101 uses for a turkey

gunners71uk · Mon Dec 24, 2007 3:21 pm

stuffit

ina · Post: # 79646Post **ina** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 5:03 pm

Best thing you can do with it, that's sure!

Annpan · Post: # 79652Post **Annpan** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 8:47 pm

2. brine it (Our turkey is currently soaking in water with spices, orange quarters, onion quarters, salt and sugar) Tommorow I'll take it out and roast it, we have never had a dry, chewy turkey on Christmas Day

Thomzo · Post: # 79654Post **Thomzo** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 9:09 pm

Turkey and stuffing sandwiches, with any luck it'll last till March.

Chickenlady · Mon Dec 24, 2007 9:57 pm

Get salmonella from it...(sorry, hope not!!!!)

Green Rosie · Mon Dec 24, 2007 10:51 pm

Turkey curry

Millymollymandy · Tue Dec 25, 2007 6:46 am

6. Keep it as a pet!

Green Rosie · Wed Dec 26, 2007 2:13 pm

Leave it in the shop

(unless it is "a free range, organic, had a really good life" turkey then buy, cook and eat with relish makingsure you tell all your friends how much better it tastes)

gunners71uk · Wed Dec 26, 2007 2:24 pm

Green Rosie wrote:Leave it in the shop

(unless it is "a free range, organic, had a really good life" turkey then buy, cook and eat with relish makingsure you tell all your friends how much better it tastes)

not everybody has the financial resources to do that but a turkey from your local butcher would probably be better than supermarket bought .

red · Post: # 79726Post **red** » Wed Dec 26, 2007 10:09 pm

very true gunners

we bught a free range 'happy' turkey from our local butchers.. and it did cost a lot lot more than the others. but, I was happier with it.

I love turkey sarnies.. could give up the xmas dinner at a push.. but gotta have my sarnies...

Green Rosie · Wed Dec 26, 2007 10:26 pm

gunners71uk wrote:
Green Rosie wrote:Leave it in the shop

(unless it is "a free range, organic, had a really good life" turkey then buy, cook and eat with relish makingsure you tell all your friends how much better it tastes)
not everybody has the financial resources to do that but a turkey from your local butcher would probably be better than supermarket bought .

I fully appreciate that but I cannot condone the terrible life of the battery bird for the sake of a "traditional Christmas Dinner".

QuakerBear · Thu Dec 27, 2007 10:24 am

My uncle has a turkey pie every boxing day. He insists my Granny makes it and she hasn't missed a year yet

the.fee.fairy · Thu Dec 27, 2007 1:35 pm

Annpan wrote:2. brine it (Our turkey is currently soaking in water with spices, orange quarters, onion quarters, salt and sugar) Tommorow I'll take it out and roast it, we have never had a dry, chewy turkey on Christmas Day

I tried brining ours this year, and the breast was still dry! What's your secret? how long do you brine it for and stuff?

mrsflibble · Thu Dec 27, 2007 4:08 pm

my mum always used to make turkey rissoles a few days after xmas. they are the stuff of nightmares. I am a firm believer in not inflicting turkey on the family for days on end, so I only every get a turkey crown. wish I'd left it until xmas eve this year as sainsbury's near my mum reduced theirs by half- i got mine full price a few weeks ago and then froze it

We had enough for our xmas dinners plus sarnies for each of us, and it's the day after boxing day now and it's all finished.

xmas dinner is generally a bit of a porkfest here too. got to have my bacon. I'll pay for it in the afterlife but stuff it, pork tastes good.

Annpan · Post: # 79773Post **Annpan** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 9:39 pm

the.fee.fairy wrote:
Annpan wrote:2. brine it (Our turkey is currently soaking in water with spices, orange quarters, onion quarters, salt and sugar) Tommorow I'll take it out and roast it, we have never had a dry, chewy turkey on Christmas Day
I tried brining ours this year, and the breast was still dry! What's your secret? how long do you brine it for and stuff?

I use Nigella Lawson's recipe, I can type it out if you don't think the amounts of spice/salt/sugar are working for you.

The following I have learned from the 5 turkeys I have cooked using this method

It works better for a frozen turkey... my brother and I reckon that the enzymes in the skin break down during freezing (at least a week in deep freeze) making the skin more permeable to the brine.

It works best if you can leave it in a safe, cold place for at least 24 hours (or upto 48)... no-one has a fridge big enough for this, I have a cat so usually a butchers block is put on top of the container.

The whole bird must be submerged, if you don't have a big enough pot use a bucket, with a lid, or a butchers block... one year, when cooking Christmas dinner for 25 (my family), I had to use a plastic storage crate and this year, I plan to buy a new nappy pale for just such things.

Lift the bird out about 20 mins before putting it in the oven, to settle into a reasonable position on a roasting tray, strain the liquid and shove all the bits in one of the cavities.

Roast, breast up, I use maple syrup and butter on top too, baste when you remember - about once an hour.

The legs of a free-range bird will always be tough, because they use them.

Cooking for too long also dries it out, but it is usually not a problem for a brined bird.

Allow the bird to rest for about half an hour before eating... put tin foil over the top to stop it cooling down too much, and always serve hot gravy - then no-one complains of cold turkey.

I didn't mean to write a short thesus on it...hmm... must get out more

What did you do Fee that meant it didn't work so well?