While most of us would never think to even attempt to cook a turkey in the microwave, this is actually an approved cooking method by the USDA. The method is as quick as it is easy.
Cooking a turkey conventionally is great, but it’s not as easy for novice chefs. Beyond that, not everyone has access to an oven. Families living in hotels or studio apartments, or even college students, may not be able to access an oven to use this Thanksgiving.
So, the first step to cooking a turkey in the microwave is to check your microwave’s user manual. Be sure to stay within your microwave’s weight limits and recommendations. The best microwaves can handle a whole, small turkey (8-10 pounds). Others may require the turkey to be broken down a bit first. The last thing you want to do is put too much strain on your microwave, especially if you’re relying on it to cook Thanksgiving dinner.
Once you’ve got the all-clear to microwave a whole turkey, you can begin cooking it! Place a small, thawed, and seasoned turkey into a microwaveable oven bag. Place the whole bag onto a microwave-safe plate. Place the plate into the microwave, ensuring the turkey isn’t touching the sides or top of the microwave. Cook the turkey on 50% power for 7-9 minutes for every pound of turkey. Be sure to rotate the dish every 15 minutes (unless your microwave spins on its own).
Because it’s a microwave, you can’t leave a metal thermometer in the turkey while it’s cooking. So to check that it’s cooked properly, once it’s finished cooking, use an instant-read thermometer and poke it into several places of the turkey. The temperature at the deepest and thickets parts of the turkey should reach 165F.
The team at Mashable actually tried this method of cooking a whole turkey and were quite pleased to report that it turned out moist and flavorful. With any luck, the rest of us are able to enjoy the same sort of success.
This is a great recipe for anyone with a more unconventional living setup or even someone who is just looking to avoid the rigmarole associated with traditional cooking. When nothing but turkey will do and you’re looking to cut down on the amount of work you need to put in or are dealing with a broken or missing oven, this method is the way to go.