Covering a turkey for part of the cooking time is usually best: keep it covered or tented with foil at first to keep the meat moist, then uncover it toward the end so the skin can brown and crisp.

Basic guideline

• For most roasted turkeys, tent the bird loosely with foil for the majority of the cooking time to trap steam and help prevent the breast from drying out.

• Remove the foil for the last 30–60 minutes so the skin can turn golden and crisp instead of staying pale and soft.

When to leave it uncovered

• If you care most about extra-crispy skin and are using brining or lots of basting to keep it moist, you can roast uncovered but need to watch closely so it does not dry out or burn.

• If the skin starts browning too fast while uncovered, loosely re-tent just those areas with foil to protect them.

When more covering helps

• Large turkeys that take longer in the oven benefit more from being covered or tented early on, because their breast meat dries out more easily.

• Cooking in a foil tent, roasting bag, or tightly wrapped foil can speed cooking slightly and keep things very moist, but the skin will only brown well if you open or remove the cover near the end.