Cook A Turkey At 400 Degrees For How Long. For safety reasons the usda recommends cooking stuffing outside of the turkey to guarantee uniform doneness. You ll get crispy skin without compromising tenderness.
The time to cook a turkey is usually around 20 minutes per pound for an unstuffed turkey. If your oven is large enough to allow you to rotate it 90 every hour do that. Cooking the turkey on high heat for 45 minutes or up to an hour will help kill any bacteria and make the slow roasting process safer.
Most recipes call for a 325 degree to 350 degree oven.
Sometimes i forget to lower the oven though and the turkey still comes out fine just perhaps a little darker than i would like. Turn it breast side up to carve it. If you do choose to stuff it check the temp of the center of the stuffing to make sure it too reaches the safe 165 degrees f otherwise bacteria could contaminate your cooked turkey. 400 f is the perfect temperature for cooking a whole bird.
