ROASTING & Serving

Roast from Room Temperature
It is vital that the bird is not roasted straight from the refrigerator. Roasting times 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.

Tenting with Foil and Basting
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. Generously butter the breast and cover with rashers of streaky bacon orlardons. Aim to make a roomy tent over the bird to protect the breast from overbrowning, also use foil to protect the legs if they start to brown too quickly. With an AGA, basing is only needed very occasionally during periods in the roasting and baking ovens. If necessary, remove the foil for the last 30 minutes to crisp the skin.

AGA Turkey Roasting Times
In the interest of food safety is it important that the internal temperature of raw poultry should rise from room temperature to 60°C (140°F) within four hours at the start of the cooking. With the slow method this is particularly important, this is why I recommend an initial period in the hot roasting oven. All cooking times are approximate.

Whole Turkey and Turkey Crown (whole bird with legs removed)

Fast Method (2, 3, 4 and 5-oven AGA cookers)
Rub liberally with butter. Place in the AGA roasting tin, on a grill rack if liked. Hang from the lowest set of runners in the roasting oven for one hour until nicely browned, then tent loosely with foil. The TOTAL fast method roasting times are:

Medium Method (3, 4 and 5-oven AGA cookers)

Rub liberally with butter. Place in the AGA roasting tin on a grill rack if liked. Hang from the lowest set of runners in the roasting oven for up to one hour until nicely browned, then tent loosely with foil. After the first hour in the roasting oven, transfer the turkey to the baking oven to finish cooking, for the following:
Additional Times:

Slow Method (2, 3, 4 and 5-oven AGA cookers)

Rub liberally with butter. Place in the AGA roasting tin without a grill rack. Roast on the floor of the roasting oven for up to one hour and as soon as it starts to brown, tent loosely with foil. After the first hour in the roasting oven, transfer the turkey to the simmering oven to finish cooking, for the
following:
Additional Times:

Slow Method on Total Control AGA Cookers:

3-oven models: It is recommended to use the baking oven on slumber mode with the roasting oven at normal. In this way the bird can be started off in a hot roasting oven and then transferred to the baking oven in slumber mode. This oven in slumber mode operates at a slightly higher heat than the simmering oven and gives the best result for slow roasting a large bird. 

5-oven models: The method given for the three-oven model can be used, or the slow cooking oven can be used instead of the baking oven in slumber mode, if preferred. Again, the slow cooking oven operates at a slightly higher heat than the simmering oven and gives the best result for slow roasting a large bird.

AGA City60 Method

To cook the perfect Christmas turkey in an AGA City60 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). 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. When 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. 

Painless Carving

The trick to making carving a pleasure at every roast meal is easy: use a really sharp carving knife. The AGA carving set features a superb 20cm Sheffield stainless steel carving knife and a 15cm carving fork, beautifully presented in a Cook Shop Collection gift box and makes a great gift. 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.

Back to the AGA Christmas Guide.