What temperature should turkey reach?
For Canadian cooks, Health Canada lists 82°C for a whole bird and 74°C for poultry pieces. Use the value that matches what you are cooking rather than relying only on time or skin colour.
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Guide
What Meat Thermometer Temperature Is Safe for Turkey?
Health Canada lists 82°C for whole poultry and 74°C for poultry pieces. Check the thickest areas with a clean food thermometer.
Where should the thermometer go in a turkey?
Insert the sensing area into the thickest part of the breast and the innermost thigh, avoiding bone. For a whole bird, check several locations because the breast and legs can heat at different rates.
How do you check without losing oven heat?
A leave-in probe can track one location during roasting, provided its cable and probe are rated for the oven. Near the end, confirm other thick areas with an instant-read thermometer.
Does stuffing change the check?
Stuffing creates another dense area that must be checked. Health Canada lists 74°C for stuffing cooked inside poultry; measure the centre as well as the bird itself.
When should turkey rest?
Remove the bird only after all required locations have reached the safe value. Resting can help juices redistribute, but it is not a substitute for reaching the public-health temperature.
How do you avoid cross-contamination?
Wash hands after handling raw poultry and clean and sanitize the probe between checks. Keep utensils and plates that touched raw turkey away from cooked food.
Common questions
Questions before you buy
What meat thermometer temperature is safe for a whole turkey?
Health Canada lists 82°C for whole poultry. Measure the thickest breast and innermost thigh areas without touching bone.
What temperature should turkey breast reach?
Poultry pieces should reach 74°C under Health Canada guidance. Check the thickest section and take more than one reading.
Can the thermometer touch the turkey bone?
No. Bone can distort the reading, so reposition the probe into the thickest edible portion.
What temperature should stuffing inside turkey reach?
Health Canada lists 74°C for stuffing cooked inside poultry. Check the centre of the stuffing separately.
Sources and how we chose
- Health Canada, safe internal cooking temperatures · 2026-10-15
- USDA, turkey basics: safe cooking · 2026-10-15