Catherine Fulvio, chef and owner of Ballyknocken House and Cookery School, joined Drivetime to discuss how why some of us could be overcooking our Sunday roasts, and what is the right way to do it. Listen back above.
Mastering the Sunday roast is a true feat, between making the perfect spuds, nailing the gravy and making sure everything gets to the table at the right time – but the centrepiece is no doubt a perfectly cooked chicken, ham or piece of beef.
However, depending on where you're getting your cooking advice, you could be completely overcooking your roast.
A recent UK survey found that cooking instructions on pieces of meat sold in some supermarkets may be overstating how long it took to cook them, with one test saying a chicken can be cooked in just 35 minutes.
"Who cooks a whole chicken in 35 minutes?" said Fulvio, adding that she "did the maths on it": "The chicken could be no bigger than one and a quarter pound, 750g to have it done in 35 minutes, if you're following the guidelines."
According to safefood, all raw meats can carry harmful bacteria so be sure to cook it well. Always use a meat thermometer when cooking by placing it in the thickest part of the meat.
Fulvio suggested putting it "in the coldest part" of the meat, such as where the leg closes in on the breast in a chicken. "Always make sure not to touch the bone because the bone is a conductor of heat", she added. Chicken, beef, lamb and pork should be cooked until it reaches 75 degrees.
Safefood recommends cooking a whole chicken for 20 minutes per 450g / lb plus 20 extra minutes, a pork joint for 35 minutes per 450g / lb plus 35 extra minutes and a rolled joint 35 minutes per 450g / lb plus 35 extra minutes, all at gas mark 4 or 5.
Whole cuts of meat, such as beef or lamb, can be seared on the outside before eating. For more information on cooking times, visit safefood.
Fulvio said that meat should be left to rest after cooking "because the juices have to redistribute, so if you leave it to rest the core temperature does increase a bit, because you've still got residual cooking".
Cutting into the meat, such as in the space between the leg and the breast in a chicken, and checking that the colour has turned white throughout is another method of checking.
For roast beef, cooking it to 75 degrees will lead to a well done roast, Fulvio said. "We're looking for it to be nicely pink", she said, adding that she usually takes her beef out of the oven at 60 degrees. Once it has rested, it can reach 66 degrees.
Finally, when it comes to fish, Fulvio shared her top cooking tip: "For every one inch high or two and a half centimetres high, allow 10 minutes for fish to cook."
