TEMPERATURE HISTORIES AT CRITICAL-POINTS AND RECOMMENDED COOKING TIMEFOR WHOLE TURKEYS BAKED IN A CONVENTIONAL OVEN

Time-temperature histories and cooking times were determined for turke ys baked at 162.8 degrees C from 4.44 degrees C to an endpoint of 82.2 degrees C in the thigh joint or breast. Turkeys (128) in five weight classes from 5.9 to 10.8 kg (0.9 kg increments) were equally divided i nto fresh, frozen, stuffed, unstuffed, and cooked shielded or unsheild ed groups. The slowest heating point was either the wing joint or stuf fing geometric center. Cooking time for unsheilded turkeys was 155 min plus 11 min/kg, unstuffed, and 200 min plus 8.8 min/kg, stuffed. Medi an cooking loss was 23%. Shielding of breasts prolonged cooking time. The cooking endpoint of 82.2 degrees C in the thigh joint provided ade quate lethality against Salmonella in the slowest heating points of bo th stuffed and unstuffed birds.