How to Cook the Perfect Turkey

A step by step guide to avoiding a dry, over-cooked turkey.

1. First of all, buy your turkey! Don't leave this to the last minute, as you will find that all the best ones will have gone in the run up to the festive season. It is quite acceptable to buy a frozen turkey, but do make sure you have enough room in your freezer to store it.
2. The size of turkey you choose depends how many people you want to feed, and how greedy they are! As a general rule, around 500g of turkey meat per person is about right, although you should allow more if you would like to have some leftover meat to form the basis of other meals over the holidays. Make sure you don't buy a bird that is too big for your oven - remember you will have other things you want to cook at the same time.
3. If you have bought a frozen turkey, you will need to allow plenty of time for it to defrost. Otherwise you may find yourself frantically dousing it in the bath to try to bring it to room temperature! Remember that it will take much longer to defrost if you place it in the fridge - allow up to twelve hours per kilogram.
4. The night before you want to cook the turkey, rinse it with cold water and then dry it with kitchen paper or a clean tea towel. Put it into a roasting tray to prevent unhygienic drips, and place it uncovered into the fridge. This dries the skin out and means that you should end up with a lovely crispy skin when you cook it.
5. On the day you wish to roast your turkey, make sure you take it out of the fridge a couple of hours before you want to start cooking to bring it back up to room temperature. If you forget, make sure you add extra time onto the cooking time and be especially vigilant when testing it to see if it is done.
6. The cooking times given assume that the bird is not stuffed. It is far easier to cook your stuffing in a separate tray in the oven rather than risk an under-cooked bird by placing the stuffing inside it. However, it is a good idea to place an onion, a lemon, an orange or a cored apple inside the turkey, as this helps speed up the cooking time as well as imparting a subtle flavour. You may also wish to stuff some fresh herbs into the cavity if you have any to hand.
7. Rub the outside of the turkey with unsalted butter at room temperature. This step is not essential, but it adds a rich flavour and also helps keep the meat moist. It is also a good idea to cook the turkey breastside down, as this also helps prevent it from drying out. Turn it the right way up around 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time so that the breast can brown.
8. You should allow 20 minutes cooking time per kilogram at 190 C or Gas Mark 5. On top of this, add a further 70 minutes of cooking time for birds under 4 kilograms, or a further 90 minutes for those over 4 kilograms. This means a 3 kg bird to feed around six people would need at least 2 hours and 10 minutes.
9. Remember that all ovens are different, and these are simply guidelines. If you have a lot of other trays in the oven or if you have to keep opening the oven door, the turkey will take longer. It is vital to test that it is properly cooked by inserting a knife or skewer into the thigh and checking that the juices run clear.
10. Let the bird rest once you have removed it from the oven so that it remains juicy - if you carve it immediately the juices will just run out onto your carving dish and be lost. Cover the turkey with a loose layer of tin foil for at least 20 minutes before you eat it - it should stay warm for around an hour, which can be invaluable time for getting everything else ready.

So there you have it: the perfect turkey. Now all you have to do is worry about the trimmings!

Why not whip up a few mince pies for afterwards?

Try some other delicious winter meals: one-pot beef casserole, roast chicken with lemon gravy

Roast Turkey

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