Baking your meatloaf at the right temperature and time is very important to get property thickness, taste, and flavor. If you cook your meatloaf at 400 F, you need to know how long you have to cook this. This depends on many things like meatloaf size, thickness, and many more.
So, how long to cook 5lb meatloaf at 400? You need to cook 5 lb meatloaf for around 3 hours in a 400 f temperature oven. But there are so many things where the cooking time depends. Among them are meat type, meatloaf thickness, size of the baking tray, and many more. You need to analyze all these things before you start cooking the meatloaf.
We hope you find a simple but less trusted answer to the question. To be rightly informed, you need to read the whole article given below. There is a complete guide of oven heat range and time for a meatloaf. So, let’s start.
How Long To Cook A 5 Lb Meatloaf At 400?
Different factors like oven temperature, meat type, and thickness affect the cooking time required to make a 5lb meatloaf at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. So, it’s recommended that you follow these tips for perfect results when baking this classic American dish.
If you take 5lb beef for meatloaf, and you place them in 3-inch thickness, then you need to bake them for around 45 – 60 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. But we know you will need a giant size oven to do this. If you don’t have that sized oven or baking tray, you need to increase the thickness or bake that at 3 different times.
Increasing thickness is not recommended because that will leave the middle part uncooked. So, we will recommend you to cook the 5lb meatloaf 3 different times. Each will take around 45-60 minutes.
Meatloaf Cooking Time Chart
We already said that the cooking time depends on the meat type and temperature a lot. So, you need to know which type of meat you needs and how long to cook. Look at the cooking chart given below.
| Temperature | Cooking Time | ||
| Beef | Pork | Turkey | |
| 400 F | 45 – 50 Minutes | 35 – 45 Minutes | 35 – 45 Minutes |
| 375 F | 50 – 55 Minutes | 40 – 50 Minutes | 40 – 50 Minutes |
| 350 F | 55 – 65 Minutes | 45 – 60 Minutes | 45 – 55 Minutes |
Is It Better To Cook Meatloaf At 350 Or 375?
If you’re wondering whether or not it’s better to cook your meatloaf at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 375 degrees Fahrenheit, the answer is that it really doesn’t matter! Meatloaf cooked at either temperature will be delicious and evenly cooked.
However, if you prefer a thicker slice of meatloaf, cooking it closer to 375 degrees may result in a finer-textured product. You can also cook this item at 400 degrees F. You just have to ensure the meatloaf is evenly cooked.
Can You Adjust Meatloaf Cooking Temperature?
Yes, you can adjust the cooking temperature of a meatloaf. The oven settings that you choose will affect how quickly your meatloaf cooks, but it will not affect the final doneness. So, you may easily adjust the cooking temperature based on the actual condition of the item.
Make sure you didn’t overcook it or left uncooked inside. Too much temperature cooking has some risk of getting hard outside but uncooked inside. You need to be careful about this matter.
How To Know When Meatloaf Is Cooked?
Everyone has his own method of testing a cooked meatloaf. You may follow your own method. But if you are new and making the first time, follow these methods to know how to do this. When meatloaf is cooked through, it will be slightly pink in the center.
The internal temperature of the meatloaf should also reach at least 145 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure that it’s fully cooked. Also, you may check the inside part of it using a stick. Take a toothpick and enter it inside. Check how wet the inner part is. Also, check if there is any raw smell of meat in it or not.
However, if you are unsure whether your meatloaf is done or not, inserting an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of your loaf should give you a good idea.
If you love to eat meatloaf then you can try this Sweet and Sour Meatloaf Recipe in your home.
What If The Meatloaf Is Overcooked?
If your meatloaf is overcooked, it will be dry, tough, and hard to chew. It’s important not to overcook your meatloaf as this can result in a dried-out product that won’t taste great. We do many things to recover the overcooked meatloaf. But many of them go in vain because actually there is no way to fix this.
You can soften an overcooked meatloaf by doing some serving tips. You can use any sauce over the meatloaf to reduce its hardness. You can also avoid eating the outer layer that is hard. Also, you have to be careful next time. Read this cooking temperature and time guide to avoid this hassle again.
Conclusion
Meatloaf is a delicious and easy meal that can be cooked in many ways. However, the cooking temperature will affect how quickly the meatloaf cooks and what kind of texture it has. So, make sure you adjust your oven settings based on the condition of your meatloaf so that it’s evenly cooked on all sides. That was all for today, for more cooking tips and recipes, you may come here and get benefitted.