Turkey Cooking Advice

You may wish to consider the following information with regard to the thawing, cooking, and storing of your Christmas turkey.

Follow these steps and you should not have any problems.

THAWING

If you are using a frozen turkey, it is vital to ensure that it is completely thawed before cooking, otherwise it will not cook all the way through.

The safest way to defrost a bird is in the fridge. Place the bird on the bottom shelf and make sure it cannot drip on to other foods..

Never thaw in a warm place, since this will allow bacteria to multiply.

Test to see there are no ice crystals left in the cavity and that the legs and thighs are soft and move easily.

Size of Turkey	Defrosting time in Fridge
8-12 lbs/3.5-5.5Kg	2-3 days
12-14 lbs/5.5-6.5Kg	3-3½ days
14-18 lbs/6.5-8Kg	4-4½ days
18-20 lbs/8-9kg	4½-5 days
20-24 lbs/9-11Kg	5-6 days

Remove the giblets, wash the bird thoroughly inside, and dry with clean kitchen paper.

Cook straight away, or refrigerate in the bottom part of the fridge, where it will not drip contaminated blood over any other food.

COOKING

Do not stuff until just before putting the bird into the oven. Only stuff the neck end, not the body cavity. Cook any extra stuffing separately. For extra flavour, cut apple and peeled onion may be placed in the cavity.

As a rough guide the turkey should be roasted at 180°C/350°F/Gas 4, according to the following times.

Size of Turkey	Stuffed Turkey	Unstuffed Turkey
8-12 lbs/3.5-5.5Kg	3hrs 20mins-4hrs 40mins	3hrs-4hrs 20mins
12-14 lbs/5.5-6.5Kg	4hrs 40mins-5hrs 20mins	4hrs 20mins-5hrs
14-18 lbs/6.5-8Kg	5hrs 20mins-6hrs 40mins	5hrs-6hrs 20mins
18-20 lbs/8-9Kg	6hrs 40mins-7hrs 20mins	6hrs 20mins-7hrs
20-24 lbs/9-11Kg	7hrs 20mins-8hrs 40mins	7hrs-8hrs 20mins

Individual ovens may vary, so always check that the turkey is thoroughly cooked. Test it with a skewer by piercing the deepest part of each thigh. The juices should run absolutely clear, not pink. If they run pink, return the bird to the oven and cook further, checking every 15 minutes.

SERVING

After carving for a hot meal, cool any remaining turkey as quickly as possible (preferably within 90 minutes) and store in a fridge. Check to see that the fridge is operating at a safe temperature (between 0°C and 4°C) using a fridge thermometer.

USE OF LEFTOVERS
When re-using leftover meat, it is important that it is reheated until absolutely piping hot all the way through.

For further information on all food safety and hygiene issues contact ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH on 02838312400 or contact niall.currie@craigavon.gov.uk