Cooking Time / Roast Calculator

A 1.5 kg chicken is about 3.3 pounds. Roast it at about 180°C or 350°F for roughly 75 to 90 minutes, depending on oven performance and stuffing. The safe point is not the clock; it is the temperature. Check the thickest part of the breast and thigh without touching bone. Poultry should reach 74°C or 165°F. Rest the chicken 10 to 15 minutes before carving.

Use a roasting chart as a starting point, then confirm with a thermometer. Weight gives an estimated time, but shape, bone, stuffing, oven accuracy, and starting temperature all affect cooking. For poultry, common charts use 325°F to 350°F and require 165°F or 74°C inside. For beef, lamb, and pork, doneness temperatures differ. Teach students: time plans the service, temperature proves the food is safe.

A 5 kg turkey is about 11 pounds. At 325°F or 163°C, an unstuffed turkey of this size usually takes about 2 hours 45 minutes to 3 hours. If stuffed, plan about 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Always check the innermost thigh, wing, thickest breast, and stuffing center. They must reach 74°C or 165°F. Rest the turkey at least 20 minutes before carving.

Turkey becomes dry mainly from overcooking, especially the breast. The breast is lean and cooks faster than the thigh. Use a thermometer, protect the breast with butter, oil, or foil if needed, and rest the bird before carving. Brining can also help with juiciness. Avoid opening the oven too often. Remember, a golden skin is not proof of doneness; temperature is the real guide.

A stuffed turkey usually takes longer than an unstuffed turkey because the heat must reach the center of the stuffing. FoodSafety.gov charts add extra time, and the stuffing itself must reach 74°C or 165°F. For safety and better texture, many chefs cook dressing separately. If you do stuff the bird, fill it loosely, use a thermometer in the stuffing center, and never rely on color alone.

Without a thermometer, you can look for clear poultry juices, a loose leg joint, firm meat texture, and proper color, but these signs are not fully reliable. A roast can look done and still be unsafe inside. In professional kitchens, a food thermometer is the standard tool. If you must judge without one, cut into the thickest part, but understand that this loses juices and is less accurate.

You can cook a turkey from frozen, but it takes at least 50 percent longer than a fully thawed bird. Roast at 325°F or 163°C, do not deep-fry it, and remove the giblets once they loosen during cooking. A thawed 5 kg turkey might take about 3 hours; frozen could take around 4 1/2 hours or more. Use a thermometer and reach 165°F throughout.