April 28, 2008 at 6:25 pm
· cooking times
Based upon what I’ve read in various sources from Elizabeth David to the Sunday Times, I’ve adopted a fast then slow method of cooking meat.
To begin with, smear your turkey with butter then clothe in a layer of fatty bacon.
Then in an oven preheated to 220C / 425F / Gas 7, sear the turkey for 50 minutes.
Then baste the bird with the juices from the pan and cover with foil.
Return to the oven, with the heat reduced to 170C / 325F / Gas 3 for the amount of time as follows depending on the size of the turkey:
| Weight kgs |
Weight lbs |
Time to cook |
| 3.6 |
8 |
1.5 hours |
| 4.5 |
10 |
1.75 hours |
| 5.4 |
12 |
2 hours |
| 6.3 |
14 |
2 hours + 20-30 minutes |
| 7.2 |
16 |
2 hours + 30-40 minutes |
| 8.1 |
18 |
2 hours + 40-50 minutes |
| 9 |
20 |
3 hours |
Baste every 20 to 30 minutes. The end result will be the tastiest, juiciest turkey!
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April 16, 2008 at 5:37 pm
· cooking times
An easy method for poaching a whole fish such as a salmon or trout given the correct equipment. You’ll need a pan big enough to accommodate the fish without touching the sides. A fish kettle (pictured) is perfect.
Place the fish in the pan.
Add cold water to cover the fish and add whatever stock ingredients you have to hand or prefer. Any of: Onion (quartered), parsley stalks, chopped carrots, bay leaves, celery, whole peppercorns. Don’t add salt.
Cover & place the pan and its contents over heat.
Bring to the boil then immediately remove from the heat.
Leave covered and allow to cool to almost cold - the fish will be cooked.
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March 2, 2008 at 8:58 am
· cooking times
Based upon what I’ve read in various sources from Elizabeth David to the Sunday Times, I’ve adopted a fast then slow method of cooking meat.
Select a first class secondary (to use the Elizabeth David term) joint of meat - topside, sirloin or upper fillet, weighing around 1 kilogram.
Brush the meat with olive oil and stand on a grid above a roasting dish.
These times provide medium-well cooked meat.
- Heat the oven to Gas Mark 7, 420F, 220C and cook for 10 minutes.
- Then reduce to Gas Mark 5, 375F, 190C and finish cooking for 50 minutes.
Adjust times proportionately for larger pieces of meat.
Allow to stand before carving and serving - provided that you’ve bought good quality meat, you’ll not get a more succulent joint.
No guarantees that this will work for you - it works for me - please always apply discretion when cooking meat.
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