AIBU? My mum thinks I am... (Xmas food related!)

[MakesXmasCakesWhenStressed]

first year hosting Christmas and it's a bit of a joint effort, but I'm doing the turkey and (as I do with roast chickens) I left the elastic on the bird to hold its legs in place. She seems to think the whole thing will go up in a tower of rubber-flavoured smoke, I kind of assumed it would be fine as I've done it so often with roast chickens...

So what do I do people? Trust to my past experience and leave the elastic on there, running the risk of ruining the Christmas turkey for 9 people or trust to her thirty-five years of removing the elastic (presumably for a good reason) and have to de-elastic the damn bird and find a way of holding its legs down, then replacing all the bacon that will undoubtedly fall off the turkey during this operation...?

And just in case anyone was wondering whether this was a mother-bashing thread, it's not. I discussed the elastic issue with her and she doesn't know if I should take it off now either!

[WTFlike]

Take it off. I think.

[mmmmmchocolate]

The string is there so the bird cooks evenly. I still take it off though, not sure why....

Merry Christmas!

[CheshireDing]

Why don't you remove the elastic but out some string in place so it keeps it's shape?

I think elastic in the oven might not be so good.

Enjoy :)

[WTFlike]

No, I think the string is there just to make it look neat, but to aid even cooking it needs to be removed? Again, I think!

[BandOMothers]

Off!

[CheshireDing]

Won't you just end up with wobbly turkey legs flapping about? Where has the birds dignity gone?

Disclaimer.....I don't cook, just thought I had seen DH leave such things on his meat (so to speak)!

[GhosteditorOfChristmasPast]

Cakes an AIBU on Christmas day? Go wake that husband of yours up to entertain you !!!

I'm afraid I can't help here; nut roast doesn't have elastic pants to keep it together

[MakesXmasCakesWhenStressed]

bugger it. I'll have to wake him up so I can de-string the bastard thing, I can't hoick a 14lb bird around by myself atm.

Just out of interest, ghost - have you seen the size of a turkey? Before I stuffed it that bird weighed only 1lb more than DH did at birth. I nearly went into spontaneous labour out of fright when I realised that! Luckily I reassured myself that the bird was hollow, the baby probably isn't so therefore must be smaller...

[Rollersara]

[GhosteditorOfChristmasPast]

Actually I don't think I have seen a turkey whole yet - that's v frightening! Like you say though, hollow bones and lots of empty space probably fills it out a bit

[squeakytoy]

Leave the elastic on it, it is meant to be taken off AFTER cooking!!!

[Fuzzywuzzywozabear]

I leave it on too and then "cut into the legs" about 1/2 an hour from the end (for a chicken) at this point I cut the string too and remove it. I then pull the legs away from the body so that the heat can get into that part - it's how my mum taught me to do it and it never fails

[highriggs]

I think you need to take it off as it is a thick bit of the turkey and needs to cook properly

[FabbyChic]

I've never taken it off didn't known you were supposed to

[squeakytoy]

You do NOT take it off.. it holds the bird's legs in place during cooking and stops the stuffing from pouring out too if you have stuffed it.

It will not melt, it will not give off any odour of burning plastic. It is meant to be there!

[Ihatecbeebies]

Google has the answers

[WorkingClassMum]

The instructions on the turkey wrapper said to remove all binding

Do you brine the bird first?

[MakesXmasCakesWhenStressed]

cbeebies - tried Google first. Useless. MN much more useful.

wcm - nope

[RudolphthePinkNosedReindeer]

cakes I remember confronting my first Christmas turkey - its size terrified me! I think I would leave the elastic on, for most years I have cheated by cooking 2 chickens.

[reshetima]

Well, looks like you can keep it in place. These instructions actually tell you to put on elastic or twine to keep legs together:

redelf.hubpages.com/hub/How-To-Cook-a-Turkey-Happy-Holidays

Having said that I always remove the elastic from around the legs of my roast chicken.

Why not leave it an if you do smell rubber you can take it off at a later stage? By then the turkey will have taken shape, being partially cooked.

[MyCarHasBrokenDownAgain]

'It will not melt, it will not give off any odour of burning plastic. It is meant to be there!'

And slightly OT, but neither did the bag with the giblets in which we forgot to remove! That, obviously, is NOT meant to be there

Still, at least the cats had a perfectly cooked dinner all of their own

[MakesXmasCakesWhenStressed]

hee hee - luckily I did remember to remove the giblets - I guess supermarkets have cottoned on and made the plastic a heatproof sort now! Our cats had a giblet xmas dinner too :) Can't leave them out just because they're furry!