"GET YOUR TURKEYS OUT THE FREEZER" - post your Christmas Day Lunch/Dinner Tips here!!!!

[VVVExcitedAboutChristmasQV]

rosy

Take turkey's out now and defrost in the fridge - its the safest way to do it.

Prepare all veg tonight - potatoes can be peeled and left in water overnight.

I always par-boil my potatoes and parsnips in the morning a couple of hours before roasting them to take the pressure off later, drain them, then leave them to cool down.
They then go into the hot (almost smoking) tray of goosefat/lard in the same way as usual.

If you have any time-saving (or food-poisoning preventing tips ), post here!

My DH is doing it all, I will point him at this thread later.

I said Tips not boasts

Blimey, my turkey has been in the garage defrosting since Saturday and it's not thawed yet!
Spuds parboiled and frozen, ready to go into hot goose fat.
Stuffing frozen - must take that out tonight.
Just off to prepare my parsnips and carrots -will par-boil, toss in honey & lemon juice then chill until tomorrow.
Trim sprouts and bag up in the fridge.
Sort out all my serving platters, jugs, china, cutlery, tablecloth, candles.
Have borrowed chairs.
Will set table tonight.

Mind you this is the house of disease, at the moment I would settle for a fruit shoot and a sausage roll.

Ooh, have written myself a cooking timetable to stick on the fridge.

how big is your turkey chippy ?

Don't defrost in fridge!

Must be left out of frige over night if already thawed- not kept in fridge - as must stuffing if you've made.

DS1 has a rash all over his face, I am ignoring it as it's probably post-viral, he's been ill for a week but feels fine now.

We parboil the parsnips, then toss them in flour and parmesan and black pepper. Freeze them and cook in really hot fat.

VVV...Go Nigella!

oh crap!..fridge or no fridge????

5.5kg, i think, but it's probably only just above freezing in the garage. DH's job will be to prep it when he gets home, I am not rummaging upo a turkey's bum for the giblets.

bire those parsnips sound good, but probably a touch too exotic for the ILs

brie even

Well I'd say no fridge, but I don't want to be responsible for food poisoning.

My turkey is fresh and still at the butchers! But I will take it out the fridge tonight, so everything is room temperature tomorrow morning, otherwise it throws the cooking times.

Why not defrost in fridge? My turkey is in there now defrosting?

Chippy's Turkey

No, it must be the fridge to prevent bacteria from reaping havoc.

If you defrost just on the kitchen counter or something, it will warm up much quicker on the outside than the inside. So outside will be virtually room temperature for hours and give bacteria a chance to spread, whilst the inside remains frozen.

If you need it defrosted quicker you can defrost it in (cold) water.

Plenty of wine

just popping out to check that my turkey isn't really invisible

It's not big, is it?

Why not defrost in fridge? My turkey is in there now defrosting?

Turkey must be kept in the fridge.

Cooking times incorporate the chilled temp of the bird hundred.

As a general guide, in an oven preheated to 180ºC (350ºF, Gas Mark 4):

for a turkey under 4.5kg, allow 45 minutes per kg plus 20 minutes
for a turkey weighing between 4.5kg and 6.5kg, allow 40 minutes per kg
for a turkey over 6.5kg, allow 35 minutes per kg
Tip: Cover your turkey with foil during cooking and uncover for the last 30 minutes to brown the skin. To stop the meat drying out, baste it every hour during cooking.

tips on defrosting copied and pasted from...somewhere....

If you want to thaw your turkey in the refrigerator, you need to start days before cooking (that's why we're running this as the QotD a few days before Thanksgiving...). Keep the turkey in its original wrapping and put it in a pan to catch the moisture. Allow 24 hours of thawing time for every 5 pounds of turkey.
8 to 12 pounds: 1 to 2 days
12 to 16 pounds: 2 to 3 days
16 to 20 pounds: 3 to 4 days
20 to 24 pounds 4 to 5 days
One of the good things about using the refrigerator method is that you can keep the defrosted turkey in the refrigerator for a day until it's time to roast.
If you need to thaw your turkey faster, use the cold water method. Immerse your packaged turkey (make sure there are no tears in the packaging) in ice-cold water. You need to change the water every 30 minutes to keep it cold and allow about 30 minutes of thawing time per pound of turkey.

8 to 12 pounds: 4 to 6 hours
12 to 16 pounds: 6 to 8 hours
16 to 20 pounds: 8 to 10 hours
20 to 24 pounds: 10 to 12 hours
If you use the cold water method, you should cook your turkey as soon as it is thawed.

any ever done the turkey in a roasting bag? I was clearing out a drawer and found some bags the other day - might keep it moist.

food standards agency link