Turkey Roasting Times in Aga range cookers

Line a full oven size roasting tin that fits on the runners with our non-stick sheet and place the turkey in the tin.

Stuff the neck cavity only – it's easy to forget that the stuffing is in the bird until too late! If not putting stuffing into the bird, peel and cut up an onion and push that into the cavities, with a little butter. Weigh the turkey after it has been stuffed to calculate the cooking time.

Smear the bird with some butter, cover it with more non-stick (you'll likely need another large tin liner for this) and wrap tightly with foil.

Slow roasting turkey times in a traditional (solid fuel, gas or oil) Aga range cooker

If your turkey weighs more than 16 lb (7kg), put it into the roasting oven for an hour, then transfer to the simmering oven overnight. Time it according to the guide below.

For turkeys under 16 lb (7kg), just put into the simmering oven and let the oven do the rest!

All cookers cook at slightly different speeds, an older oven will take slightly longer then a new one, but as a guide:

• 8 – 10 lb (3 – 4½kg) turkeys will take about 8 – 10 hours
• 10 – 16 lb (4½ - 7kg) turkeys will take about 9 – 12 hours
• 16 – 22 lb (7 – 10kg) turkeys will take about 10 – 14 hours

Next day, check the turkey mid-morning, it should be almost cooked. Pierce the thigh with a skewer and if the juices run clear from the hole, it is cooked. It will not be browned at this stage, so don’t worry if it is very pale looking.

If it is completely cooked at 11am and you plan to eat at 3pm, DON’T PANIC! Re-cover with the foil then lay a large bath towel, folded into quarters, or a cot duvet or your fleece jacket, or all three, over it and place it beside the cooker (on a 4 oven Aga range cooker, put it onto the warming plate) and just leave it. It has taken about 12 hours to get really hot and cooked through; it won’t cool down in any sort of hurry!

If it is not cooked through, re-cover and return it to the simmering oven. Check it again in an hour. For finishing and browning the turkey see below.

Fast roasting Christmas turkey in an Aga range cooker

Put the prepared turkey into the roasting oven and cook it.

• 8 – 10 lb (3 – 4½kg) turkeys will take about 2 hours
• 10 – 16 lb (4½ - 7kg) turkeys will take about 2 ½ to 3 hours
• 16 – 22 lb (7 – 10kg) turkeys will take about 3 to 3 ½ hours

Finishing & browning Christmas turkey in an Aga range cooker

When you and the turkey are ready, pour off the juices - this is easiest if you have a second, clean roasting tin and just transfer the bird from one tin to the other, leaving the juices in the first.  Put the turkey into the roasting oven, uncovered, for half an hour to brown the skin, while you make the gravy.  Once the breast is browned, transfer to a serving plate and allow to rest for 15 minutes before carving.