Roast timer

Welcome to our roast calculator. Select your meat from the drop down menu and type in your weight, for example turkey, 5.5 kg, then hit go to find out suggested timings and temperatures then check out our trio of tips below to make sure your meat is cooked just how you like it.

Is it ready? It's what everyone worries about when cooking a roast - how to get the meat just as you like it.

There are three easy ways to check:

1. Use a meat thermometer.

   Insert into the thickest part of the joint (avoiding any bones). The meat will carry on cooking out of the oven, so it's best to take it out 5-10C (depending on how big it is) before it reaches the required temperature, shown below.

   For beef, lamb, and venison: 52C for rare, 60C for medium and 75C - 80C for well done.

   For pork: 75C - 80C

   For poultry: 75C - 80C

2. Insert a metal skewer.

   A cool one means the meat is rare, a warm skewer will give you a medium result, while hot is well done.

3. The thumb-and-finger test.

   Press your index finger and thumb together; the fleshy part of your hand below your thumb will feel the same as rare meat. Touching your thumb and middle finger together will give an indication of how medium should feel and your ring finger, well done. This is a useful test for smaller joints.

   Finishing touches To make sure you get the perfect juicy roast, leave the joint to rest on a platter so the juices get a chance to settle and run back into the meat. Cover with foil to stop all the heat escaping. Leave for 10 mins for a small joint, 20-30 mins for larger ones.