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I saw some comments from people who said it's not a good idea to roast a turkey in a pan with deep sides, because the sides will block air flow from reaching the bottom of the turkey, resulting in undercooked thighs. I even found a couple of reputable sources that say the same thing.

The National Turkey Federation says:

A shallow roasting pan will allow oven air to flow completely around the turkey and catch any juices during the cooking process.

NPR says:

In a roasting pan, the high sides shield the bottom of the turkey — the legs and thighs — from heat, meaning they take longer to cook to temperature. Meanwhile, the breast sticks up over the top of the pan, which means it gets the bulk of the heat and dries out more.

I know that air flow is a factor for convection ovens, but I don't think it is for a conventional oven. Is it true that a roasting pan will prevent some heat from reaching the bottom of a turkey in a conventional oven?

pacoverflow
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3 Answers3

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It seems that you're mislead by the name "convection oven". Convection happens in all ovens, including traditional ones. It's a physical process that occurs whenever you heat air or another fluid. "Convection" ovens don't have extra convection, they have a forced airflow that brings the hot air to the food quicker than mere convection.

Since (real) convection happens in a traditional oven too, it is also impeded by pan walls. For ideal results, you should use a pan without walls.

rumtscho
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I've always used purpose made oven bags for roasting my turkeys. The bag prevents any air flow from reaching the turkey surface, but I've never had a problem with uneven cooking.

Mark Ransom
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It does shield the food from radiant heat, but what’s possibly the bigger issue is that it holds any moist air near the turkey, which will help to render off fat, but might prevent the lower portions from crisping up quite as well.

But slower / uneven cooking can actually be used to your advantage:

As you need to cook the breast meat to a lower temperature than the legs, you can cook your turkey upside down. Then you’re slowing down how quickly the breast cooks, while cooking the legs a bit faster. Then, when it’s almost finished cooking, you can flip it over to brown and crisp up the breast if you want to.

Joe
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