Let's talk turkey...

[Wherearefoxssocks]

This year will be my first time cooking Christmas Dinner. Depending on restrictions, there'll be 3 or 5 of us (plus toddler).

What size turkey do I need? Do I need to pre order one? How much can I reasonably expect to pay?
And finally, any cooking tips?

I'm going to pre order a feee range chicken from Tesco instead this year!

Turkey bags are really good though, keeps the meat moist. You'll get them on eBay

You would probably want a small one 3-4 kg otherwise you will be eating turkey for ever! I normally pre-order so i know for sure what im getting but i know some buy at the last moment and get bargains on Christmas eve. Depending on the quality and your budget You can pay £30 - £80 plus. Look on supermarket websites - theyve got turkeys on there already which will give you some idea. You can pre-order from a local butcher as well.

I would absolutely pre order one. Personally I never use a frozen one and like to pick mine up fresh from supermarket or butcher of choice knowing it’s ready to go.

Usually when ordering it gives you an estimate or servings. I find these are based on low portions so normally order the next size up than the servings estimated suggest. Alternatively ask your butches for suggestion. You should know if you want big portions or not. Advantage of supermarket ones If you’re a novice is it usually comes with decent cooking instructions which I haven’t found with the ones form the butcher. I think having leftovers is part of the fun and do turkey pie and turkey curry or similar during the in between days.

DP has demanded turkey curry. This year is a bit weird as we're "doing Christmas"on Christmas Eve and then I'm on my own with one year old DS on Christmas Day, so I want some leftovers.

Thanks for the advice. When do you generally pre-order. Now?

I've used fresh organic bronze ones from the butcher and frozen ones from Aldi, and honestly either is fine as long as it's well seasoned and properly cooked. Google Nigella's cooking times once you know the weight, she goes for much shorter times than standard and it's much better that way.

MAKE SURE TO REST IT. I take it out of the oven, put a layer of foil over it and then pile a load of oven gloves and tea towels on top as insulation. It'll stay warm and succulent for a good two hours. You can actually take it out before you cook anything else, thereby giving yourself tons of oven capacity, and more leeway in the timing.

We have decided that since is just the four of us this year we are getting a big chicken that will do us for two days. Previously we got a turkey crown from M&S that said it fed 10 and it lasted 5 meat eaters for 2 days.

We order a turkey crown of about 2.5kg from the butcher. I preordered ours about two weeks ago from the butcher.

There are only two of us but we eat it for Christmas dinner, have Christmas sandwiches in the evening, Christmas pizza on Boxing Day and 1 or 2 other lunch type things with the leftovers.

Last year I got a gorgeous slow cooked turkey joint from Sainsbury’s. It only takes 2 hours and melts in your mouth.
This year they have the same joint, but it feeds 20?! Why have the made it so big?! It’s £45, can’t remember what I paid last year.

No one will need to feed 20 people this year. Haven’t Sainsbury’s heard of Covid

The best possible tip to avoid over/under cooking is to buy a 5 quid meat thermometer - dry overcooked meat will be a thing of the past.

Yes, pre-order now (especially this year as slots are booking up quick!) as if from a supermarket you will get a collection timeslot. This is separate from if you were booking an online Christmas delivery, but there is the option to order some of their other pre=prepared dishes at the same time.

Sainsburys and M&S are both currently accepting orders, I have no idea about other supermarkets. Alternatively phone local butchers, who may or may not be taking orders yet.

We've bought one from Aldi the last few years - either a whole frozen turkey or sometimes a crown, depending on how many I'm cooking for. I always follow the Delia Smith method. You line the baking tray with loads of foil, and bring it up and round the bird to make a big airy tent. Seal it really well all round and it cooks in its own steam so doesn't dry out.

I usually stuff a couple of cloves of garlic and a half a lemon in the body, and some Paxo sage & onion. Chestnut stuffing goes in the neck end. I buy that ready-made and split the pack - half in the neck, the other half goes either in a separate dish or in the freezer.

You can prepare pigs in blankets the week before and freeze them. You then just get out however many you need on the day and cook from frozen.

I get a big one from Aldi. You need to go when they get them in. You can't preorder. They are lovely. And plenty of leftovers. Yum I love turkey!

I bought an expensive fancy one a few years ago but I actually prefer a frozen prebasted one. One of the big benefits for buying frozen is that I can pick the turkey up well in advance so I don’t have to worry about not being able to get one. As long as you have the turkey no one will care what veg you have.

Yes to using a meat thermometer. You want to check the thickest parts of the thigh and the breast and also the thick but inbetween and make sure they are all at least 70c. Overcooking leads to a dry bird.

Everyone has their own tips for getting a good cook so that generally means that pretty much anything goes. I never bother with the bacon thing. Just season generously and roast. I use a wireless meat thermometer that feeds into an app - as long as I place the probe in the right place it lets me know when to take it out for a perfectly cooked bird. No stress at all.

We always have a fresh, free range one, which I get by going to M&S as soon as they open on the 23rd Dec.

For just 3 to 5 of you a small one will be plenty, unless you want loads left over to eat later.

You can rest it for an hour after cooking - I cover ours with foil and a couple of tea towels. It will not only stay hot but also carve better, and give you plenty of time/oven space for making gravy and cooking your veg and side dishes.

We've had a mixture of frozen and fresh over the years and honestly I can't tell the difference . We'll be getting a small frozen crown this year as it's probably just going to be the 4 of us, (currently in tier 2 and keep seeing reports tier 3 is looming for our area) so I'm going to buy it as soon as I have freezer space just in case.

I like loads of left overs so I always buy a massive one. I had 8 last year and had a 6.6kg turkey along with 1.9kg pork joint and 1.8kg beef. I like to have enough food so that I don’t have to cook for about a week after the big day.

Resting is essential for any meat. It gives time for the juices to redistribute and cooling a little firms the meat up for easier carving. I find removing the entire breast from the carcass makes for the best carving. After it’s cooked, obviously!

I would either buy gravy or do Jamie Oliver’s Get Ahead gravy if it’s your first time. Gravy is just one thing you don’t want to be trying to do at the same time as you are trying to get a bunch of things ready to serve. Making it ahead it always the best bet and takes some of the stress away.

We've tried various ones over the years and have found no difference between fresh and frozen. 🤷‍♀️ As others have said, the biggest difference is how you prepare it.

So for convenience we just get a frozen one from Aldi. There's only ever three of us but we get the biggest one which reckons it serves over ten people (lol) because we love leftovers!

There's only going to be the 4 of us here this year - Me & 3DC.
I like to have plenty of left overs so not at all sure what to do this year. Will stick with the usual crown I think but want one that gives left overs for boxing day!

I've gone with a large frozen crown from Tesco. There will be a maximum of 7 of us depending on the rules, etc so may have plenty of leftovers if we are only 3, in which case I will get hubby to slice and parcel the rest up for freezer.

As previous posters I can't tell the difference between fresh and frozen.
I just bought a new freezer for the garage and as soon as I get it delivered I'll chuck a frozen crown from Aldi (they already have some in my local)
If I can get a decent priced fillet from my butchers that will be Xmas Dinner, but the turkey is the plan B. Also we all love turkey here and makes the best sandwiches.
I always brine mine for a few hours.
Vacuum packed with a good chunk of butter and cook in a water bath on the 23rd.
25th only needs to get out of the fridge 20 min in the oven and it's ready. No need for resting or anything else.
Gravy in this house is also made in advance and frozen.