UPDATED October 6, 2022: Thanksgiving Day is right around the corner, and the Hamilton Beach® Test Kitchen wants to help you plan a holiday meal that goes off without a hitch. First order of business: the turkey! With all your side dishes and desserts that need space in the oven, you may be wondering how you’ll have time to roast the turkey too. We’ll solve that problem by showing you how to easily cook a deliciously moist and juicy turkey in a roaster oven, freeing up the main oven for the sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie.
Roast a tender, juicy turkey
A countertop electric roaster oven is a must for busy holidays when your kitchen range is working overtime. Hamilton Beach has large-capacity roaster ovens that can handle up to a 28-pound turkey with ease. While your pies are in the main oven, the roaster oven can roast the turkey to golden-brown perfection and keep it warm and juicy until you’re ready to carve and serve. There’s even a handy lift-out rack that makes removing the heavy bird a lot less strain on your back.
Don’t worry if you’ve never used a roaster oven before. Follow this tried-and-true recipe from the Hamilton Beach Test Kitchen. And remember, when the turkey is finished roasting, don’t forget to dress it up on a large platter with fruit and herbs.
Turkey in a Roaster Oven
Ingredients
Instructions
- Combine ingredients for seasoning rub.
- Remove the rack from the roaster oven. Cover and preheat oven to 325°F.
- Remove giblets and neck from cavities of turkey. Set aside and use for giblet gravy. Rinse bird inside and out with cold water.
- Place turkey on rack. Place onion and celery inside turkey. Brush turkey with butter or oil.
- Rub turkey with Seasoning Rub.
- Using handles on rack, place rack with turkey in roaster oven and cook 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Turkey is done when internal temperature of breast reaches at least 165°F.
- Let turkey rest 30 minutes before carving.
Notes
- Always thaw a frozen turkey in the refrigerator, not at room temperature. A 12-15 pound frozen turkey will take 2-3 days to thaw in the refrigerator. If pressed for time, this size turkey can be thawed in cold water in 6-9 hours. Be sure to change the water often.
- The roaster oven cooks a turkey in less time than a regular oven, but use a meat thermometer to make sure your turkey is thoroughly cooked.
- Turkey cooked in a roaster oven will be very moist, but less brown than a traditionally roasted turkey. Seasoning rubs add flavor and enhance the appearance of a roaster oven cooked turkey.
- Visit www.foodsafety.gov for more information on safe internal cooking temperatures.
More Thanksgiving tips:
How to Protect a Pie Crust From Burning
Raw poultry should never, ever be rinsed. The water spray can cause bacteria to distribute throughout your kitchen causing cross-contamination, in a much larger area than one might expect. The USDA strongly recommends against it. Here is a link to the USDA’s consumer information page about rinsing meat: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/safe-food-handling/washing-food-does-it-promote-food-safety/washing-food
I find it very hard to believe that a 12-15 lb. turkey will be done in 1-1/2 to 2 hrs., even in a roaster at only 325 degrees. Anyone wanting to try this should definitely use a meat thermometer.
Nothing better than freshly roasted turkey with gravy!
How do you brown a turkey in the Hamilton Beach roaster oven
What size roaster oven is used in this recipe?
I have a 6.5 quart oven that does not have a rack. Can I cook a smaller turkey in it without the rack?