Cooking your Christmas turkey Keep your Christmas centrepiece safe and tasty. Follow our guidelines on thawing, stuffing and cooking your turkey safely.

In this article

Thawing guidelines

Stuffing

Cooking guidelines

If you're using a frozen bird ensure it's completely defrosted by following the guidelines given on the packaging. A small bird of about 2.25kg (5lb) will take about 27 hours to defrost in the fridge, while a larger bird of 11.25kg (25lb) will take more than five days in the fridge. Very small birds up to 2.25kg (5lb) can be defrosted in a microwave, but this isn't a suitable method for defrosting larger birds. Find out more on on the Food Standards Agency website, which includes a useful turkey defrosting calculator.

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The Christmas turkey experience wouldn't be the same without a flavourful stuffing or two. Pan-frying or roasting the stuffing separately, rather than stuffing the bird, is the safest way to make a stuffing because, in an unstuffed bird, the hot air of the oven is able to circulate easily inside the cavity of the bird, reducing the cooking time, and the possible incidence of bacterial contamination.

If you decide to stuff the body cavity, don’t overstuff. Pack the stuffing in loosely, to allow the hot air to circulate. An alternative is stuffing the smaller cavity of the neck-end of the bird. Always be sure add the weight of the bird and the stuffing together to calculate the correct cooking time.

Editor's tip

Just put the stuffing in buttered, ovenproof dishes and cook for an appropriate length of time. That way you save on cooking time, eat safely - and get a nice crisp crust on your stuffing.

• Cover the bird loosely in foil before placing it in the oven. This will allow the air to circulate and ensure even cooking without overbrowning. Remove the foil for the last 40 minutes of cooking time to allow the skin to brown.
• Fan-assisted ovens tend to cook food more quickly because of increased air circulation. Be sure to take this into account and check the manufacturer's guidelines.
• To test to see if the bird is completely cooked, insert a clean skewer into the thickest part of the thigh. If the juices run clear the turkey is cooked. If the juices are still pink cook for a little longer.
• Allow the turkey to stand for at least 15 to 20 minutes before carving.
• Remember on Christmas Day power may be reduced slightly because of a surge on the grid. This and regular opening and closing of the oven door will also reduce the heat, so you may need to adjust cooking time accordingly.
• When roasting your bird, try putting it upside down on its breast so the juices from the back and legs run down to the breast keeping it moist.
• If you're cooking a free-range bird, consider cooking the legs (which cook more slowly) separately from the breast. The legs of free-range birds tend to be tougher and cooking it this way means that you won't end up with dried-out breast and cooked legs - or perfectly cooked breast and raw legs.
• Check the FSA website for their poultry cooking timings calculator and for more advice.

Disclaimer: the BBC is not responsible for content on external websites.