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How to cook the perfect turkey
Cooking the perfect Christmas turkey is a precise and time-consuming operation. Follow our step-by-step guide to ensure you achieve perfection this year
Before you do anything else to perfect your Christmas turkey, do this: buy the best one you can afford. Christmas is a time for overspending but a big bird is good value for money – not only on the day but also for all those sandwiches and leftovers that fill the following week.
If buying from a butcher, get your order in early. This ensures you’ll get the variety and size you want. Fridge space is also a consideration but you can collect your fresh turkey a day or two before Christmas.
If you’re lucky enough to have a larder or outdoor storage space, all the better – the weather is usually cold enough. Always ask for the giblets (to use for stock and gravy) and remove them from the cavity of the bird as soon as you get it home. With a frozen turkey, always make sure it is fully defrosted before cooking.
- Thawing times
- Preparation
- Stuffing
- Before you start
- Seasoning
- Basting
- Roasting times
- Carving
- The Perfect Roast Turkey recipe
Thawing times for frozen turkeys
4–5kg: 20 hours at room temperature; 65 hours in fridge
5–6kg: 24 hours at room temperature; 70 hours in fridge
6–7kg: 30 hours at room temperature; 75 hours in the fridge
8–9kg: 40 hours at room temperature; 80 hours in the fridge
9–11kg: 48 hours at room temperature; 96 hours in the fridge
Preparing to cook
If you’re cooking the turkey on Christmas Day, take it out of the fridge on Christmas Eve (or leave it in the larder overnight). It’s important to get it to a cool room temperature before roasting, otherwise cooking times are affected.
Stuffing
Stuffing can be made a few days beforehand (in fact, some people insist it improves if you do). Keep it in the fridge (you can even freeze it). However, if your recipe includes raw egg, make it on the day.
Always ensure the stuffing is cold before filling the neck cavity of the turkey. Officially, stuffing the main cavity is not recommended (although many people do) due to the risk of bacterial growth before the internal temperature reaches safe levels.
Use your own judgement and experience in this, but always stuff loosely to allow for expansion while cooking. A nice alternative to stuffing the cavity is to pop in a halved onion, a halved lemon and a handful of fresh herbs. This infuses the turkey with a subtle flavour that will enhance not only the taste of the bird but the gravy as well.
Next page: preparing the bird
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