# Turkey Cooking Time Calculator

> Looks up the USDA FSIS roasting timetable for a whole turkey at 325 °F (163 °C) by weight and stuffing, returning the time range in minutes, the 165 °F (74 °C) safe internal temperature and refrigerator thawing time.

- Calculator id: `turkey-cooking-time` · Category: Food & Cooking (`food`) · Tool name: `estimate_turkey_cooking_time`
- Canonical page: https://tttkmbb.com/food/turkey-cooking-time · This document: https://tttkmbb.com/food/turkey-cooking-time.md · JSON definition: https://tttkmbb.com/food/turkey-cooking-time.json

## Purpose

Looks up the USDA FSIS roasting timetable for a whole turkey at 325 °F (163 °C) by weight and stuffing, returning the time range in minutes, the 165 °F (74 °C) safe internal temperature and refrigerator thawing time.

**Use when:** You need to plan how long a turkey of a given weight takes to roast in a conventional oven and when to start thawing it.

**Do not use when:** You are deep-frying, smoking, spatchcocking, cooking a turkey breast only over 8 lb, or roasting at a different oven temperature; the USDA table covers whole birds at 325 °F only.

## Input

| Parameter | Type | Unit | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `weight` | number |  | required | Weight of the whole (thawed) turkey, in weight_unit. Covered range: 4–24 lb (1.8–10.9 kg) unstuffed, 8–24 lb stuffed. (> 0, max 50) |
| `weight_unit` | enum: kg \| lb |  | optional, default "kg" | Unit of the weight input. |
| `stuffed` | boolean |  | optional, default false | true if the cavity is filled with stuffing (adds roughly 15–45 minutes and the stuffing must also reach 165 °F). |
| `oven_temperature` | enum: 163c_325f |  | optional, default "163c_325f" | Oven setting; the USDA timetable is defined for 325 °F only. |

## Output

| Field | Type | Unit | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `min_minutes` | number | min | Lower end of the USDA time range. |
| `max_minutes` | number | min | Upper end of the USDA time range. |
| `time_range` | string |  | Time range in hours and minutes. |
| `weight_lb` | number | lb | Turkey weight in pounds. |
| `weight_kg` | number | kg | Turkey weight in kilograms. |
| `usda_weight_band` | string |  | Row of the USDA timetable applied. |
| `safe_internal_temp_c` | number | °C | Minimum internal temperature in the thickest part of thigh, wing and breast (and stuffing centre). |
| `safe_internal_temp_f` | number | °F | Same in Fahrenheit. |
| `thaw_refrigerator_days` | string |  | About 24 hours per 4–5 lb at 4 °C / 40 °F. |

## Formula

`Lookup by weight_lb in the USDA FSIS timetable (325 °F): unstuffed 8–12 lb 2¾–3 h, 12–14 lb 3–3¾ h, 14–18 lb 3¾–4¼ h, 18–20 lb 4¼–4½ h, 20–24 lb 4½–5 h (breast 4–6 lb 1½–2¼ h, 6–8 lb 2¼–3¼ h); stuffed 8–12 lb 3–3½ h, 12–14 lb 3½–4 h, 14–18 lb 4–4¼ h, 18–20 lb 4¼–4¾ h, 20–24 lb 4¾–5¼ h; thaw_days = weight_lb / 5 to weight_lb / 4`

Times are for a fresh or fully thawed bird in an open pan at 325 °F and are approximate; doneness must be verified with a food thermometer reading 165 °F (74 °C). Let the turkey stand 20 minutes before carving or removing stuffing.

## Data Sources

- USDA FSIS – Turkey Basics: Safe Cooking (roasting timetable at 325 °F; 165 °F minimum internal temperature) — https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/poultry/turkey-basics-safe-cooking (government, retrieved 2026-09-23)
- USDA FSIS – Let's Talk Turkey: a consumer guide to safely roasting a turkey — https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/poultry/lets-talk-turkey-roasting (government, retrieved 2026-09-23)

Data freshness: `static`. Deterministic formula with fixed constants; results never go stale. Inputs supplied by the caller determine the output.

## API

- `GET https://tttkmbb.com/api/v1/calculate/turkey-cooking-time?weight=…`
- `POST https://tttkmbb.com/api/v1/calculate/turkey-cooking-time` with JSON body `{"inputs": {…}}`
- Response: unified envelope (`success`, `request`, `result.values`, `result.units`, `sources`, `freshness`, `timestamp`, `next_actions`, `links`); see https://tttkmbb.com/docs/response-format.md
- Schema: https://tttkmbb.com/api/v1/calculators/turkey-cooking-time · OpenAPI operationId `estimate_turkey_cooking_time` in https://tttkmbb.com/openapi.json
- Authentication: none. Rate limit: fair use, see https://tttkmbb.com/docs/rate-limits.md.

## MCP

- Server: `https://tttkmbb.com/mcp` (Streamable HTTP, JSON-RPC 2.0, no auth)
- Tool:  `run_calculator` with `{"calculator_id": "turkey-cooking-time", "inputs": {…}}`

## Example

- 6.5 kg unstuffed: inputs `{"weight":6.5,"weight_unit":"kg","stuffed":false}` → `{"weight_lb":14.3,"min_minutes":225,"max_minutes":255,"time_range":"3 h 45 min – 4 h 15 min","usda_weight_band":"14 to 18 lb, unstuffed","safe_internal_temp_c":74,"safe_internal_temp_f":165}`
- 20 lb stuffed: inputs `{"weight":20,"weight_unit":"lb","stuffed":true}` → `{"weight_kg":9.07,"min_minutes":255,"max_minutes":285,"time_range":"4 h 15 min – 4 h 45 min","usda_weight_band":"18 to 20 lb, stuffed"}`

```
GET https://tttkmbb.com/api/v1/calculate/turkey-cooking-time?weight=6.5&weight_unit=kg&stuffed=false
```

## Limitations

You are deep-frying, smoking, spatchcocking, cooking a turkey breast only over 8 lb, or roasting at a different oven temperature; the USDA table covers whole birds at 325 °F only. Times are for a fresh or fully thawed bird in an open pan at 325 °F and are approximate; doneness must be verified with a food thermometer reading 165 °F (74 °C). Let the turkey stand 20 minutes before carving or removing stuffing. All values are computed from the formula above; no measurement or live data is involved.

## FAQ

**Where do I put the thermometer?**

In the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast, not touching bone; a stuffed bird is done only when the centre of the stuffing also reads 165 °F (74 °C).

**Can I roast at a higher temperature to save time?**

Many recipes use 350–425 °F, but the USDA timetable does not cover them; rely on the thermometer and expect roughly 10–20 % shorter times at 350 °F.

## Related

- [Brine Calculator](https://tttkmbb.com/food/brine.md) — Brine the turkey before roasting.
- [Cooking Measurement Converter](https://tttkmbb.com/food/cooking-converter.md) — Convert kitchen volumes for the stuffing or brine.