# The Perfect Turkey?



## Just a girl (Mar 6, 2008)

Hi Festive Fertility Friends 

I'm 30 years old and would you believe I have never cooked the Turkey on Christmas day  so how do you prepare it so that it doesn't dry out when cooking?  I bought the extra large size from Tesco and its going to take 4hr30mins to cook so any advice/tips would be greatly received 

Thanks xxx


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## Stalyvegas (Oct 14, 2007)

Hiya

Good luck with the Turkey....  I tend to prefer a boring old plain turkey rather than the fancy pants soaking in water baths etc...  However with a turkey, esp a huge one like yours I sometimes take off the legs and cook seperately (and for longer) and then the breast is left - so like a turkey crown - and cooked on its own for slightly less time. That way you get a more moist breast, instead of it drying out waiting for the legs to cook.

Breast-wise smother it with butter & a very healthy coating of salt, bit of lemon thyme if you have it - foil on it for the majority of the time and just 30 mins at the end with it off to brown. 

Oh and if yours is frozen leave yourself 24 hours to defrost fully - it sounds like a big boy....  it should go into the oven at room temp. 

Have a nice christmas  
R
xx


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## Just a girl (Mar 6, 2008)

Soaking in water baths   ....... clueless 

Your version sounds pretty good to me thankyou , didn't know about going in at room temp either!

Wishing you a nice Christmas too  xxx


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## Mish3434 (Dec 14, 2004)

I leave the Turkey cooking to DH.  We always buy a crown and he puts the really large mushroom cups filled with butter under the Turkey skin, which helps to keep the turkey moist.

Good luck
Shelley x


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## fuzzier (Oct 31, 2005)

Whenever i've cooked a bigger bird i've always cooked it upside down (breast on bottom of roasting pan) so that all the juices in the cavity soak into the breast meat, then turn it over for the last half hour to brown off.


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## Guest (Dec 23, 2009)

AArrrggghhh, just lost a long post!

I like the idea of cooking upside down but how have you got it back the right way up for finishing?  We love the crispy skin which wouldn't happen if we couldn't get it back the right way.

We have always cooked ours in a roasting bag which can be found in any supermarket, near the freezer bags.  Just put a dessert spoon of flour in it and give it a good shake around.  Once the turkey is in, seal it up and then snip it to let the air out when cooking.
We've always done this method,as has my mum and never had dried out turkey from it.

We also 'line' our turkey, as opposed to stuffing.  We get sage and bay leaves out of the garden and mix them with garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  DH then rubs this in between the skin and the meat so that it flavours it all but doesn't make it too strong.

We also plan all timings from oven going on to dishing up otherwise I will forget something along the lines as has happened with normal roast dinners!


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## fuzzier (Oct 31, 2005)

Hi Glitter i drain off any juices then use a second tin put this over the bird then turn both tins over and take the other tin off this leaves the bird the right way up put the juices back in the tin with the bird in and pop back in oven.

This year as it's only dh ds and myself we've just got a small turkey breast joint/crown.

Hope everyone has a lovely Christmas with tender juicy turkeys


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## wendycat (Nov 18, 2006)

Great thread!

I have never cooked a turkey before and have a recipe that involves a complicated water bath, but may well change my mind and do something a bit simpler after reading all these tips!

Wendy
x


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## Stalyvegas (Oct 14, 2007)

We tried the water bath (just not at christmas - just in case) and it was a faff, and although it was a nice turkey it was so spectacularly different to justify all the mesing around....


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## Just a girl (Mar 6, 2008)

Ok so would you still coat with butter if going with the upside down method and cover the bottom with foil?


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## Lou F ❁ (Feb 28, 2003)

Mine is only a small one but i will be rubbing it all over with a mixture of olive oil and butter rub salt in, place upside down for first few hours covered in tin foil then finish as Fuzzier does by turning it over and crisping it up, we are in the middle east right now and am gutted that we wont be having pigs in blankets   Just not Christmas lunch without them 
Enjoy everyone xx


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## Just a girl (Mar 6, 2008)

Lou - No pigs in blankets  

Thank you everyone , all your replies have been so helpful 

   ​


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## BABY2 (Nov 28, 2007)

Glad I saw this as I too am a "turkey virgin", and saw an easy recipe on VideoJug   

Glitter didn't realize they do roasting bags that big?I have to look for them as that sounds easy enough

and out of curiosity any ideas about stuffing?not a fan of the normal sage and onion or anything with sage really was thinking apricots but what else??


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## Guest (Dec 23, 2009)

Baby2 - just got ours out of the cupboard, Baco (as in Bacofoil) do them and they go up to 8 kg size turkey / 18lb.  I'm not a stuffing fan either which is why we line it instead.


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## Stalyvegas (Oct 14, 2007)

I would rather have the stuffing than the turkey - though I am total plain jane about it and just want Paxo all the way   . I usually bung a lemon cut in half inside the cavity just to freshen the whole thing up. 

And I coat the whole thing in butter


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## Guest (Dec 24, 2009)

Lol Stalyvegas, the first thing I thought of from your 'freshen up' comment was those lemon scented towels on aeroplanes    I now have an image of a turkey dabbing himself down!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think DH also puts onion halves inside as well.


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