Take a look at our tips for ways to roast your turkey. It is vital that the bird is not roasted straight from the refrigerator. All roasting times below allow for cooking a bird from room temperature, i.e. one that has been taken out of the refrigerator and left in a cool room for several hours before cooking.
Preparation
1. When you are roasting a turkey or goose, remember that you are cooking two different types of meat – the delicate light breast meat, which must not be allowed to dry out – and the darker leg meat, which takes longer to cook.
2. Generously butter the breast and cover with rashers of streaky bacon or lardons.
3. Make a roomy 'tent' with foil and place over the bird to protect the breast from overbrowning. Also use foil to protect the legs if they start to brown too quickly.
4. With an AGA cooker, basting is only needed very occasionally during periods in the roasting and baking ovens.
5. If necessary, remove the foil for the last 30 minutes to crisp the skin.
Fast Method
1. Rub liberally with butter.
2. Place in the AGA roasting tin, on a grill rack if liked.
3. Hang from the lowest set of runners in the roasting oven for one hour until nicely browned.
4. Tent loosely with foil.
Total fast roasting method times are:
| Metric | Imperial | Roasting Time |
| 3.6 - 5.4kg | 8 - 12lb | 1¾ - 2 hours |
| 5.4 - 7.25kg | 12 - 16lb | 2 - 2½ hours |
| 7.25 - 9kg | 16 - 20lb | 2½ - 3 hours |
| 9 - 10.8kg | 20 - 24lb | 3 - 3½ hours |
| 10.8 - 12.6kg | 24 - 28lb | 3½ - 4 hours |
Medium Method
1. Rub liberally with butter.
2. Place in the AGA roasting tin on a grill rack if liked.
3. Hang from the lowest set of runners in the roasting oven for up to one hour until nicely browned.
4. Tent loosely with foil.
5. After the first hour in the roasting oven, transfer the turkey to the baking oven to finish cooking, for the following:
Additional time in the baking oven:
| Metric | Imperial | Roasting Time |
| 3.6 - 5.4kg | 8 - 12lb | 1½ - 2½ hours |
| 5.4 - 7.25kg | 12 - 16lb | 2½ - 3½ hours |
| 7.25 - 9kg | 16 - 20lb | 3½ - 4½ hours |
| 9 - 10.8kg | 20 - 24lb | 4½ - 5½ hours |
| 10.8 - 12.6kg | 24 - 28lb | 5½ - 6½ hours |
| Metric | Imperial | Roasting Time |
| 3.6 - 5.4kg | 8 - 12lb | 3 - 5 hours |
| 5.4 - 7.25kg | 12 - 16lb | 5 - 7½ hours |
| 7.25 - 9kg | 16 - 20lb | 7½ - 10 hours |
| 9 - 10.8kg | 20 - 24lb | 10 - 12½ hours |
|
10.8 - 12.6kg |
24 - 28lb |
12½ - 15 hours |
1. To cook the perfect Christmas turkey use the top oven in the baking oven setting, a 18.5lb bird will take around 4-4.5 hours to cook (similar timing to the medium method, see above).
2. We recommend adding bacon over the breast meat and using a large roasting tin on floor grid or on the oven grid shelf on the floor of the oven.
3. When the turkey comes out, leave to rest for up to an hour, turn the top oven to roasting oven setting and cook the roast potatoes, parsnips, grilled bacon rolls and chipolatas.
The simmering oven can then be used for all other items.
The trick to making carving a pleasure at every roast meal is easy: use a sharp carving knife.
Once the turkey has rested, cut the skin between the leg and the breast. Bend the leg outwards and cut through the joints to remove the legs. Bend these to find the joint between the thigh and drumstick and separate. Hold the drumstick in a wad of kitchen paper and carve slices along the bone. For white meat, starting from the lower end, slice the breast meat at an angle, to give elegant thin slices.
Carefully transfer each slice, as it is carved, to a plate to prevent the meat from breaking.
