Fresh turkey help

[DottyDodger]

I was going to get a frozen one, but Tesco had a really decent sized turkey for a good price, so I bought it (on Thursday).

Th 'Use By' date is 26th December.

It's currently in the original packing in a fridge. Is this the best way to store it? Would I be better removing the packing and rewrapping? I'm so worried I'll open it on Christmas morning and it'll be rotten...

Any advice?

I’d be very tempted to cook it the day before, rather than wait for a dreadful surprise on Christmas Day. I’d be wary about keeping it that long in a ram packed fridge where the door is opened several times a day.
It’s easy enough to slice and reheat on the day, and won’t taste any different for it.

I've managed to put it in a cold fridge on its own (a work fridge) so thankfully not being opened at all.

Very tempted to cook it Christmas Eve - if it'll even last that long - I'd never leave a chicken that long. Argh, kicking myself for not sticking to the original plan!

i am in the same position,
i have a small crown, use by 26th December
i thought use by was ok to eat after, my concern was we wont eat it all by 26th
i hadnt thought about the busy fridge making it bad!
oh dear

Soak it in brine till Christmas Day - warmed up turkey is foul - pun

Put it in the freezer now and out into the fridge on 23rd

Id rather cook on Christmas Day. Will certainly brine it for 24-48 hours. Good shout, thanks.

Was tempted to do this, but thought it defeated the object of buying fresh...

yes but if you can freeze it, at least you have it and dont have to go searchign the shops for the right size bird

It will be fine if you have it in an unopened fridge up at max. The same ones are in the supermarket in the same position since yesterday at least and it would be the same age one you would buy if you left it until Christmas Eve. I bought mine today and it's in the bottom coldest part of my second fridge that is not opened often. It will be fine Christmas Day, they always default to putting the 26th on as use by date for obvious reasons! I definitely wouldn't go freezing it at this stage, it will no sooner be frozen when it will be time to take it out again to thaw. If you have frozen freezer blocks stick them in around it to keep the temp even lower. I left mine in it's original wrapping and into another large bag just in case of any leakage. I will take it out Tuesday just to remove legs and bone them but other than that I expect no issue with it.

Sorry to hijack the thread but how long do you wise people think a 3kg boneless Turkey crown will take to defrost?

I think that’s a default date. I’ve noticed for the past couple of years all the turkeys have that date.

They smell a bit when you take the wrapping off, and then they smell a bit of whatever bleach they wash them with. Don’t panic about either. I put clingfilm on my kitchen counter, and I clean the turkey with damp kitchen roll and pat it dry. If it’s got a smell then, there’s a problem.

Even if you go shopping Christmas eve the fresh supermarket turkeys all tend to have the 26th on them. Never had a problem personally.

The date on tbe turkey is when it needs to be cooked by. Once it is cooked it will be fine for another 48 hours even if it is cooked on the use by date