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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To dread cooking the blasted turkey every year?

238 replies

Mrswhatsit40 · 19/12/2024 15:06

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

OP posts:
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5
Ineedaholidayyyy · 19/12/2024 19:57

Why do something you don't even really enjoy and just causes you stress?

Next year just get a small turkey crown if you must to please the traditionalists, and then cook something else you actually enjoy. Gammon in the slow cooker is much easier and you can't go wrong with that!

Auburngal · 19/12/2024 20:12

Matilda1981 · 19/12/2024 18:42

I’ve had turkey crowns in the past that have fed 12 with loads left over for the next day! Probably not available from a supermarket tho - I get mine from a local butcher!

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I bought turkey crowns at my former employer on their Christmas food ordering service. Get large crowns as DF adores his turkey sandwiches. We all love turkey on the day and cold cuts.

burntheleaves · 19/12/2024 20:15

@squirrelnutcartel

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.
Oh nonsense. I love turkey. One of my adult sons also loves it. The rest of the family like it as much as any other protein.

We like it so much I buy extra crowns to freeze to have once a month for a few months.

CleverLemonCat · 19/12/2024 20:30

5foot5 · 19/12/2024 15:38

I have been cooking turkey every year for Christmas for thick end of forty years. One year I cooked goose because I had always fancied it - never again.

Honestly my turkey always comes out well. Basically I just follow the way of St Delia of Norwich (Blessed Be Her Name.) You can probably look it up on Delia Online but, for my 5.5k turkey, it will be:

  • take out of fridge before bed the night before to get to room temperature;
  • stuff sausage meat in the neck end and under the skin on the breast;
  • smear it all over in butter then season;
  • put streaky bacon over the breast;
  • enclose the turkey in a big tent of foil, so air can circulate;
  • give it a blast on very hot (200 fan) for 35 minutes
  • turn down to 160 fan for rest of cooking time - dependent on size of turkey - in my case (5.5k) about 3 hours
  • take foil off and then give about another 30 minutes basting occasionally
  • take out of oven, wrap in foil and rest for at least 30 minutes before carving

As to the frozen versus fresh argument. I was in the fresh is best camp for many years. We always ordered our bird well in advance and collected on Christmas Eve. Then about 3 years ago I saw a consumer programme just before Christmas all about the various seasonal things we get and what is worth the money, taste tests and so on. They covered the fresh v. frozen thing and said that while fresh might have been better years ago (when St Delia wrote her gospel) these days with improved ways of freezing this was no longer necessarily the case. In fact a frozen bird could actually be "fresher" than a fresh bird. Anyway, we tried for the first time two years ago and, honestly, we cannot tell the difference and it is less than half the price. Just get it out of the freezer about 3 days before you want to cook it.

Agree, I love Turkey and have been cooking it Delia's way for over 30 years. It really needs to rest after cooking to stay moist. I give mine a final baste, wrap in foil and then tuck a folded bath towel over it whilst roast potatoes are cooking. The towel sounds a bit over the top but does work!

Purplepepsi · 19/12/2024 20:36

I refuse to cook turkey too. I used to do duck, now we have a Christmas pie from a local pie place with all the trimmings! This year we have individual ones so we could all have our own favourites! I'm so excited!

Teapot13 · 19/12/2024 20:49

I have been known to make jambalaya, paella, or beef Burgundy for Christmas. Much better than turkey.

imnotthatkindofmum · 19/12/2024 20:50

Turkey is gross. It doesn't matter how you cook it!

We usually have pork, gammon or beef. Sod tradition!

Applepoop · 19/12/2024 20:53

Just get a chicken

madaboutpurple · 19/12/2024 21:01

My DP was a chef and he cooks turkey/chicken by cooking it the right way up and then when it half way done he turns it upside down. We have always had lovely chicken or turkey when he does this as the juices get a chance to move all over the bird.

chattyness · 19/12/2024 21:03

We don't have turkey, leg of lamb for us yum

Laserwho · 19/12/2024 21:06

This is why we have spag bol. Easy to cook and then everyone can enjoy the day

Gowlett · 19/12/2024 21:11

MIL just fires it into the oven, straight from the plastic covering. She doesn’t care, as she doesn’t eat it… Just gets the cheapest one in Tesco. We have chicken here, it’s quick & easy!

DogInATent · 19/12/2024 21:14

Don't do turkey then.

No one actually prefers it, it's just force of habit tradition. Duck, chicken, beef, lamb, pork - all are tastier, easier, and better.

Daddydog · 19/12/2024 21:15

I do love the idea of turkey but I'm lactose-gluten intolerant. I’ve been chasing that juicy turkey dream but every attempt ends up drier than the Griswold's. I’ve tried plant butter under the skin (makes it worse) a 24-hour cider brine with a fancy organic bird - always ends up with turkey-jerky. The last few years, we switched to goose—amazing, but renders down to nothing and pricey! Cooking is my passion - I rework recipes for Xmas day for months to be gluten and dairy free. No one can tell it's GF/DF except for turkey. It's my great white buffalo. Any magical ideas or tricks?

Superhansrantowindsor · 19/12/2024 21:17

Streaky back bacon laid over the whole thing. Always have a frozen turkey. Always do the bacon thing. It always tastes lovely.

Thelnebriati · 19/12/2024 21:19

The only reason its cooked breast up is to make the skin golden and crispy, just cook it breast down, and wrap it well in several layers of foil to keep the steam in.

Oblahdeeoblahdoe · 19/12/2024 21:21

Mrswhatsit40 · 19/12/2024 15:19

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!

Show quote history

Aldi and Lidl had fresh ones in today.

Lobstercrisps · 19/12/2024 21:21

Mrswhatsit40 · 19/12/2024 15:19

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!

Show quote history

Couldn't move for fresh turkeys in Aldi today. This is the date all the supermarkets put out their meat. They advertise it in advance.

FWIW, I used to cook mine upside down. But I did also separate the skin from the meat with a knife and put butter in too.

Then bacon everywhere.

Then tinfoil.

Turn it over to brown once it's almost cooked.

I cook beef fillet now. But I never cooked a dry turkey.

middleagedandinarage · 19/12/2024 21:30

AndrewPreview · 19/12/2024 15:16

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.

*@AndrewPreview I'm thinking about doing that this year. Cook it christmas eve. Christmas day, carve it then heat it in a dish in the oven in gravy. Is that how you do it?

Blueuggboots · 19/12/2024 21:31

I use the good food roast timer for all meat.

Having said that, I refuse to cook turkey cuz it's just shit and boring!! I always cook beef.

rayofsunshine86 · 19/12/2024 21:38

Spatchcocked turkey is easier to cook imo. Less glamorous, but it's not bone dry. Get yourself a meat thermometer, too.

brunettemic · 19/12/2024 21:39

Checked with DH as he’s in charge of cooking and the turkey is never dry. Presuming you use a rack that it sits on in the roasting dish you just fill the roasting dish with water, the steam rises through the turkey as it cooks and boom it’s not dry. Cook low and slow, sounds like your oven is too hot. Obviously foil covered for the vast majority of the time, which in turn keeps the moisture inside.

Deeperthantheocean · 19/12/2024 21:40

Turkey crowns are much less dry I've found. With all of the other ingredients and meat, plus sauces and gravy, does anyone really notice this much? Xx

REignbow · 19/12/2024 21:45

Deep fry it….game changer as I hated turkey until I ate this!

As an aside this is an American thing (yes, I used to live in the US) but it does take quite a lot of engineering to do..

boil a large vat of oil (outside)
lower said whole turkey slowly into heated oil
cook
take out it out and enjoy!

I’ll try and link a video of it