Exact Answer: 20 Minutes
Everything is different on festive occasions. On normal days, people go on with their daily lives without any major change in the day’s schedule or even the meal plans. On days of festivities, people normally like to change their day a little bit. In the case of food, the festive occasion calls for a grand meal or any dish savor and sweet.
Every country has dishes that are made and enjoyed especially at festivals and special occasions. One of the most popularly known and well-celebrated occasions on every end of the world is Thanksgiving. Every time someone thinks about Thanksgiving, the first thing that pops up on their mind is Turkey.
There are different cooking times for turkey, and it takes about 20 to 25 minutes to cook a pound of turkey.
How Long To Cook A Turkey Breast Per Pound?
| Weight | Time |
| 1 Pound | 20 minutes |
| 2 Pounds | 40 minutes |
| 3 Pounds | 1 hour |
Turkey is one of the most popular dishes that are the main course of any thanksgiving lunch or dinner. Turkey meat is obtained from the turkey bird, which is native to North America. It can be raised on farms, and it is also hunted wild. It is hunted, cooked with seasoning and it turns out delicious. Its meat has many benefits and is very nutritious.
Turkey is a great source of protein and it contains calories, a very little amount of fat, and no carbs. It also contains vitamin B3, B6, B12, selenium, sodium, and zinc. It is also full of phosphorous, choline, magnesium, and potassium. It also depends on what parts one eats out of the turkey.
Dark meat found in the thighs and legs of turkey has more fat and calories than the white meat found in turkey. Adding turkey to the diet can help in the process of weight loss, and it is a great alternative to red meat. It also increases the count of red blood cells in the body.
It helps in the regulation of metabolism and the synthesis of protein. It even helps one maintains bone health. Though there are many ways to cook a turkey, the best way chosen by anyone who knows a turkey well will be roasting them in the oven.
Why Does It Take That Long To Cook A Turkey Breast Per Pound?
The cooking time of any part of the turkey depends upon the cooking temperature and on the weight of the turkey. According to various sources, it takes about two and a half hours to cook around 6 to 8 pounds of turkey. The internal temperature of the turkey must be around 165 Fahrenheit.
One can use an oven thermometer or a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the turkey. It takes about 20 to 30 minutes to cook a pound of one turkey breast, 40 to 45 minutes to cook 2 pounds, and an hour to cook three.
After achieving the required internal temperature, one needs to let the turkey breast cool off before carving. It might take about 15 minutes more if the turkey is stuffed. The skin of the turkey is thicker than its meat. First, the turkey breasts are taken, and along with that, unsalted butter or olive oil, salt, and ground black pepper are taken.
The turkey breast is placed on the roasting pan and then the oven is preheated. After that, the turkey is slathered with butter or oil to produce crispiness when roasted. Some might even care a bit about the skin and put some butter under the skin. Seasonings like salt and pepper are placed on and inside the turkey.
Conclusion
The cooking time can differ, and that’s all based on the amount of turkey one takes and the time taken to achieve the internal temperature of 165 Fahrenheit. The ideal temperature to cook a fresh turkey is 350 Fahrenheit, and a pre-basted bird is 375 Fahrenheit. It is better to cook the turkey not lower than 325 Fahrenheit.
Cooking a turkey below that temperature might not cook the turkey well enough. Stuff the turkey with delicious stuffing inside and let it roast till it becomes golden.
References
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960308509000182
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878450X19301350