How to Cook a Thanksgiving Turkey
Not sure how you should cook your turkey? Check out four ways to achieve turkey perfection this Thanksgiving.
Last updated: December 3, 2024
Cooking a Thanksgiving Turkey
Thanksgiving is the perfect time to gather your loved ones and enjoy delicious food and great company. However, cooking every dish and cleaning up afterward can be time-consuming. That’s why we’ve put together some helpful tips for cooking and roasting your turkey so that you can have a worry-free and tasteful holiday. Let’s begin by diving into the different approaches to cooking a Thanksgiving turkey and determining the best turkey cooking method for you.
Oven Bag vs. Foil: What Is the Best Turkey Cooking Method?
Ever wondered if you should cook a turkey covered or uncovered? What’s better—turkey oven bags vs. foil? Should I cover a turkey with foil when cooking? We’ll answer these questions and learn more about cooking a juicy and flavorful Thanksgiving turkey. The short answer to what’s the best turkey cooking method is oven bags and aluminum foil. They’re both great options to keep your turkey moist and delicious. Not only are they safe to use in the oven, but they also offer unique benefits that can enhance the cooking process. These benefits include adding extra moisture, reducing the risk of over-browning, and speeding up cooking times.
Let’s consider the best uses and benefits of oven bags vs. foil:
Oven Bags
Best for those who have never made a turkey before or an experienced cook who wants a foolproof way to roast a moist, tender, and flavorful turkey with lots of juices for making gravy.
If you want to make an impression with an extra juicy and tasty turkey, oven bags are for you! They’ll give you a foolproof and delicious result every time, with easy prep and baking—just put it in the oven and walk away until it’s done.
Aluminum Foil
Best for those who enjoy cooking a traditional roasted turkey with crispy, baked skin, and moist and tender meat without having to baste the turkey during the cooking process. Foil is also great for folks who need to speed up their meal on Thanksgiving Day.
There are two ways to cook turkeys using aluminum foil: aluminum foil turkey tents and aluminum foil-wrapped turkeys. Both methods effectively trap steam and moisture, which helps prevent the turkey from drying out without frequent basting. Aluminum foil turkey tents help to prevent over-cooking, while foil-wrapped turkeys can help shorten the cooking time.
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1. Thanksgiving Turkey in Oven Bags: Foolproof and Extra Juicy
Oven bags trap moisture inside, which helps to baste the meat and creates rich and seasoned juices for making delicious gravy. Plus, oven bags can save you from messy spills and make cleaning up a snap after cooking your turkey.
- Prep: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Then, simply add your turkey, seasonings, and ingredients to your oven bag and place in a roasting pan to cook. Infuse your turkey with delicious flavor by adding herbs, spices, and vegetables in the bag.
- Bake: Follow the turkey oven bag cooking times guide for more detailed instructions. Your turkey will cook up to one hour faster than when using traditional methods.
- Results: The meat will be fall-off-the-bone tender and delicious, ready for everyone to devour the moist and tasty goodness of your turkey. In addition, cleanup is so easy, just toss the bag away when finished.
Read our detailed step-by-step guide for how to cook a turkey in an oven bag.
You'll Need...
Oven Bags
2. Thanksgiving Foil Tent Turkey: Classic Golden-browned Roasted Turkey
If you enjoy a traditional, classic golden brown roasted turkey with tender and juicy meat, then this method is for you. There’s a simple trick to keep it from over-browning in the oven—tent it with aluminum foil! You can ensure it stays moist and delicious by placing a “tent” of Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil over the turkey for the first hour. You can also use a new sheet of aluminum foil to cover your turkey after it is done to keep the meat warm until it’s time to carve.
- Flavor: Season your turkey with your favorite herbs, spices, and vegetables to bring out the succulent, delicious flavor. Want an original take on a classic? Try our Roast Turkey with Cranberry and Pomegranate Glaze for a savory, sweet, and tangy twist to your holiday turkey.
- Prep: After you’ve added your seasoned turkey and other ingredients to a roasting pan, make a foil tent by folding an extra-long sheet of foil in the center. Then place it over the turkey, leaving a 1-inch gap between the top of the turkey and the foil tent for heat circulation. Then, attach the foil to the long sides of the pan. For complete instructions, download our foil tent cook times guide.
- Bake: For the first hour of cooking, bake your turkey at 325°F with a foil tent on top. Remove the foil to give the turkey the desired rich golden color and crispy skin. Be sure to bake the turkey until a meat thermometer reads at least 165°F or 180°F if you prefer a well-done turkey.
- Results: A Thanksgiving turkey that is perfectly cooked with a beautiful golden-brown skin and tender, juicy meat.
You'll Need...
Heavy Duty Foil
Foil Tent Roasted Turkey Cooking Times
Here’s an at-a-glance chart of approximate cooking times for roasting a turkey with a foil tent. The cooking times are consistent with food safety guidelines for cooking poultry.
| FOIL TENT ROASTED TURKEY Cook until internal temp reaches 165°F in the breast and thigh in several places, not touching the bone (If you prefer a well-done turkey with no pink juices, cook until 180°F in the thickest part of the thigh, not touching the bone) | |
| Turkey Weight | Cooking Time @ 325°F |
| Whole Turkey, unstuffed | |
| 8-12 pounds | 2 1/2 to 3 hours |
| 12-16 pounds | 3 to 3 1/2 hours |
| 16-20 pounds | 3 1/2 to 4 hours |
| 20-24 pounds | 4 to 5 hours |
| 24-28 pounds | 5 to 6 1/2 hours |
| 28-32 pounds | 6 1/2 to 7 hours |
| Whole Turkey, stuffed (stuffing temperature should be 165°F) | |
| 8-12 pounds | 3 to 3 ½ hours |
| 12-16 pounds | 3 1/2 to 4 hours |
| 16-20 pounds | 4 to 4 1/2 hours |
| 20-24 pounds | 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 hours |
| 24-28 pounds | 5 1/2 to 7 hours |
| 28-32 pounds | 7 to 7 1/2 hours |
FAQs
How Do You Make a Foil Tent for Baking?
