Have The Family And Friends Over For Oven Roasted Turkey On Christmas Day
Over 80% of English families have oven cooked turkey on Christmas Day. They simply would not have anything else but roast turkey and all the trimmings. It is the commonest meat eaten at Christmas.
In order not to contract salmonella food poisoning turkey must be cooked to a specific interior temperature 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.
A decision must be made as to whether the turkey is going to be stuffed. If this is so a lot more time must be allowed to allow the turkey to be cooked to a specific interior temperature. The legs should not be trussed to the side of the bird as this also increases cooking times. Cover the turkey streaky bacon strips and in foil until the turkey is cooked and only uncover the turkey to allow the skin to brown and crisp. Cooking times will vary greatly, depending on the size of the bird. Consult recipe books.. And don’t fprget the gravy boat for that perfect turkey gravy.
When placing a turkey inside the oven ensure that it is in a dish that is large enough to catch all the fat and juices that will ooze out. Also, do not place the pan that is too high in the oven as this will result in the skin and outer meat being cooked but the inside will still be raw. The darker meat takes longer to cook than light meat so always place the turkey in the oven legs first as the back of the oven tends to be hotter. When carving the bird, make sure you have a chopping board that is large enough to hold her.
Before the big day invite family and friends round. On Christmas Eve make sure vegetable and other preparations are in hand. On the day, an early get up is required to get everything under way. Serve the roast turkey dinner and the drinks when guests have arrived and enjoy. Worry about washing the pots later!
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