Anyone else cooking their turkey on Christmas eve?

[TheoriginalLEM]

Ok so my mum always buys our turkey. Every year she insists on buying the most expensive mahoosive turkey in the shop. I usually go with her to rein her in but haven't been able to this year as im working ft. It was ££££ so i can only imagine its the size of an ostrich.

Dp thinks it might be a good idea to cook it on xmas eve but cold turkey tastes very different to hot turkey. could we slice it and microwave the slices? or just serve it cold and hope the gravy moistens it??

I also have an unknown amount of gammon to cook. That will def be going in the slow cooker.

Dp doesn't want to cook the turkey o/n because he worries it wont be ssfe.

Please don't cook it the day before. Dh's parents do this then leave it to cool uncovered in the hallway all night then serve cold with hot gravy poured over it. Blergh!

I think it might be better if cooked and sliced then reheated in gravy possibly?

Put it in first thing in the morning, cook it, take it out, cover it in heavy towels and leave it, then cook the rest of the stuff. It will still be hot and yummy a couple of hours later. I wouldn't cook it the night before and then microwave it. That's fairly unappetising and not very festive.😂

Mr friend does this. No idea if she heats it up again. She does keep it in the fridge though over night. I like the idea of being prepared but not sure about this!

When we reheat on Boxing Day we put it in the oven with gravy (NOT microwave) to heat through
It's actually pretty good that way and stays hotter than normal turkey

ok. based on these responses it will be business as usual i think. Sadly i think 1st thing in the morning will need to be 5am. i haven't even seen it yet i wonder if it is too late to go and let ut free??

Don't. My inlaws do this and it is disgusting - cold or badly reheated turkey with gravy. Awful. If space is an issue in the oven it's easier to cook all the trimmings and veg the day before and reheat in the microwave but please have a freshly roasted turkey.

Oven timer?

It will end up very dry if you do this .

My DPS do that. It's horrible and cold.

Is there no flexibility in your meal time? We never have a set time as it just causes stress. The people who are eating heterogeneous will be around for midday and we'll eat between 1-3 depend9ng on what time DC get up and we get rhe turkey and the ham cooked

Can you slow cook it on a low temperature overnight? That's what I'm planning on doing with mine

We always cook ours the day before. Then reheat in the oven with a little stock over it.

Have main meal at 6pm. Then can get up a leisurely time and put turkey in after breakfast

I've been cooking ours on xmas eve for the last 10 years. It's always tasted fine. I can't cope with cooking the turkey on xmas day!

No, don't cook it the day before.

What size is it? Try to find out then you can work out timings.

We generally buy around 16lb, put it in 830/9 and eat by 3 with plenty of resting time so even if it is a little bigger, it can easily be cooked fresh.

Please don't do this. Yuk.

No, my MIL does this, we never eat there, grim.
Just chuck it in the oven early, go back to bed if needs be.

Oh no don't do it.

Cold turkey with some warm gravy poured over it

i always cook mine on christmas eve and it turns out lovely. there are a couple of secrets though. firstly, always cook it upside down, on the breast, that way the breast doesnt dry out. i baste the whole bird with a bit of butter, and tuck small knobs under the skin in various points. cook it early, then it has all day to cool, slice once cool and put on a plate and cover with either foil or cling film and put in fridge.

christmas day put the slices you want into an oven dish, cover with gravy and reheat gently. will be perfectly fine. and because you dont heat it all in gravy, there is plenty left to have cold on boxing day too

We put our turkey on at 5am ish, and let it sit around while we do the potatoes and things later.

Day old turkey with a special Christmas dinner would be a shame.

And reheating it in gravy wouldn't work unless everyone actually likes gravy.

I cook mine Christmas eve and then carve it when cool and I also make the gravy etc. On Christmas morning the amount we need goes in the slow cooker in gravy and it's ready whenever we need it. Might not work if you have other plans for the slow cooker though. We do the same on boxing day but the left over stuffing and chipolatas go in too.

Why does it need to be at 5am, when do you need to eat by? And has she bought you a baby ostrich? If you ate about 3 pm, that would be at least nine hours cooking time, and still taking it out two hours before hand,,,😱

PIL do this. No idea why as they have a range cooker and only get a crown. Sometimes it's cold otherwise reheated in gravy. Either way it's pretty grim.

I either get up early to cook it or eat later depending on who is eating with us.

It's not lovely. It's reheated in gravy. You can taste that, too. Ewww.

I always do it and it is fine.

I have never been able to tell the difference between my mum's turkey who does it on Xmas eve and MIL's who does hers on the day.

What unicorn said.