How Long Should I Keep My Turkey Covered With Foil?
3. Thanksgiving Foil-Wrapped Turkey: Turkey in a Hurry
Want to ensure your bird is juicy and delicious yet speeds up the cooking time so everyone can watch the game? Foil wrapping is the answer! This technique helps speed the cooking process and locks in the turkey’s natural juices. It helps prevent turkeys from drying out without basting, especially those over 24 pounds. Take a look at our helpful turkey cooking chart (to follow) and our easy foil-wrapped roasted turkey directions. With these helpful guides, you can serve a mouthwatering Thanksgiving dinner in no time!
- Flavor: Enhance your turkey’s flavor with traditional spices or create unique seasonings and add-ins. Want to take ordinary to extraordinary? Liven up your Thanksgiving Day menu with our zesty Chili Cheese Turkey—inspired by one of the nation’s most indulgent flavor combinations, now adapted for a roasted turkey!
- Prep: Wrap your seasoned and prepared turkey in a sheet of foil that is 2 ½ times longer than your turkey. Close the foil by overlapping the ends, but do not seal airtight. Place the turkey in the center of the roasting pan and turn up the short sides of the foil to hold in the juices. Follow our foil-wrapped roasted turkey guide for complete step-by-step directions.
- Bake: In a preheated 450°F oven, bake your prepared, foil-wrapped turkey in a roasting pan at least 2 inches deep. Roast the turkey until a meat thermometer reads at least 165°F, or 180°F if you prefer a well-done turkey. To brown your turkey, open and turn back the foil 30 minutes before the roasting is complete.
- Results: Foil wrapping provides moist and tasty meat with rich, golden-brown skin in less time than the turkey package directions.
You'll Need...
Heavy Duty Foil
Cooking Times for Foil-Wrapped Turkey
Check out this chart for an easy reference for the approximate cooking times for foil-wrapped turkey. This chart is consistent with food safety guidelines for cooking poultry.
| FOIL-WRAPPED ROASTED TURKEY Cook until internal temp reaches 165°F in the breast and thigh in several places, not touching the bone. (If you prefer a well-done turkey with no pink juices, cook until 180°F in the thickest part of the thigh, not touching the bone) | |
| Turkey Weight | Cooking Time @ 450°F |
| Whole Turkey, unstuffed | |
| 8-12 pounds | 1 1/2 to 2 1/4 hours |
| 12-16 pounds | 2 1/4 to 2 3/4 hours |
| 16-20 pounds | 2 3/4 to 3 1/4 hours |
| 20-24 pounds | 3 1/4 to 3 3/4 hours |
| 24-28 pounds | 3 3/4 to 5 hours |
| 28-32 pounds | 5 to 5 1/2 hours |
| Whole Turkey, stuffed (stuffing temperature should be 165°F) | |
| 8-12 pounds | 2 to 2 3/4 hours |
| 12-16 pounds | 2 3/4 to 3 1/4 hours |
| 16-20 pounds | 3 1/4 to 3 3/4 hours |
| 20-24 pounds | 3 3/4 to 4 1/4 hours |
| 24-28 pounds | 4 1/4 hours to 5 1/2 hours |
| 28-32 pounds | 5 1/2 to 6 hours |
FAQs
How Do You Prevent Foil From Sticking to the Turkey?
If you’ve loosely covered your turkey, you shouldn’t have any trouble with the foil sticking to your bird. However, if you want to ensure it doesn’t, there are several ways to keep your foil from sticking to the turkey:
- Baste your turkey with melted butter or oil.
- Coat the side of the foil that touches your turkey with butter.
- Use Reynolds Wrap® Non-Stick Foil, which has a non-stick coating.
When Do You Take the Foil Off of the Turkey?
How Do You Smoke a Turkey?
If you prefer a juicy and tender turkey with that signature smoke flavor, smoking your turkey is the way to go! We’ve got all the tips you need to master the art of smoking a turkey using butcher paper.
4. Traditional Roast & Baste With Easy Cleanup
For those who swear by basting the turkey throughout the cooking time, we also have a solution for you—disposable aluminum roasting pans. You’ll have easy access to baste, and our disposable bakeware makes your Thanksgiving meal even more manageable with less mess. These heavy-duty pans are strong and sturdy, however, we still recommend you transport your disposable pans on a sturdy metal sheet pan so you can effortlessly carry the turkey from the oven to the countertop. The best part is that once dinner is done, you can toss the pan in the trash along with the turkey scraps.
No roasting pan? No problem. Our disposable roasting pans work for a traditional baste and roast turkey, and they will pair perfectly with the other three cooking methods—oven bags, foil tents, and foil-wrapped, too.
You'll Need...
Disposable Roasting Pans
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