With five days to go before Christmas Day Lunch, I thought I would
share some tips to help you prepare for the big day!
Find the weight of your turkey on the label, or weigh it
(use your bathroom scales if they are digital). This will help you work out how
long to cook the bird and work out when to put the turkey in, based on what
time you want to eat. You can then work the rest of the dishes around this
time.
All weights below will feed the number of adults generously with some
leftovers for Boxing Day! Make sure your roasting dish is big enough
for the size of bird you have bought – to also allow for the chipolatas wrapped in bacon to go around the turkey.
Weight
of turkey
|
Feeds
number of people
|
Cooking
times (not including the rest)
|
3-4kg
|
4-6 people
|
4 kgs = 2 hours and 40 minutes max
|
4-5kg
|
6-8 people
|
5 kgs = 3 hours and 25 minutes max
|
5-6kg
|
8-10 people
|
6 kgs = 4 hours and 10 minutes max
|
6-7kg
|
10-12 people
|
7 kgs = 4 hours and 55 minutes max
|
7-8kg
|
12-15 people
|
8 kgs = 5 hours and 40 minutes max
|
* Rest time is a minimum of 45 minutes.
You can rest for an hour if necessary.
Defrosting your turkey:
When defrosting your turkey, you must sit the bird in a deep roasting
dish and defrost in the bottom of your fridge for 2 days (remove from the
freezer on the morning of the 23rd December). To check it is completely
defrosted, pull the leg away from the thigh – there should be no resistance.
Cooking times for your turkey:
Calculate your cooking times accurately. Allow 40 minutes per kg for
the first 4kgs of weight. Once the
turkey exceeds 4kg, it is 45 minutes per extra kg (ie. 5kg bird = 40 minutes x
4kg + 45 minutes). The temperature
should be 180°C / Gas 4. For the final 30 minutes, with the foil off the
turkey, turn the oven up to 200°C / Gas 6.
Is your turkey ready?
Push a skewer into the thickest part of the thigh, then catch the
juices in a spoon or onto a white plate.
The juices should be clear, with no sign of pink. If they are pink,
return to the oven for another 20 minutes, then test again. Remember all ovens vary so it is
important to test the bird rather than taking it as done by the time in the
oven.
Always leave the turkey to rest for 45 minutes, covered in tin foil,
with a few tea towels on top. Resting allows the juices to settle back into the
meat. This guarantees a moist bird.
This also allows for you to cook the vegetables and gravy, during this
period.
If you find that you have overcooked your turkey, fear not, carve the
bird in the kitchen – away from prying eyes! – and place onto a gorgeous
platter and pour a little watered down gravy all over the bird to give it some
juices before serving.
Preparations and to do on Christmas Eve – 24th
December:
· Chill
the champagne and white wine in the fridge
· Sharpen
the carving knife
· Make
sure you have enough tin foil and a large enough roasting dish for the turkey
· Make
sure you have brandy to light the Christmas pudding!
· Make
the giblet stock (to use on Christmas day for the gravy)
· Make
the cranberry sauce
· Peel
the potatoes, cut them and keep them in water in the fridge
· Make
the stuffing and keep in the fridge
· Wrap
the chipolatas in the bacon and keep in the fridge
· If you
are making bread sauce, infuse the milk with the herbs etc. the day before and
keep the infused milk in the fridge
· Make
extra ice
· Prepare
and locate your serving dishes, plates, tablecloth, napkins, glasses, cutlery,
salt & pepper pots – work out which plate/platter you will use for each
dish (avoids last minute panics!)
· Get the
Christmas crackers out of the cupboard!
Merry Christmas and a peaceful and happy 2013!
Merry Christmas and a peaceful and happy 2013!