If you are reading this on Christmas morning with a bird on the counter, here is the short version: 180°C, fan 160°C, 30 minutes per kilo plus 40 minutes, covered in foil until the last 40 minutes, then rest it for half an hour.
At 180°C (fan 160°C), allow 30 minutes per kilo plus 40 minutes. Add 30 to 40 minutes if the bird is stuffed, and check the stuffing reaches 74°C too.
| Turkey weight | Approx. time | Serves |
|---|---|---|
| 4kg | 2 hr 40 min | 6 to 8 |
| 5kg | 3 hr 10 min | 8 to 10 |
| 6kg | 3 hr 40 min | 10 to 12 |
| 7kg | 4 hr 10 min | 12 to 14 |
| 8kg | 4 hr 40 min | 14 to 16 |
| 9kg | 5 hr 10 min | 16 to 18 |
| 10kg | 5 hr 40 min | 18 to 20 |
These are a starting point. Ovens vary more than people expect, and a bird straight from a cold fridge takes longer than one that has stood out. The only reliable test is 74°C in the thickest part of the thigh.
Ours are fresh and never frozen, so this is for a supermarket bird. Allow 10 to 12 hours per kilo in the fridge. A 6kg turkey needs roughly three days, which is why the panic on the 23rd is an annual tradition. Never defrost at room temperature.
Nothing clever. Done in the right order, it works every year.
Bring the bird out of the fridge an hour or two before it goes in. A cold centre is the most common reason a turkey takes longer than the table says.
Preheat to 180°C, fan 160°C, and let it come fully up to temperature. Putting a large bird into a half-heated oven throws every timing out.
Work softened butter under the skin over both breasts, then butter and season the outside. Put a halved lemon and a few herbs in the cavity instead of stuffing.
Cover loosely with foil and roast for 30 minutes per kilo plus 40 minutes. Baste once or twice, no more.
Take the foil off for the last 40 minutes so the skin browns and crisps properly.
Probe the thickest part of the thigh, near but not touching the bone. 74°C means done. If the juices still run pink, it needs longer.
Lift onto a warm board or platter, tent loosely with foil, and leave it for 30 to 45 minutes while you make the gravy and finish the potatoes.
Do not bin it. An hour of doing almost nothing turns it into several litres of stock, and the broth is the best thing you will eat that week. Our stock and broth recipe walks through it, and the turkey and ham pie is what St Stephen's Day is for.
About 3 hours 10 minutes at 180°C, fan 160°C, using 30 minutes per kilo plus 40 minutes. Confirm with a thermometer reading 74°C in the thickest part of the thigh.
Allow 10 to 12 hours per kilo in the fridge, so a 6kg bird needs about three days. Our turkeys are sold fresh and never frozen, so this only applies to a frozen supermarket bird.
Cook the stuffing in a separate dish. Stuffing in the cavity slows the heat reaching the middle, so the breast is dry by the time the centre is safe. If you must stuff it, add 30 to 40 minutes and check the stuffing itself reaches 74°C.
The thickest part of the thigh, close to but not touching the bone. The thigh is the slowest part to cook, so if it reads 74°C the whole bird is done.
Not much. Twice is plenty. Every time the oven door opens the temperature drops and the cooking time stretches, which does more harm than the basting does good.
At least 30 minutes for a whole bird, and up to an hour is fine. It will still be hot, and it gives you the oven back for the roast potatoes.
