Gordon Ramsay's Roast Turkey With Lemon, Parsley and Garlic Recipe - Food.com (2024)

FAQs

How long to cook a turkey Gordon Ramsay? ›

For Gordon's classic roast turkey recipe with lemon, parsley and garlic, he roasts the unstuffed 5kg (11lb) turkey at 220°C/fan 200°C/gas 7 for 10-15 minutes, then the oven is reduced to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4 and the turkey is cooked for 2.5 hours.

To achieve a perfectly golden, juicy turkey, let the bird spend time both covered and uncovered in the oven. We recommend covering your bird for most of the cooking time to prevent it from drying out; then, during the last 30 minutes or so of cooking, remove the cover so the skin crisps in the hot oven.

The simplest way to figure out turkey roasting times is to calculate 13 minutes per pound at 350°F for an unstuffed turkey (that's about 3 hours for a 12- to 14-lb. turkey), or 15 minutes per pound for a stuffed turkey.

Brine your turkey for the best juicy bird.

In recent years, brining has become more popular and can be done with either a wet or dry brine. A wet brine involves immersing the turkey in a salt-water solution for 12-24 hours. Dry-brining is where salt is rubbed over the turkey skin for 24-48 hours before cooking.

Placing butter under the skin won't make the meat juicier, though it might help the skin brown faster. However, butter is about 17 percent water, and it will make your bird splotchy, says López-Alt. Instead, rub the skin with vegetable oil before you roast.

Aromatics into Turkey Cavity

Simply stuff the cavity of the turkey prior to cooking and let the magic happen. They aren't meant to be eaten, but simply impart flavors and fragrance. Some options for aromatics include onion, garlic, apples or citrus fruits, celery, seasonings, herbs, beer and Coca-Cola.

In an ideal world, the turkey would be out of the oven exactly 30 minutes before serving, so that you can remove it from the roasting pan and let it rest for about 20 minutes before carving and serving warm.

Roast 1 hour, then baste every 30 minutes with pan liquids, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of thigh (avoiding bone) registers 125°F, about 3 hours. Remove foil; raise oven heat to 400°F. Continue roasting, basting occasionally, until thigh reaches 180°F, 45 to 60 minutes more.

We recommend roasting turkey at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 13 minutes per pound for an unstuffed turkey. We've done the math for you — check out the chart below to determine both turkey cook times and estimated servings (with leftovers!).

"Often, consumers will inquire about adding water to the bottom of their roasting pans. We do not recommend adding water to the bottom of the pan. Cooking a turkey with steam is a moist heat-cook method and is acceptable, sure, but is not the preferred method for cooking your turkey."

Do you roast a turkey breast up or down? ›

It's personal preference whether you choose to cook a turkey breast-side up or breast-side down. The United States Department of Agriculture advises to cook a whole turkey breast side up during the entire cooking time.

By the same math, a 14-pound turkey will feed nine to 10 people.

You can assume about 40% to 50% of every turkey is bone or parts that won't be eaten. That means for every pound of turkey, guests will get about eight to nine ounces of meat.

What Temperature to Cook the Turkey? Cook your turkey at 325 degrees F for most of the cook time; in the final 45 minutes, remove the cover or foil tent from the turkey, increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F and baste the bird with butter. The initial lower oven temperature cooks the turkey through evenly.

This site recommends three steps: cook it breast-side down for most of the time, don't overcook, and use chicken stock in the bottom of the pan and for basting. Another technique is to brine your turkey, or use a kosher one.

Cover and chill the turkey or carve it and chill in an airtight container no more than 2 hrs after eating for safety, and to help keep it at its juiciest.

According to Sklar, brining is the key to making a great turkey. Brining does two things: It adds moisture through osmosis, and – if you brine it for 24 hours – the flavor will actually penetrate the skin and spread throughout the entire turkey.