Is there anything better sitting down to a feast of Christmas delicacies? Dinner tables across the country will soon be heaving with sausage stuffing, Brussel Sprouts, little boats of gravy, at least three types of potatoes, a honey glazed ham, and, most importantly, a succulent turkey. It's a thing of beauty.
Of course, this annual meal does put a lot of pressure on the designated family chef. And according to new research commisioned by Safefood, one in four people in Ireland have experienced a Christmas cooking disaster with 15% of us having issues with undercooking or overcooking their turkey.
If it's your turn to cook the turkey this year, don't fret. We sat down with Chef Adrian - a man who's been on Christmas dinner duty since the age of 16 - for some culinary advice.
"The day before, get the basics done. Peel your veg, put your potatoes in the fridge - it's the basic stuff but it makes the difference on the day - make your soup, have your dessert done and maybe leave it in the freezer."
He continued: "When it comes to Christmas day, treat it like a Sunday roast. Get the roast on and don't panic about the veg or any other bits until later on when the roast is cooked."
The 27-year-old recommends making the turkey your number one priority on Christmas day and to be sure to give yourself plenty of time as this festive delicacy needs time to adjust to temperatures.
"Don't cook a meat from cold, you need to bring it to room temperature. When you do that, it cooks evenly, it keeps the moisture in and it tends to tenderise the meat. If you cook it directly from cold, it kind of shocks the meat and dries it out."
"Don't be afraid to add flavour, use fresh herbs. I love putting butter on mine, I normally season with sea salt and cracked black pepper and put a trivet underneath it. A trivet is like carrots, celery, garlic, onions - place it underneath the turkey so it doesn't touch the tray. If the turkey touches the tray, it's going to catch and burn underneath."
When it comes down to it, is there a number one golden rule that we all need to follow?
"Make sure your turkey fits in your oven."
Turkey can contain harmful bacteria like Salmonella and Campylobacter, so it's important to cook it thoroughly. One handy - or should we say leggy - way to make sure your turkey is cooked through is to check for three things: pink meat, clear juice and high temperatures.
"Check the legs. When you cut into the legs, you are looking for no pink whatsoever. Next thing is to check the juices: make sure they're running clear. Also, make sure the meat on the leg is piping hot. Not every household will have them but a meat thermometer is the best thing to use. 75 degrees Celcius once you probe it into the thigh - that's your turkey cooked."
Once everyone is full to the brim and all the Christmas crackers have been pulled, Chef Adrian recommends making the most of your leftovers.
"Let it cool down, take it off the carcass, put it into a container and leave it in the fridge. It will only last two days, it's not safe to eat after two days so be careful with that. Make dishes out of it for those two days, use it up and don't waste it."
In conclusion, our top turkey tips are:
- Make sure it's the right size
- Give yourself plenty of time
- Cook the turkey from room temperature
- Cook the turkey on a trivet
- Make sure your turkey is cooked through
- Use your leftovers within two days
To find out what Chef Adrian cooks for his family on Christmas day and to get his incredible gravy recipe, watch the interview above.
Chef Adrian is an ambassador for safefood’s Christmas food safety campaign.
