How to use the online timer
Three hours is a whole turkey, which in this part of the world usually means a gathering rather than a habit — a Christmas lunch among colleagues, an American holiday marked a long way from home, or a large family occasion where nothing smaller will do. It is a bird most people cook once or twice a year, which is exactly why the timing never feels familiar.
Check that it actually fits before anything else: domestic ovens in flats are small, and a turkey that touches the roof cooks unevenly and blocks the airflow. Count from when the oven is at temperature, cover the breast for the first two-thirds, and uncover it at the end for colour. The count runs in this tab, so leave the page open for the whole three hours.
Weight moves the timing far more than any recipe suggests, and a bird that has not fully thawed will still be cold in the middle when the outside is done. Temperature settles it: 75°C in the thickest part of the thigh, away from the bone. Then rest it — thirty to forty minutes under foil does more for the meat than the last twenty minutes of cooking.
Common questions
How much does weight change the three hours?
A great deal. Timing scales with weight, and a bird that has not fully thawed will still be cold in the middle when the outside looks done. Use 75°C in the thickest part of the thigh as the real test.
How long should it rest?
Thirty to forty minutes under foil, which does more for the meat than the last twenty minutes of cooking. It stays hot far longer than people expect, and it frees the oven for everything else.
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