To dread cooking the blasted turkey every year?

[Mrswhatsit40]

It's always dry and tasteless no matter what I do. I'm generally very laidback but this is the worst bit about Christmas for me - worrying about cooking the turkey. Worrying it's going to defrost properly in time then wrangling with a beast the size of a large toddler, removing the disgusting giblets, then in and out of the oven for hours from 9am onwards basting, giving myself third degree burns in the process, stuffing inside or not blah blah.

What the the absolute BEST way you cook your turkey to avoid meat dryer than a nuns crotch? And please don't suggest that Jamie Oliver thing of smearing butter underneath the skin bc I tried it last year and it was impossible (disclaimer:I am not a great cook).

Help me please oh wise MN-er's so I can sleep tonight..what's your failsafe tip for tender turkey? Or does it not exist?

YANBU: It's a pain in the bloody arse and turkey tastes terrible no matter what
YABU: It's easy to cook a nice turkey and you are clearly doing it all wrong

I tried to cook a frozen turkey one year. Never again! As you say it was awful. Can't you get a fresh one?

Why do it then? I'm 69, 2 kids, 3 gcs, never cooked a turkey in my life and never will.
It's not obligatory. 😂

Buy a big chicken or two, forget the turkey.

And, btw, I can't imagine Jamie cooked a frozen turkey..that would be against all his principles surely?

We get a turkey butterfly from butcher so just a big ol chunk of meat so no messing about with giblets and the like. Very easy to carve too. Lots of basting helps keep it moist!

Oh you're fabulous

I agree, why do it?

I've never cooked a turkey in my life and never will ... jobs a good en :-)

i buy a turkey crown wrap it in bacon always cooks well nice and juicy and much easier to carve . If you already have brought a turkey i would gently lift the skin mix butter and herbs and place under the skin before cooking

I hear you ! I’m dreading cooking the turkey, I’m a vegetarian, so I don’t even eat it ! I buy a fresh one as the defrosting terrifies me .

Sorry just seen that you tried the butter trick

I've found (possibly because I'm a shit cook) that turkey is always better when it's reheated the next day in gravy.

So I have been known to cook the thing the day before (when there isn't as much crap going on) and then reheating it on the day. But TBH I just do a crown these days (which is a glorified big chicken cooking wise) it's much less faff.

Go to Tesco xmas eve late and get a fresh one heavily reduced.

Turkey is disgusting. We get an organic chicken each year and it's much nicer. Or how about a leg of lamb or a beef joint? Literally anything is better than turkey 😂

If you hate cooking and you're not good at it, buy a chicken in a cooking bag from any supermarket and just put it in the oven. Turkey is overrated.

If you insist on turkey, buy a turkey crown you again, just put in the oven as is.

I went to Waitrose today and there were none, only two frozen ones left. I have a Tesco delivery coming Monday but they've no fresh turkeys on there despite me doing it about 2 weeks ago. I'm guessing you have to order a fresh one from the butcher?

I thought things are supposed to be fresher when they're frozen? Didn't think it made any difference to taste whether it's frozen or not, maybe that's my mistake!

What do you have Christmas Day? Mine kick off if I suggest doing something else!

This is what I do (lots of basting) but then I've just read on another thread on here that it's best to cover tightly in foil and then just leave it alone??

Ah. Now you're asking.
I'm afraid I think Xmas day is not obligatory either.
So I'm no further help.

Let them source and cook it then. People are only pretending to like turkey anyway. It's social pressure that means they're buying them. Just say no, enough, no more turkey.

How old would you be to be able to kick off but not old enough to cook the Turkey yourself?

I don't get it. Just get something else.

OP, check Tesco for a fresh Gressingham duck. It'll feed a family of four, tastes much nicer that turkey and doesn't dry out. You don't need to baste it, just cover it over with foil and roast it. Easy.

If you are doing turkey (not obligatory) I recommend Nigella’s timings. Most people cook
it for far too long and then complain it’s dry. Cover in bacon for the first hour.

It's is SO overrated. The thing is when I go for a carvery I love the turkey roast dinner, it always tastes really nice so there must be a way of cooking it so it's tasty. I just don't know what it is!

Butter on the outside, bacon on the outside also

It is of course just possible that you don't like turkey

How would you feel about doing what Nigella does, and brining it before you roast it, @Mrswhatsit40? I’m sure she has a recipe online, but basically you soak it over night in salty water/brine, with various things in to give it a bit of flavour - onions, celery, clementines, herbs, spices.

If I recall correctly, she then just roasts it normally - maybe with butter smeared on it (not under the skin).

Covering the breast with streaky bacon, part way through the cooking time, protects the skin of the breast, and you get crispy bacon which people love.

I’ve done this in previous years and there has always been loads to choose from.
If by chance there was none left then we could have chicken/beef/lamb; there will be some meat there.