Talk to me about ordering a turkey please

[ThinkIveBeenHacked]

Im buying the turkey this year. Should need to feed around 12/14 people and they want a whole turkey rather than crowns.

Am a total turkey novice so.no.idea when and where to get it from

Ideally ready to cook, no removing innards etc.

Help!!

Do you want frozen or fresh? How many do you need it to feed? Do you want leftovers for sandwiches or Boxing Day? How big is your oven?

Sort out your answers to the above and then look at on line grocery shopping sites where you will get ideas of prices and what size turkey feeds how many. Personally I like to know my Christmas turkey will be good and tend to go to M&S and pre-order. They usually come ready to cook unless you buy them from a farm.

Make sure you cook it thoroughly (we had dreadful Christmas years ago when PIL came to us ill from having had undercooked turkey at SIL's!), only stuff neck end and factor weight of stuffing into cooking time and allow plenty of resting time to allow meat to relax and oven to be turned up high to finish off roast potatoes.

Good luck!

I buy mine from one of the local butchers.
I buy a crown though, but he does prepare it all so all I have to do is give it a quick rinse for my own piece of mind & put it in the oven.
I should imagine that if you ask the butcher nicely he`ll prapare the whole turkey for you so you can just put it in the oven.
The butcher does tend to be more expensive than the supermarkets though, but IMO taste so much nicer.

Oh Im avoiding cooking Oven is standard size electric fan oven. dont mind frozen or fresh (parents have used both in the past) and deffo want leftovers

Go to your local butcher, tell him what you've just told us and he'll sort you out.

Are there different breeds which taste nicer? Or is a turkey a turkey?

The last couple of years we've ordered from Abel & Cole and they've been really good - delivered to your door and taste gorgeous. I think it may be a bronze turkey? Previously we've ordered fresh from supermarkets (marks and waitrose - both have been good). There are lots of food brochures out at the moment and they give an idea as to the size you would need depending on how many you are feeding.

As to cooking, are the rules the same as for cchicken ie don't wash before cooking?

You should never wash meat or poultry as it can spread bacteria all over the kitchen.

I've always cooked my turkey the same as chicken and its always been lovely.

I find putting it in a roasting bag helps keep the moisture in so it doesn't go dry as a while turkey can need 3-4 hours cooking depending on size.

If using a frozen turkey make sure its fully defrosted. Last year ours took almost 48 hours to defrost and it was only a medium one.

Kelly bronze preordered from M&S collect on Christmas Eve - simple!

I ordered a turkey for the first time last year, ended up with one from m&s, it was delicious. I was told not to rinse poultry as it may spread germs!

Go Kelly bronze and eat with a clean conscience

I barbecued my turkey last year on a gas bbq with a lid - what a revelation. So simple, quick, delicious and juicy and I had an empty oven to do everything else in. I'm never going to cook my turkey any other way in future..!