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, ie one that has been taken out of the refrigerator and left in a cool room for several hours before cooking.
Preparation
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.
1. Generously butter the breast and cover with rashers of streaky bacon or lardons.
2. 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.
3. With an AGA cooker, basting is only needed very occasionally during periods in the roasting and baking ovens.
4. If necessary, remove the foil for the last 30 minutes to crisp the skin.
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 we recommend an initial period in the hot roasting oven. All cooking times are approximate.
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 |
Slow Method
1. Rub liberally with butter.
2. Place in the AGA roasting tin without a grill rack.
3. Roast on the floor of the roasting oven for up to one hour until it starts to brown.
4. Tent loosely with foil.
5. After the first hour in the roasting oven, transfer the turkey to the simmering oven to finish cooking, for the following:
Additional time in the simmering oven:
| 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 |
AGA 60 and AGA eR3 Series Method
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.
Painless Carving
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.
Watch Naomi Hansell Cook a Turkey
If you're looking for a little more guidance on cooking a turkey in your AGA take a look at this helpful video with AGA Demonstrator Naomi Hansell as she explains her tried and tested methods for the perfect roast turkey.
