Cooking the Turkey - top methods/tips please

[NotwatchingSpooks]

I feel a bit like Gavin’s Dad in Gavin and Stacey, as I am currently worrying about cooking the turkey I have ordered, it 5kg and I will get it on the 23rd. I haven’t cooked a whole turkey for years and am worried it could end up dry and tasteless. I wanted to go for beef but was out voted 😀. So any favourite recipes, top tricks please ?

I have got a choice of a fan or conventional oven in my range cooker and am also wondering which would be better. Any tips Very gratefully received.

Haven't done turkey for a while but we always used to cook ours upside down for a while - theory being the juices flow down into the breast to help stop it drying out - then back the right way up for browning

@BasiliskStare

Haven't done turkey for a while but we always used to cook ours upside down for a while - theory being the juices flow down into the breast to help stop it drying out - then back the right way up for browning

Same!

Magic turkey bag

Let it get dry and tasteless then next time they won't vote for turkey!

Really honestly just get yourself a meat thermometer - takes all the stress and guesswork out of it - you can test it when you’ve done the minimum time and if it’s ready it’s ready, and no danger of drying out. If it’s not quite there just put it back in for 10-15 min and test again, and so on.

Always let it rest for at least an hour once cooked (covered with foil and a couple of tea towels draped over).

I had the best turkey I've ever eaten last year. Cooked by a friend, according to the instructions from the butcher - and it involved cooking it for far less time than one usually does. Unfortunately I can't remember the details, but it made me momentarily rethink my life-long ambivalence to turkey!

Cook it in a roasting bag, so easy.

Upside down. Also agree with pp on having a meat thermometer.

Definitely a meat thermometer ... have never had a dry turkey using one of these. Before, I certainly used to cook it for longer than needed ‘just to be safe’. Now I trust it and it’s always cooked but never dry. Also, take it out and rest it before carving it. It maintains its heat due a very long time and it helps keep the moisture in.

Agree with upside down (so breast down), and cooking for less time than books recommend. We just did a turkey for Thanksgiving and the time recommended by Tesco was less than usual and pretty much bang on with stuffing added. (Only cook the stuffing inside the bird if there's airflow and you're confident you know what you're doing.)

I always rest mine for an hour or so, wrapped in foil and some fluffy towels.

Thank you for all the comments, it actually comes with a meat thermometer and instructions, but the cooking times on the website seemed a little short, but from the comments above it sounds like I need to be a bit more trusting 😀

I cook it for whatever it says on the packet. Cover it in streaky bacon once you rub some butter on. Cook in foil but remove for last half hour 45 mins.
Let is rest for 45 mins or so, wrapped up.
Always works out well!

I go by 20 mins per 500g plus 20 mins, so for 5kg, it would be about 3hrs 45. BUT check it after 2 45, because mine always, always cooks faster than the time I've given. Just check for juices running clear, exactly like a chicken.

I stuff herby butter under the skin on the breasts and over the legs (think this may have been a Jamie Oliver tip), which definitely keeps it very moist, or start it off upside down, although it doesn't look as impressive when it comes out. Turkey skin's nowhere near as nice as chicken skin though, so I'm not too precious about it being perfect. And I never stuff the cavity - I wouldn't trust that it would properly cook, and would affect the cook of the turkey too.

I take it out for an hour before we want to eat minimum (usual longer as it's cooked so fast 🙄😂), cover it to keep it warm, and that frees up the oven for everything else.

Roasting bag and a meat thermometer and have faith-it takes about 2hours, unbelievably. When I think back to being a child and the 🦃 going in at 6am for hours and hours... no wonder it gets a bad rep for being dry!

PHIL VICKERY method

Very simple and we have done it for years and always have a juicy roast turkey

If you google it or via THIS MORNING

Main thing is yo make sure the tin foil is sealed and you hear bubbling before you put it in the oven