by Carol Larsson

Created on: October 19, 2010   Last Updated: October 20, 2010

Turkeys are not difficult to roast, but can even make even an experienced cook feel stressful as the turkey is more often than not the centre piece of the most important family meals of the year.

There is no need to worry, keep to a few simple rules and cooking the turkey for the correct time will one less thing to worry about.When calculating the length of time to cook a turkey several things have to be accounted for.

 If you are using a frozen bird it must be allowed to defrost naturally and this can take 36 to 48 hours.

Is your turkey at room temperature before you put it in the oven?

The cooking times for turkeys are calculated for a room temperature bird if it is chilled straight out of the fridge it will take a little longer to cook.

Are you going to stuff the turkey, are you going to stuff it in the neck end or in the cavity of the bird?

If you are going to stuff the turkey add the weight of the stuffing to the weight of the bird so you can accurately calculate the cooking time of your turkey if you are stuffing the main cavity of the bird don't stuff it to tightly and add an extra ½ hour to the total cooking time.

Is the turkey free-range? Believe it or not, it can make a difference to the cooking time.

If you are using a free-range turkey, they can cook a little quicker than a mass-produced bird.

Put your room-temperature turkey into a pre-heated moderate oven 375f, 190c, gas mark 5.

For turkeys up to 14lbs (6.35 kilos) in weight cook for 15 minutes per pound plus an extra 15 minutes.

For turkeys over 14lbs (6.35 kilos) in weight cook for 10 minutes per pound plus an extra 10 minutes.

At the end of the cooking time to test to see if the turkey is done by piercing the thickest part of the thigh with a skewer. If any liquid runs it should run clear, and your turkey will be cooked

After taking the turkey out of the oven always allow at least 20-30 minutes resting time when the turkey is left in a warm place loosely covered in foil, whilst you make the gravy, finish the sauce etc. dish up the vegetables. Leaving the turkey to sit will let your turkey settle and be easier to carve.

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