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When you’ve gone to the effort of buying a beautiful British Quality 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 harassed.
The secret is in the cooking times – follow these new, 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 190C (180C for fan assisted ovens), 375F, 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! Try our handy calculator - simply key in the exact weight of your turkey and you will get the cooking time needed – there’s also a calculator for defrosting times.
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 | 1hr 50mins |
| 2.5Kg | 2hrs |
| 3Kg | 2hrs 10mins |
| 3.5Kg | 2hrs 20mins |
| 4Kg | 2hrs 50mins |
| 4.5Kg | 3hrs |
| 5Kg | 3hrs 10mins |
| 5.5Kg | 3hrs 20mins |
| 6Kg | 3hrs 30mins |
| 6.5Kg | 3hrs 40mins |
| 7Kg | 3hrs 50mins |
| 7.5Kg | 4hrs |
| 8Kg | 4hrs 10mins |
| 8.5Kg | 4hrs 20mins |
| 9Kg | 4hrs 30mins |
| 9.5Kg | 4hrs 40mins |
| 10Kg | 4hrs 50mins |
Enjoy cooking and eating your British Turkey!