How to cook a turkey in a convection oven: times by weight, the right temperature and the auto-conversion trap

A convection oven has a fan that moves hot air around the food. For a turkey, that means faster browning and a shorter cook. The National Turkey Federation says food cooks about 25 percent faster on convection, and that the time savings for turkey can be anywhere from 10 to 40 percent depending on the oven. That range is the whole problem: if you plan with a regular-oven chart, a convection turkey can be done an hour or more before you expect it.

Convection turkey times by weight

Two turkey authorities publish convection tables, at different temperatures. USDA doesn't publish a convection table; its regular-oven times are here for comparison. All are estimates; the thermometer decides.

Turkey (unstuffed)	Butterball, convection 325°F	National Turkey Federation, convection 350°F	USDA, regular oven 325°F
6 to 10 lb	1½ to 2 hours	n/a	2¾ to 3 hours (8 to 12 lb)
10 to 18 lb	2 to 2½ hours	1½ to 2 hours (12 to 15 lb)	3 to 4¼ hours (12 to 18 lb)
18 to 22 lb	2½ to 3 hours	2 to 2½ hours (15 to 20 lb)	4¼ to 4½ hours (18 to 20 lb)
22 to 24 lb	3 to 3½ hours	2½ to 3 hours (20 to 25 lb)	4½ to 5 hours (20 to 24 lb)

Butterball's stuffed convection times at 325°F: 1¾ to 2½ hours (6 to 10 lb), 2½ to 3¼ hours (10 to 18 lb), 3¼ to 3¾ hours (18 to 22 lb) and 3¾ to 4¼ hours (22 to 24 lb). GE Appliances, which gives minutes per pound at 325°F (8 to 11 for a 10 to 15 lb bird, 7 to 10 over 15 lb), says stuffed birds need 30 to 45 minutes more. If you're stuffing, the rules are in how to stuff a turkey safely.

How to use the table: pick one source and follow it, rather than mixing a time from one with the temperature of another. Then start checking with a thermometer at the low end of the range, or earlier if your oven runs hot.

The auto-conversion trap

Many convection ovens change the number you type in. GE Appliances says its Auto Recipe Conversion, on the models that have it, sets the oven 25°F lower than the temperature you enter for convection cooking. That conversion is meant for regular recipes. Butterball's and GE's turkey times are already convection settings.

So if your oven converts and you enter 325°F, it may run at 300°F, below USDA's minimum of 325°F for roasting a turkey. Before Thanksgiving:

• Check your oven's manual for "auto conversion" or "convection conversion" and whether it can be turned off.
• Put an oven thermometer on the rack and run the oven on convection for 20 minutes to see where it settles.
• If it converts and you can't turn it off, enter 350°F to get 325°F.

How to roast a turkey on convection

1. Thaw it completely. The thaw guide has the calendar. Remove the neck and giblets.
2. Rack low. The National Turkey Federation puts the turkey on the lowest rack so the top of the bird sits near the center of the oven.
3. Use a low pan and a rack. A rimmed sheet pan with a rack, or a roasting pan whose rack lifts the bird clear of the pan, so air reaches all sides. GE notes that air can't circulate well around food in a high-sided pan.
4. Don't truss. The National Turkey Federation says leaving the legs untied lets the moving air reach more of the bird. Tuck the wings under.
5. Oil the skin, no basting needed. The federation says basting isn't necessary on convection; if you're using a glaze, brush it on in the last hour.
6. Watch the color. If the legs or wings brown too fast, shield them with foil. Butterball tents the breast loosely at about two-thirds of the cook.
7. Check early, in three places. USDA's target is 165°F in the innermost thigh, the innermost wing and the thickest part of the breast. Butterball cooks its birds to 170°F for texture; 165°F is the safety line. The thermometer guide shows where to put the probe.
8. Rest it. USDA says 20 minutes before carving; Butterball says 15. Tent it with foil.

Planning the day around a faster turkey

Say dinner is at 4 p.m. and you have a 16 lb turkey. On a regular oven, USDA's 3¾ to 4¼ hours plus a 20-minute rest puts it in by about 11:20 a.m. With Butterball's convection time of 2 to 2½ hours, it could go in around 1 p.m. instead, and you'd start checking at about 2:45 p.m.

That's two hours of oven back for sides and pies. Convection also makes it easier to cook on two racks: the National Turkey Federation says to set two pans in opposite corners, not one directly over the other. The one-oven schedule shows how to slot the sides in. If the turkey is done too early anyway, what to do when it's early, late or pink covers holding it safely.

A few things convection doesn't change

• The oven still has to be at 325°F or above.
• The turkey still has to be fully thawed. USDA's cook-from-frozen guidance is for a regular oven and takes at least 50 percent longer.
• Stuffing still has to hit 165°F in the center. USDA prefers it baked in a dish.
• Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours; the leftovers guide has the times.

Not sure about your oven on the day? Butterball's Turkey Talk-Line takes convection questions; numbers and 2026 hours are on the turkey hotlines page. For every other method, see turkey cooking methods, times and temps.