know when it's done?

[bloviatrix]

I decided it was time to invest in a meat thermometer (I already own 3 candy ones). The reason is I'm making a turkey breast and I'm sick of always guessing how long to keep it in the oven.

Anyway, Madeline Kammen says that turkey is to be cooked to 170. So here's what I need to know -- since there's residual cooking when something is removed from the oven, should I take the turkey out at 160 and let it rest? Or do I take it all the way up to 170?

The thing is in the oven now and registering in at 145, so some quick answers are appreciated.

[Mayhaw Man]

With turkey, I almost always err on the pulling the bird early side of things. It is going to need to rest and the internal temp will rise for a little while, even when pulled from the oven.

I am kind of a thermometer freak (I have a bunch of kinds), but I have also recently started using those little pop out things that you can buy at Kitchen Supply places. They sell them to go off at a couple of different temps and side by sides with a therm show them to be suprisingly accurate.

That being said, a remote therm with an alarm will always prevent overcooking and instant reads are great as long as you don't forget the stuff in the oven-but they do involve a lot of opening and closing of the door, which slows cooking time considerably (not so much in a convection oven).

I am stuck at work (again) roasted turkey breast sounds swell.

[winesonoma]

How did it turn out?

[Bicycle Lee]

carry-over time depends on the size of what you are cooking...something big like a turkey breast will carry over more than something smaller. 160 sounds fine to me...that is in the center...you may even be able to take it a little lower, but to be safe 160 works...

[bloviatrix]

This was a 3.41 pound turkey breast. I took it out of the oven when it hit 162 and the internal reached 165. We didn't eat dinner until shortly after eight, so I threw it in a 200 degree oven for about 20 minutes closer to dinner time.

And it turned out perfectly. I'm now sold on using the thermometer. I didn't open the oven door half a dozen times to check the turkey. The meat was nice and moist. Thanks for asking Winesonoma. We even have left overs for another meal.

[chefdg]

A little hint, if you brine the thing first, you can almost forget about it in the oven and it will still have a good bit of moisture in it when you pull it out.

[bloviatrix]

A little hint, if you brine the thing first, you can almost forget about it in the oven and it will still have a good bit of moisture in it when you pull it out.

Interesting idea.

Alas, my turkey was kosher so I think brining would be overkill -- Turkey saltlick.

[ambra]

What if you are cooking a roast beef and you want it to come out Medium Rare? At what temp should you remove it in from the oven? In other words, how can you tell how much more it is going to cook once outside the oven? If weight matters, let's just say Medium Sized?

I ruined (overcooked) a standing rib roast AND a leg of lamb over the holidays and have been terrifed to cook either either since.

thank you!

[chefdg]

A little hint, if you brine the thing first, you can almost forget about it in the oven and it will still have a good bit of moisture in it when you pull it out.

Interesting idea.

Alas, my turkey was kosher so I think brining would be overkill -- Turkey saltlick.

In my experience "kosher" doesn't mean salted. It is food that has been blessed, and is fit to eat during passover. Brinning allows for moisture (in the form of water) to be absorbed by the proteins in the food while it is being soaked. Of coarse you need to monitor the time it soakes to ensure that the osmosis doesn't reverse and result in a saltlick.

[chefdg]

What if you are cooking a roast beef and you want it to come out Medium Rare? At what temp should you remove it in from the oven? In other words, how can you tell how much more it is going to cook once outside the oven? If weight matters, let's just say Medium Sized?

I ruined (overcooked) a standing rib roast AND a leg of lamb over the holidays and have been terrifed to cook either either since.

thank you!

Take it out at 122 f. With carry-over and resting you sould be really happy. The great part about that is, if you or your guests want it a little more done (after it has been sliced) cook it some more. I've never been able to find an "uncooker"

[ducphat30]

I have become a huge fan in the past couple of years of two things, first slow roasting, temperatures below 300 and the probe thermometer. I had to swallow my line cook machisimo, of "knowing" when a piece of meat was "done", but the results have been incredible and my doctrine of proof. If you get creative, you can cook the meat any where and achieve good results.

Here is a suggestion:

With a leg of lamb, because there are so many muscles, I put the probe in the biggest muscle and slow roast it over an indirect heat on the grill, after cleaning, marinating, seasoning, and tieing (sp?). Let it come up to 125 degrees fahrenheit, pull from the heat source. Loosely cover with foil and let it rest at least 20-25 minutes, in a non-cool spot.

Apply the same principles to the rib roast.

I have found that the lower the temperature you roast the meat, the closer you need to come to ideal temperature for carryover cooking. For the standing rib roast, because it is a little bit fattier and will hold the heat from roasting; I would probe it a touch closer to the bone than the center of the piece of meat. Start in a hot oven for 10-15 minutes (450 degrees), then turn it down to 250 for the remainder of time. I like to turn the meat a few times during the cooking process and add garlic cloves and smaller boiler onions to the bottom of the pan after you turn down the heat. I would take it to 120 degrees, tent it with aluminum and allow it to rest at least a half hour in a non-cool area.

I didn't give exact times because there are so many different contributing factors to cooking meat that time alone is not a good indicator.

I meant to do a short post, but something about cooking flesh gets me excited!

[bloviatrix]

A little hint, if you brine the thing first, you can almost forget about it in the oven and it will still have a good bit of moisture in it when you pull it out.

Interesting idea.

Alas, my turkey was kosher so I think brining would be overkill -- Turkey saltlick.

In my experience "kosher" doesn't mean salted. It is food that has been blessed, and is fit to eat during passover. Brinning allows for moisture (in the form of water) to be absorbed by the proteins in the food while it is being soaked. Of coarse you need to monitor the time it soakes to ensure that the osmosis doesn't reverse and result in a saltlick.

Koshering meat and poulty is a process that includes special slaughtering practices and then salting to draw out the meat. This is why many people buy kosher chicken and turkey -- the salting gives a flavor similar to bringing.

This is the way meat is prepared, but it's very similar for chicken.

[chefdg]

Koshering meat and poulty is a process that includes special slaughtering practices and then salting to draw out the meat.  This is why many people buy kosher chicken and turkey -- the salting gives a flavor similar to bringing.

Thank you for that insight into your definition of koshering. The Food Lover's Companion defines Kosher as: Food that conforms to strict Jewish biblical laws pertaining not only to the type of food that may be eaten, but to the kinds of food that can be combined at one meal (for example, meat and dairy products may not be mixed). In order to meet kosher standards and receive the kosher seal, food must be prepared under a rabbi's supervision. In addistion to the kinds of animals considered kosher (pigs and rabbits are amog the nonkosher group), the laws also decree that animals be fed organically grown food and killed in the most humane manner possible. The word "kosher" is a derivation of the Hebrew Kasher, meaning "proper" or "pure."

[bloviatrix]

This will tell give you more information about kashrus then you will ever want to know. Once you get past section 6 your head will start to spin so you can stop reading at that point.

[chefdg]

I learned something new today, thank you. Does the end result have a salty flavor?