Turkey burgers have gained popularity as a low-fat and healthier alternative to greasy beef burgers.
Because there is no fat in a traditional turkey burger, it is particularly sensitive to drying out during the cooking process, which is one way to ruin a good meal.
As a result, it becomes extremely difficult to cook turkey burgers if you have never done it before. When it comes to temperature, 165 degrees Fahrenheit is the lowest safe cooking temperature for any ground poultry.
It is important to cook ground turkey items at this temperature in order to guarantee that all potentially harmful germs are killed.
Ground poultry includes a variety of turkey products like turkey burgers, turkey crumbles, and turkey sausages, among other things.
This temperature, as well as the leanness of the ground turkey, should be taken into consideration while creating your turkey burgers.
Even a few more minutes on the stovetop or grill may make the difference between a juicy, flavorful hamburger and a dried-out hockey puck when it comes to cooking a hamburger.
That’s not to mention frozen turkey burgers, which may be extremely difficult to prepare to a moist end product due to the absence of moisture in the frozen product when it comes to cooking.
Fresh turkey burgers and frozen turkey burgers are both covered in this post, along with the distinctions between them.
When you make turkey burgers, we will show you how to infuse them with flavor and moisture to ensure that they don’t turn out dry and flavorless when you cook them.
Turkey Burger Temperature
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the safest cooking temperature for ground poultry is 165 degrees Fahrenheit/73.8 degrees Celsius at the lowest possible pressure.
This is higher than the safest temperature for hamburgers, which is 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
In part, this is due to the higher cooking temperature and lower fat content of turkey burgers, which causes them to become dry after they have finished cooking.
So, what can you do to prevent homemade turkey burgers from being overly dried out after they are cooked?
As the burger patties are being produced, one of the easiest approaches is to mix some wet ingredients into them while they are still being formed.
As ingredients, grated apples, sliced onions, zucchini, mushrooms, and other similar items can be used.
The addition of more olive oil to the meat mixture before cooking is another option. Doing this indeed counteracts one of the main reasons for following a low-fat diet, but it will help with dryness.
Cooking Turkey Burgers
When grilling or cooking turkey burgers on the stove, medium-high heat works well, to begin with, whether on the grill or on the stove.
Cook the burgers for 5 to 7 minutes on each side, or until they are nicely browned on both sides, depending on their size.
As a result, you may want to lower the heat on the stove or move the burgers to a cooler part of the grill, depending on how long they have been cooking.
Keeping the burgers juicy takes some practice and skill, but there is a way to do it.
When the internal temperature hits 160 degrees Fahrenheit/71 degrees Celsius, remove the burgers from the heat and lay them aside for 5 minutes to cool.
Because of the residual heat from the cooking process, the burgers will reach a temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit/73.8 degrees Celsius after they are completed cooking.
This method keeps all of those juices in, rather than burning them away.
You can also add some extra flavorings to the burger if you want.
Ground turkey coupled with shredded apple, a touch of dijon mustard, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, and a handful of breadcrumbs produce wonderful results.
It’s nutrient-dense, juicy, and delicious.
Cooking Frozen Burgers
Fresh turkey burgers are easier to prepare than frozen turkey burgers since they may be prepared in a pan or on the grill without having to defrost them beforehand.
It is never a good idea to let frozen turkey patties come to room temperature before using them for cooking.
It is possible to have mushy results while cooking it on the grill or in a skillet. It might also crumble.
Simple steps such as spraying the outside of frozen turkey burgers with a little olive oil to prevent them from adhering to the pan or grill grate make cooking frozen turkey burgers a piece of cake.
Then, over medium heat, cook them for 6 to 8 minutes per side, for a total of around 16 minutes of frying time.
It is important that the temperature of the burgers when you take them from the oven is roughly 160 degrees Fahrenheit/71 degrees Celsius to ensure that they do not become overly dried out.
Take their temperature using an instant-read digital thermometer to see if they’ve reached the right temperature.
If they haven’t reached 165 degrees Fahrenheit/73.8 degrees Celsius after 5 minutes of resting, you will need to put them back in the oven for a bit longer.
While they may not sound as nice as fresh turkey burgers, frozen ones can be just as tasty if cooked right.
When compared to hamburgers made from home using ground turkey, fast food hamburgers can contain anywhere between 6 and 8 times the amount of salt. It’s simply something to think about if you’re trying to keep your salt intake under control.
Summary
When cooked correctly, turkey burgers can make an excellent meal. Compared to beef burgers, they are a lot healthier as they control little to no fat.
Of course, through the cooking process more fat could be added to the burgers, especially if you are adding oil to the cooking process.
But this is far less fat than you would get from beef burgers so it is still a better option.
When cooking turkey burgers, it is vital they are cooked at a minimum of 165 Fahrenheit, as this is the best temperature to kill off any nasty bacteria that may be hiding in the meat.
