Could you help settle this turkey question?

[Diddlysquatty]

My sister is avoiding dairy completely because of her 6mo having a suspected allergy.

I always smear the turkey in butter before cooking and obviously baste in the juices

I’d rather not do it with oil or margarine instead, if possible.

I think I could leave a bit free of butter and when you baste with the juices, it doesn’t actually go through to the breast.
So if she had a bit of turkey breast under the skin, it wouldn’t actually have any traces of butter in it because the skin protects it.
She thinks the juices during basting do soak through the skin and permeate the meat.

What do you think?

• we’re tier 2 incidentally so are allowed to host her 👍

I don’t understand why your sister would need to avoid dairy when her child is the one with the allergy? If your sister was allergic then I’d say definitely no butter on the turkey. But she isn’t 🤷‍♀️

The butter will soak through to the skin. But tell her you haven't basted that bit. She sounds crackers!

She’s breastfeeding

Don’t put butter on the turkey, traces may go through to the breast.

I assume she’s breastfeeding. The dairy she eats will go through to her breast milk.

I think the baby was so unsettled and is now better since she’s avoiding dairy, that she doesn’t want to risk a trace
I did say to her surely if she has a trace, then the amount going through breastmilk would be too small to make a difference but she wants to be super careful....

Ah so you don’t think the skin protects it...

Shame

Maybe I can only butter and baste one side

I don’t think the skin protects it.

Do her a chicken breast separately. No reason you should all go diary free.

I went dairy free for my DS in similar circumstances. It’s a right pain and it’s lovely when you’re supported.

Vegan butter? Or some other alternative? You dont want her to be anxious and not eat/enjoy it

Yes she’s offered to do a chicken breast. Just seems a shame when there’s a massive turkey crown that needs eating if it wasn’t necessary. But if the general opinion is that it would be risky for her.
Baby had been loads better since she went dairy and soya free. And when they gave baby formula once she came out in a rash

She can’t eat the turkey if you put butter on any of it during cooking.

Maybe you could spatchcock the turkey and cook her portion in a separate roasting pan.

Could you use goose/duck fat instead of butter?

I think the prob with vegan butter is that lots of it has soya in which is also a problem

Yy to the suggestion of giving her a separate chicken breast.

If goose fat would work would be up for that... normally do it a la delia with streaky bacon and loads of butter smeared on

Must remember also not to put butter with the veg

Goose fat instead of butter?

Can you cut a portion off the breast prior to cooking and roast it in a seperate pan?

Vitalite dairy free butter is fine re soya. Dairy free at Christmas is a pita - please don't dismiss the intolerance by saying "oh, a little bit won't hurt". It really will and it's so upsetting to (1) be ignored and (2) for people to harm your child because they can't be bothered. Just do the chicken like she asked.

(I was dairy, egg and soya free for two years due to breastfeeding a child with allergies. It's miserable, don't make it worse.)

Wanted to add, living with food restrictions from allergies is hard. I try to never ask people to modify their food for me, just let me know if I need to bring my own. (Though I did discover recently that being around one of them being cooked is enough to trigger a reaction so that is going to be fun) The absolute worst thing someone can do is ask if I can push my limits. It’s hard enough to have to skip so many delicious things other people are enjoying and it’s even worse when someone tries to argue that there is “just a little” of one of my allergens so surely it would be ok.

Also, check the info for your turkey. A lot of them are pre basted - finding one that's dairy free in the first place is a nightmare unless your budget is ££££

As a mother of a child who had CMPA as an infant, please, please do not do this if she is having some of the turkey. The agony it'll cause the poor baby is so unfair. If she's happy to have something else, then great. Otherwise, I can't understand why you'd want to risk your DN's health just so you can have butter on it. I'd happily have no dairy in one meal if my niece had a dairy allergy or intolerance.

Please don't do this to your sister's baby. If they're anything like mine it will make them have diarrhoea, possibly reflux/vomiting and no sleep for anyone, potentially for weeks. It won't directly harm your sister but why would you want to risk causing such discomfort to a baby?