My mom does not use a meat thermometer when cooking turkeys. How dangerous is this?

Question

She left it in there for 12 hours, but I still think the turkey has a funny taste. She has been cooking for around 40 years.

Answer 1

themometer in meat is for cooking only...there is no danger in not using one.

if she has been cooking that long.....then she knows what she is doing. yet you sit there and question her skills when you have none...that is wrong on so many levels.

Answer 2

First of all... If the Turkey was cooking for twelve hours at normal temperature 180Celsius (sorry don't know Fahrenheit as I am in Australia) then the Turkey will be stuffed (literally) and un-edible...so you wouldn't have any problems getting sick as the bird would be in the bin! (Unless it was a very large Turkey of more than 12-13 kilo's.)

If she was cooking the Turkey at a much lower temperature then I wouldn't necessarily be worried if it were undercooked or not but I would be worried that salmonella (food poisoning) would have multiplied very rapidly in such conditions...Bacteria grows rapidly in warm, moist areas ie:Turkey's meat in a warm oven.

Lastly; those pop-up temperature guides in Turkeys are for the most part a gimmick from the suppliers to make you buy their bird...They work but only sometimes and their accuracy is not really that good.

Turkey Cooking Times

Turkey Size Turkey Weight Cooking Times (approx)

Approx 45 minutes per kg
20-30 2.0-3kg 1hr 30 – 2 hrs 25
31-40 3.1-4kg 2 hrs 30 – 3hrs
41-50 4.1-5kg 3hrs 5 – 3hrs 45
51-60 5.1-6kg 3hr 50 - 4hrs 30

Approx 50 minutes per kg
61-70 6.1-7kg 5hrs 5 – 5hrs 50
71-90 7.1-9kg 5hrs 55 – 7hrs 30
91-110 9.1-11kg 7hrs 35 – 9hrs 10

Check the done-ness by inserting a small knife into the Turkey around the thigh area when the juices run clear the Bird is cooked. If there are no juices the Bird is probably overcooked.

Answer 3

Well, the worst thing that can happen is you're barfing for a day.

People get all uptight about food poisoning, but I figure, people get drunk when there's a 90% chance they'll be sick that evening and in the morning, so I may as well enjoy my raw cookie dough and accept the low risk of being sick the next day. I've gotten food poisoning before, too, and while it's not pleasant, it's not worth giving up raw egg to prevent.

I wouldn't worry about a funny taste so much as an undercooked color and texture. There shouldn't be red or pink in the juices that come out of the turkey. The funny taste could be due to a new recipe of spices, or it's possible that the turkey could have been slightly spoiled.

The sad thing is, that when you get it into your head that something will make you sick, all enjoyment from eating it is lost. I say trust your mother's cooking, have faith that strange tastes are a result of gourmet spices, and don't worry about the slim chance you might have a little tummy trouble the next day.

Answer 4

Not very dangerous. I think a turkey that's been cooking for 12 hours might be overcooked and over-seasoned.

A good rule of thumb for not having a meat thermometer for poultry is to pierce the inner thigh with a fork. If the juices run clear or yellow, the meat is cooked.

Answer 5

Well, you dont necessarily need a thermometer to cook a turkey, and i'm sure thats not the reason why it tastes funny. If your mom has been doing it for 40 years now, maybe she already has a knack for it. and since she cooked it for 12 hours, the funny taste may have come fromthe preparation and not the cooking. unless that funny taste you're talking about is the taste of burned meat.LOL

Answer 6

Your mom doesnt need a thermometer to check it,she has cooked enough to know if the leg pulls way easy its done. 12 hrs is way to long maybe she had it set on warm when it was done. If it had a funny taste it was from the seasonings she used.If that turkey was 'bad' she would had known it before she cooked it.They have a aroma and she would had known.

Answer 7

It is very dangerous to not use a meat thermometer. If the turkey (or any meat) is undercooked, you run the risk of celimonella or botchalism, bith of which can be fatal.
A good rule of thumb for cooking turkey is:
1 hour for each 4 pounds of turkey (unstuffed)
1 1/2 hours for each 4 pounds of turkey (stuffed)

Answer 8

Yeah, you just have a meat thermometer. I guess having a meat thermometer's simply a law of nature

Answer 9

I think it tasted funny because it cooked too long. 12 hours is a long time.

Answer 10

If she has been cooking that long then she knows how long to cook the bird plus they come with these thing in them now that pop up when there done.

Answer 11

The rule of thumb is 20-25 minutes per pound.
She's been doing it for a long time. If you ate it and didn't end up in the bathroom, then give her a break.