When you’ve gone to the effort of buying a beautiful Christmas Turkey, you’ll want to cook it to perfection. A delicious roast turkey is not difficult to achieve but - especially at Christmas - there is often so much else going on that it’s easy for the cook to become stressed!
The secret is in the cooking times – follow these few, simple guidelines, which have been meticulously tested by the British Turkey industry, and you can’t go wrong.
Weigh your turkey after stuffing.
Cover the breast with strips of bacon or smear with softened butter then cover loosely with foil.
Preheat your oven to 190°C (180°C for fan assisted ovens), 375°F, Gas Mark 5.
Less than 4kg weight? Cook for 20 minutes per kg then add another 70 minutes cooking time at the end.
More than 4kg weight? Cook for 20 minutes per kg and add 90 minutes cooking time at the end.
Remove the foil for the last 40 minutes to brown the top.
Ovens vary, so always test your turkey to make sure it is thoroughly cooked. Pierce the thickest part – this is usually the leg of a whole turkey - with a skewer or sharp pointed knife. Hold a spoon underneath to catch the juices as they run out. If they are clear the turkey is done. If they are pink it needs further cooking.
Allow the turkey to stand for 15-20 minutes in a warm place – it won’t go cold and will be easier to carve.
It’s as easy as that!
Here are some examples of cooking times for popular size turkeys – and remember the times also work for turkey crowns and other joints:
Turkey weight Cooking time
2kg (4lb 7oz) 1hr 50mins
2.5kg (5lb 8oz) 2hrs
3kg (6lb 10oz) 2hrs 10mins
3.5kg (7lb 11oz) 2hrs 20mins
4kg (8lb 13oz) 2hrs 50mins
4.5kg (9lb 15oz) 3hrs
5kg (11lb 0oz) 3hrs 10mins
5.5kg (12lb 2oz) 3hrs 20mins
6kg (13lb 4oz) 3hrs 30mins
6.5kg (14lb 5oz) 3hrs 40mins
7kg (15lb 7oz) 3hrs 50mins
7.5kg (16lb 9oz) 4hrs
8kg (17lb 10oz) 4hrs 10mins
8.5kg (18lb 12oz) 4hrs 20mins
9kg (19lb 13oz) 4hrs 30mins
9.5kg (20lb 15oz) 4hrs 40mins
10kg (22lb 1oz) 4hrs 50mins
Enjoy cooking and eating your Christmas Turkey!
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