If you're in charge of the Christmas dinner this year and you're cooking turkey, here are those all-important turkey cooking times you'll need.
Cooking at 180c / 350f
| Turkey size (kg) | Turkey size (lbs) | Mins per kg | Mins per lbs |
| Under 4.5kg | Under 10lbs | 45 (+20) | 20 (+20) |
| 4.5kg - 6.5kg | 10lbs - 14lbs | 40 | 18 |
| Above 6.5kg | Above 14lbs | 35 | 16 |
Example cooking times
| Category | Weight (kg) | Weight (lbs) | Cooking time | Total time | |
|
Under 4.5kg / 10lbs |
4 | 9 | 4kg x 45 mins (+20 mins) | 9lbs x 20 mins (+20 mins) | 3h 20m |
| 4.5kg - 6.5kg | 6 | 13 | 6kg x 40 mins | 13lbs x 18 mins | 4 hours |
| Above 6.5kg | 10 | 22 | 10kg x 35 mins | 22kg x 16 mins | 5h 50m |
Other tips to consider
- Keep your turkey in the fridge until it's ready to use.
- Keep raw turkey at the bottom of the fridge, away from other ready-to-eat foods (to avoid cross contamination).
- Make sure the turkey is full defrosted - this can take a couple of days in the fridge for a 10kg turkey.
- Don't wash turkey under the tap. This is to avoid raw turkey juices splashing everywhere.
- Always check your turkey is cooked. Ensuring there's no pink in the middle and the juices run clear.
- Leave your turkey to rest in foil when removing from the oven.
Cooking times adapted from the Food Standards Agency and NHS Choices.
