Turkey

Buying, storing & cooking tips for turkey

JUMP TO:-   Before you buy your turkey  |  What size turkey | Defrosting  | How much stuffing  | Preparation , Roasting, Accompaniments|  Storing Cooked Turkey|  Using up Leftovers

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How many times have you served or been served  turkey which is bland and dry? Worse still,  how many times have you had to wait because the bird wasn't quite cooked in time?  We tell you how to buy, prepare and cook the perfect, succulent, flavoursome turkey with all the trimmings on Christmas day,  PLUS some wonderful recipes for using up the leftovers....if you have any!

Before you buy your turkey

Check your oven is large enough if you intend cooking a big bird, and buy a special turkey roasting pan.  If worse comes to the worse and you find yourself with a bird which just won't fit in the oven, try removing the legs which can be cooked separately. If that's still no good, separate the crown (i.e. the whole breast section) from the back of the bird, but remember, it will take less cooking time.

If you are cooking for just a few people and/or you don't want too much leftover turkey, consider buying a crown. This is just the breast section of the bird which is still on the bone. They have the added advantages of being able to be cooked much more quickly and taking up less space in the refrigerator when storing and oven when cooking.

Remember - turkeys are heavy so take care when lifting in and out of the oven so make sure you get yourself some really good heavy duty oven gloves.

How big a turkey do you need?

You should allow 350g/12oz per person (with bone) but bear in mind that's just for one meal. Below are some example bird sizes, but we've allowed extra so you have some left to either eat cold or for use in other recipes  :-

Defrosting a Turkey

If you have bought a frozen bird do make sure it is well defrosted first. Check by putting your hand inside the body cavity to see if there are any ice crystals left. Smaller turkeys (up to 7 kg) take about 24 hours to defrost in a cool place (around 18 °C), larger birds up to 48 hours.  If possible, remove it from the plastic packaging and re-wrap in aluminium foil as the plastic tends to make the bird "sweat".