Turkey cooking guide

Looking for advice on cooking a turkey or other poultry? This guide will help you prepare the perfect roast for your family and friends to enjoy - without food poisoning ruining festivities.

Checking a cooked turkey with a meat thermometer

Defrosting your turkey

If your turkey is frozen, you need to make sure it's properly defrosted before you cook it. If it's still partially frozen when it goes in the oven, recommended cooking times won't be long enough to cook it thoroughly. This means bacteria that cause food poisoning could survive the cooking process. You can cook some turkeys from frozen if the packaging instructions say so.

Don't forget

Store covered raw poultry at the bottom of the fridge where it can't drip onto other foods to help stop harmful bugs spreading.

Preparing your turkey

It's very important to keep raw poultry away from food that is ready to eat. This is because if raw meat touches or drips onto these foods, harmful bacteria could spread and make people ill.

Remember, bacteria can also spread from raw meat and poultry to worktops, chopping boards, dishes and utensils. So, to keep your Christmas food safe, make sure you follow these rules:

  • never wash your turkey or other poultry – this is because harmful bacteria can splash onto worktops, dishes and other foods. Thorough cooking is the only way to destroy any harmful bacteria
  • always clean worktops, chopping boards, dishes and utensils thoroughly after they have touched raw meat or poultry
  • never use the same chopping board for raw poultry and ready-to-eat food without washing it thoroughly in hot, soapy water. Ideally, use a separate chopping board for raw meat and poultry
  • always wash your hands with warm water and soap, and dry them thoroughly, especially after touching raw poultry

How long to cook your turkey for

These cooking times are based on an unstuffed bird. It's better to cook your stuffing in a separate roasting tin, rather than inside the bird, so it will cook more easily and cooking guidelines will be more accurate. If you cook your bird with the stuffing inside, you will need to allow extra time for the amount of stuffing and allow for the fact that it cooks more slowly.

Remember that some ovens, such as fan-assisted ovens, might cook the bird more quickly – check your manufacturer's handbook for details about your oven if you can. Always check that the meat is cooked thoroughly before serving and reaches 75°C in the thickest part. 

Remember, if your oven is full or if you are opening and closing the oven door often then you may need extra cooking time.

Guide to cooking an unstuffed turkey in an oven preheated to 180°C (350°F, Gas Mark 4)
Weight (kg)Cooking time (minutes)Cooking time calculation summary for number of minutes to cook for
under 4.5kg45 per kg plus 20 multiply the weight in kgs by 45 and add 20
between 4.5kg and 6.5kg40 per kgmultiply the weight in kgs by 40
over 6.5kg35 per kgmultiply the weight in kgs by 35

Cover your turkey with foil during cooking and uncover for the last 30 minutes to brown the skin. To stop the meat drying out, baste it every hour during cooking.

Cooking times for other birds

Other birds, such as goose and duck, need different cooking times and temperatures. The oven should be hotter for duck and goose to melt the fat under the skin.

Cooking guide for goose, duck and chicken
Type of birdTemperature of ovenCooking time (minutes)Cooking tips
Goose220ºC/425ºF/Gas Mark 735 per kgPierce the skin before cooking to help drain the fat and pour away any excess fat halfway through cooking.
Duck200ºC/400ºF/Gas Mark 645 per kgPierce the skin before cooking and drain off the excess fat halfway through cooking.
Chicken180ºC/350ºF/Gas Mark 445 per kg plus 20 Cover your chicken with foil during cooking and uncover for the last 30 minutes to brown the skin. To stop the meat drying out, baste it every 30 minutes during cooking.

How to check your bird is cooked

The cooking guidelines above are only estimates, so you should always check that the bird is properly cooked before serving. Eating undercooked turkey (or other poultry) can cause food poisoning.

Follow these tips to make sure your bird is ready-to-eat:

  • it's best to use a temperature probe or food thermometer to make sure your bird is cooked. Check the thickest part of the bird (between the breast and the thigh) reaches 75°C or above
  • meat should be steaming hot all the way through
  • when you cut into the thickest part of the meat, none of the meat should be pink
  • juices run out clear when you pierce the turkey, or when you press the thigh

Leftovers

After you have carved your bird, cool any leftovers as quickly as possible (within one to two hours), cover them and put them in the fridge or freezer. You could split the leftovers into smaller portions to help them cool quicker.

When you're serving cold turkey, try to take out only as much as you're going to use and leave the rest in the fridge. Don't leave a plate of turkey or cold meats out all day at room temperature on a buffet, for example, because food poisoning bacteria can grow and multiply. Put it back in the fridge as soon as you can, ideally within an hour.

You can freeze leftover cooked turkey meat and other cooked meats. In this case, you should take out as much as you need and defrost it in the fridge.

If you're reheating leftover turkey, or other food, always make sure it's steaming hot all the way through before you eat it. Don't reheat more than once. Use leftovers within 1-2 days. 

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