To ask whether you will be cooking your turkey/ Christmas meat tonight?

[Alice190720]

Just that really
DMIL is cooking her turkey tomorrow but I’d be too stressed to cook it on the day

No. Cooling storing and reheating sounds like more work and more risk of food poisoning.

Will prep mine for the oven later, then stick it in the oven in the morning.

Well, we have to cool store and reheat all the leftovers anyway, so it doesn't make much odds.
Personally I love reheated turkey. All the joy and only a casserole dish to wash up.

I nearly always cook my turkey on Christmas Eve. I cook it carve it then keep our what I want for Christmas Day and cover it is turkey juices ready to reheat. That carcass is boiling up for stock and the rest of the meat is portioned out and frozen. I find that the meat is very tasty and moist but the most important thing is that I get more time to spend with my family rather than in the kitchen

I'm doing mine tomorrow. The crown is about 1.5-2 hours to cook but I'm putting it in at about 9am, out by 11. It will rest and sit under foil til mealtime (3pm). Leaves my oven empty for roast pots/yorkshires/roasted veg/pigs in blankets

Does your oven have a timer op? I put the whole shebang in a roasting bag ( which could be done today, I suppose) then into what we call the ‘magic oven’, so the oven comes on at a certain time and just does its thing, producing lovely turkey after about 2.25 hours. This would allow you to go and do all your visits and have freshly cooked turkey.

My oven is crap to say the least and we definitely need a new one the seam seems to be coming away on it, so no we don’t have a timer on it lol

I'm so confused by this..... it's a roast, just put it on early in the morning, and not even that early......unless it is the size of a cow.

Yep our turkey crown has just gone into the slow cooker - will then put it in the oven for 30 mins when it comes out to crisp the skin up. Then will reheat slices tomorrow in the gravy.
Gammon will be boiled tomorrow morning.

We're going ours tomorrow morning. It's a crown, so won't take too long. Will prep it and the veg tonight so less work to do tomorrow X

Always cook on the day, I wouldn't dream of serving reheated meat on Christmas Day. The smell of it roasting is an important part of the day too.

Also how do you lovely lot prepare your turkeys? Just the same as you do chicken? I’ve never cooked turkey before lol

Always get a turkey crown and cook it the day before. Store in fridge overnight as you would an uncooked one.
Frees up the oven and cuts down the hassle.

I’m prepping today so we can just throw as much in as possible tomorrow just to leave to do it’s own thing.
I’m going to par boil potatoes today to roast tomorrow but everything else will be done tomorrow.
I’ve got a turkey crown that I’ve put herby butter under the skin and bacon over the top. This is my first time too, we’re usually at either parents for Xmas dinner and the rare occasion I’ve cooked I’ve just got a small crown ready prepped or a turkey Wellington.

Good luck!

No, on my own, small enough to do in the morning.

We're having a buffet tomorrow so I'll do the ham tonight but cook the other bits tomorrow morning.

No, we buy chicken breast fillets as we don't like Turkey, so it's easy enough to just cook them tomorrow.

I wouldn't dream of cooking the turkey on Christmas Eve & reheating it on the day. That sounds grim to me.
There's 3 of us here this Christmas this year & we still bought a bronze, free range turkey just a bit smaller than usual.
I will cook it tomorrow though we don't eat till evening anyway
I will cook the ham tonight - tradition since I was a child & was a tradition on my parents childhoods too.
I'll boil it first, them glaze with brown sugar & honey & bake
We'll eat that hot tonight with macaroni cheese a la Nigella. And we'll eat the rest of it cold over the coming days with relishes & chutneys & cheese etc

I've done my gammon today boiled, glazed and roasted because I wont have enough oven space tomorrow but I'm not sure the best way to reheat it without it drying out. Looking online it says sliced on a plate covered with kitchen roll for a few seconds in the microwave, any suggestions?

I always cook my turkey on Xmas day

Can't imagine doing it early. I've got enough to do on Xmas Eve as it is without adding a turkey to the mix!

I'm cooking dinner tomorrow for my DD and my 4 x big DGs I do it every year as Xmas Day is the only day DD has off work I love feeding my boys.
This year I have just taken out the beef,gammondone last night and I have bought a butterflied rolled turkey breast rolled in bacon which I shall put on later tonight timed to start cooking about 5am so its ready for 7-30ish.
Enjoy ladies and don't get stressed its not worth it.

@Alice190720

Also how do you lovely lot prepare your turkeys? Just the same as you do chicken? I’ve never cooked turkey before lol

I make a herb butter which I then spread under the skin and then put streaky bacon on top. Keeps it very moist

@Alice190720 Google Phil Vickery's turkey recipe - faster than traditional turkey cooking and results in a lovely moist bird.

Couldn't care less honestly...it can come and go

We have a boned and rolled turkey so even for 8 it only takes 1-1.5 hours in the oven (although there will only be 3 adults andu1 toddler eating it now)

Always cook turkey the day before. It's easier to carve the next day.