Over 80% of UK families have oven roasted 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 completely and if a frozen bird has been chosen it must be well defrosted before cooking.
Today most turkeys come ready to put in the oven, there’s no need to gut or pluck feathers although the giblets will need removing from a plastic bag that will have been placed inside the cavity of the turkey. Boil the giblets in a saucepan and the stock can be used to make delicious gravy. The cooked liver can be chopped up finely and used in the stuffing.
If the turkey is going to be stuffed more time must be allowed for the turkey to cook to a specific interior temperature. 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 to a specific interior temperature 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 Christmas Eve make sure that preparations are well advanced. An early start will be needed to Christmas 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!