Oven Roasted Turkey And All The Trappings Of Xmas Day
Oven Cooked turkey is undoubtedly the most common meat eaten on Christmas Day. In fact research has shown that more than 8 in 10 of the UK families would not have anything other than roast turkey and all the trimmings at Xmas!
In order not to contract salmonella food poisoning turkey must be cooked all the way through and if a frozen bird has been chosen it must be well defrosted before cooking.
Most turkeys nowadays come specially prepared, no need for removing the feathers or removing the insides. The first thing that needs to be done is to remove the giblets from the plastic bag inside the bird. These giblets can be boiled in a pan to make a basic meat stock for gravy or stuffing and the liver can be finely chopped and used in stuffing.
If the turkey is going to be stuffed more time must be allowed for the turkey to cook thoroughly. Cooking times will be increased if the legs of the turkey are trussed. The turkey should then be covered in streaky bacon and the whole bird covered in foil which should only be removed when the meat is cooked to allow the skin to crisp and brown. Consult recipe books for cooking times as larger turkeys will obviously take much longer to cook.. And don’t fprget the gravy boat for that perfect turkey gravy.
Use a large cooking tray and make sure it is big enough to collect all the juices that seep out. Place the pan on the lower shelf of the oven, not too hot, as the turkey will not cook thoroughly on the inside if not place on the bottom shelf or in an oven that is too hot. Dark meat takes a lot longer to cook than light meat so make sure that the dark meat part of the turkey is placed at the back of the oven where it is usually hotter. The best chopping board will accommodate a full size bird.
Make sure that family and friends have been invited round well in advance of the big day and on Xmas Eve make sure that preparations are well advanced. An early start will be needed to Xmas Day to make sure everything is cooking prior to the meal. When the roasted turkey is cooked, serve everything up and enjoy. The dishes can be washed later!