Cooking Turkeys - Any experts?!

Mr T always does it for longer than it says, and yes, I know what you mean about getting up crack of dawn to put the oven on! I think the instructions will be pretty accurate or they'd be in a lot of bother, but give it an extra half hour wouldn't hurt depending on how well done you like it.
 
Just asked Mr T the turkey expert - he says if it was his - he would do it for three and a half hours without foil, if wrapped then four hours. He's checked in Rosemary Wadeys book which is usually correct.
 
I think it depends on your oven.

Fan assisted cook a lot quicker but watch the bird dosen't dry out, I generally shove loads of bacon over mine and baste regularly.

The cooker I have atm is pants. We bought it last christmas eve in a panic when the old one packed up. (Mine will be put in at dawn and its tiny:giggle: )

I don't know about aga's etc, they are still on my 'wish list'.

I always think cooking is like art, you have to practise and experiment.

Just a funny bit of info, the first christmas I left home to live with my boyfriend (now husband) we had no idea. we bought the turkey and an oven with a timer.

Went to the pub all day, came home and realised we hadn't switched the electric on. Oh dear:giggle:
 
I'm not an expert but would always go by the old 20 mins per pound then another 20, by that rekoning your looking at a good three hours 40 mins???
I doubt a 5 kilo turkey (it's definately 5 kilo's not 5 pounds?) would be cooked properly if it was only in for 1 hour 40 mins but if that's what it says on the packaging you could always start it early and if it's done great but if not you'll still have time to keep on cooking it a bit.
Failing that just make sure everyone is well oiled so they don't notice and if they do they don't care and carve it up and microwave the individual portions!
 
It seems far too short but it is in a bag - that speeds up cooking, apparently. Waitrose can't have got it badly wrong, surely, or they get sued! I have visions of lunch being 2 hours late when I realise my turkey is still virtually raw!!

It does say 5 kilos if you follow the link. The time on the link is the same as the time on the packaging - 1 hr 40 for a 5 kg bird..... Oh I don't know what to do!!
 
Even in a bag I wouldn't risk it - that's REALLY not long enough. Just looked at the packaging on mine (bog basic Aldi frozen one) and it says 2hrs 50m, and it's only 4 kilos.

May be specially processed in some way, but normally that amount of time would hardly roast a normal chicken. I'd play safe and allow extra time. As you say, it seems odd that Waitrose would have got it wrong?
 
I always work on the basis of 20 mins per pound plus 20 mmins. And if you are stuffing it, you have to add that too.

Don't know about birds in bags, but that sounds far too little to me.
 
20 mins per pound and 20 mins for good lick is the standard cooing time for capons, turkey and chicken. s long as it's deforosted and in a hot oven you'll be fine.

Just check it's cooked before you eat it.
 
Ok I have been informed that an oven roasting bag can reduce cooking time by half. So I am going to trust Waitrose and go for 1hr 40....... Wish me luck!!
 
1 hr 40. 4 kilo turkey. Perfectly done! And perfect gravy too. That was so easy. No basting, ready stuffed. It even crisped up. I thought the bag would prevent that. How amazing!
 
Yes it sounded far too short.
Our Waitrose turkey this year came in a box saying you had to cook it 2 h 40 minutes plus 23 mins per kilo at 140 in a fan oven! Almost 5 hours - by the time I had woken up this morning and read it, it was too late.
For years I have agonised over turkey cooking times - thought I was crazy till a journalist this year remarked on the wide discrepancy of times gives by the leading chefs.
The journalist said that short cooking times and long resting period out of the oven was so modern trendy people had an hour in which to roast veg and potatoes. Now my mother never did roast potatoes or roast vegetables on Christmas day. The turkey filled the oven and stayed there till we ate it.

Old fashioned, means low heat and a long time. My mum would put turkey in oven before leaving for early Communion at the parish church. About six hours cooking time!

Glad your turkey was OK - so was ours. But Waitrose was so worried about people food-poisoning themselves they included a meat thermometre in the box.
 
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