Any frozen turkey "experts" here?

[TwigTheWonderKid]

We normally order a turkey from a local grocers. However, this year I am not up for spending almost £100 and want to try a frozen one. We want a whole tukey, not a crown.

Are they all similar or is there anywhere in particular I shoud l look?

my mum always used to put in the hallway in a deep baking tray 3 days before ... always turned out fab

I've never defrosted meat in the fridge. Takes far too long. Always on the kitchen worktop overnight, then once defrosted put in fridge until needed that day. Have never had food poisoning.

This year even "fresh" turkeys may have bee frozen and then defrosted.

Used to spend a fortune on a large fresh Turkey from the butchers and one year I decided to try frozen. Tescos. Was the best Turkey ever and nothing to do with fresh or frozen. I only had a single oven at that time and took the one that had been frozen out of the oven once cooked as I needed the oven for roasties etc.
Covered the Turkey back up in its foil once I poured the juices off and then blanketed the lot in at least 3 clean towels. Yep, the secret was in the resting as left if for an hour and it was still piping hot and so moist. Never bothered with fresh again.
oh and at least twice I found my defrosted Turkey still had a tad of ice in the cavity and surrounding area…..frantic googling but cooked it anyway. Just put a clentime cut in half with herbs very loosely inside and all was fine.
Another boo-boo I did twice was after removing the Turkey neck for pan of stock from the frozen one, I only found the other bag of offal AFTER the dinner many years ago 🙈🙄…..no one died so if that happens to you by accident just keep schtumm! 😂 For ref, I’ve cooked at least 27 of them for Christmas so only boobed twice there……

Always give them longer to defrost, can always pop it in the sink (still in the packaging) in cold water of you need to help it along. Unless your kitchen is boiling, ours has always been preped on Christmas eve and then left in the oven wrapped in foil and we've never been ill.
I have heard they cook quicker and dry out more than fresh but we always put butter and bacon on top to stop it drying out. They always have the cooking times on. Make sure to rest it.
If you get one with giblets, remember to get them out the cavity. I always put them underneath to cook it with veg and it makes the most amazing gravy.

Fresh ones start being reduced at around 11am in Tesco. DS used to work there and would text me when they started marking them down.

We brine the turkey and it defrosts in the shed.

Except for last year when we got a fresh one from m&s and the meat was rotten. 🤮 Lesson learned.

It takes three days to defrost.

Fridge juggling: If you get your shopping delivery on Christmas Eve, keep the fruit, veg, cheese and eggs out of the fridge (boot of the car if it’s cold), and don’t put drinks in the fridge until the bird is in the oven.

There are advantages to frozen - no interminable queuing at the butcher, no worries if there’s a shortage closer to Christmas, more control over the type of bird you want without having to argue with the butcher about it.

Rather than the faff of brining, I recommend slathering a half pound of softened unsalted butter mixed with a heaped tablespoon of salt and all the seasonings you like, under the skin, 12 hours or more before cooking.

In terms of what type to buy, they will tend to be priced in terms of quality factors so you pay more for organic, free range, higher welfare birds. Pick your price point and look at what’s offered in those terms.

Our fresh turkey was rotten too last year 😭

Is a frozen one going to be more reliable??

Last year we had a free range frozen turkey from Waitrose and it was great, definitely a good option.

So to report back, we had a Waitrose free range turkey for the princely sum of £29 and everyone declared it the best turkey we'd ever had. Am never going back to £100 fresh turkeys again!!

I got the Oakham slow cooked Turkey from M&S this year. Had the same last year and it was delicious

They do take ages to defrost. I usually encase mine in a towel and put it in a cool box in our hallway for a couple of days. It will thaw quicker if you remove the giblets from the cavity as soon as you can wrestle them out.

We've had frozen from Tesco for years, after spending a small fortune on a fresh one one year and not really thinking it was worth the ££££

Some tips: put a reminder with alerts in your phone to remind you to take out of the freezer. Defrost time should be on the packaging.

I put an apple and an onion in the cavity, creates steam and flavour for the juices. Cover with slices of streaky bacon & foil & baste regularly.

As some of the weight might come from water, if you can weigh it before calculating cooking time (bathroom or luggage scales). If you can't weigh it - and anyway - start checking it 45-60 mins before expected cook time as it's easy to overlook any Turkey, not just frozen.

Leave to rest breast side down, covered in foil and a folded bath towel while you cook potatoes/stiuffing/pigs etc it will stay warm enough.