Do I need to wash my turkey? - and other Christmas dinner questions
Rinsing turkey (or chicken or meat) is a definite no as this can spread food poisoning bugs around your kitchen.
Water that splashes from rinsing a turkey can spread its germs up to a metre (or an arm’s length) around your sink.
That means that bacteria can mingle with ready to eat foods, kitchen utensils like chopping boards and anything else that's in the vicinity.
Proper cooking of your turkey will kill any food poisoning bacteria.
You need to give stuffed turkeys more cooking time.
For stuffed turkeys cooked in a fan oven, you should allow extra cooking time as safefood research has shown that when a turkey is stuffed in the body cavity, it is the centre of the stuffing that is slowest to cook.
With stuffed turkeys, it is essential you check the stuffing itself is piping hot all the way through, as well as making sure the meat at the thickest part of the breast is cooked thoroughly before serving.
Try not to overstuff the turkey; use a maximum of 10% of the weight of the bird in stuffing for example no more than 500g of stuffing for a 5kg turkey.
I advise only to buy the turkey you need to avoid unnecessary food waste.
If you’re unsure, ask your butcher and think about how many people you’re cooking for (children eat less than adults) and whether you want any leftovers.
For 4-6 people, a 3-4kg turkey should do o For 6-8 people, a 4-5kg turkey should do o For 8-10 people, a 5-6 kg turkey should do
Give yourself enough time to defrost your turkey.
For a frozen turkey or any frozen poultry, the safest and recommended way to defrost it is to place it on a dish or tray on the bottom shelf of your fridge. Remember to allow 24 hours for every 4-5 pounds/1.8-2.2kg.
Give yourself plenty of time; it can take up to 3 days to fully defrost a frozen 7.5kg/15lb turkey, so you may need to take it out to defrost on December 22nd.
You’ll know it’s fully defrosted when:
- the body is soft
- the legs can be moved and
- there are no ice crystals inside the cavity
- Once thoroughly defrosted, a previously frozen turkey cooks the same way as a fresh turkey
Don’t leave your turkey cooking time to chance! Raw poultry and meat can contain germs like Salmonella and Campylobacter and it’s important to cook these foods thoroughly.
Preheat your oven to 180°C (Fan Assisted) and cover the turkey with tinfoil during cooking as this helps it to cook more evenly and gives a more “juicy” product.
The turkey should be basted every hour during cooking. (The tin foil can be removed for the last half hour to finally brown the skin). You can find cooking times for your turkey size at www.safefood.net.
Remember, do not rush to carve the stuffed cooked turkey straight out of the oven. One way of making sure that the stuffing is properly cooked, without risking overcooking the meat, is to remove the turkey from the oven when the meat is fully cooked and leave it to rest for 30 minutes, loosely covered in tinfoil.
If freezing leftover meat or poultry, wrap well and make sure it is stored in a suitable container for freezing. Freeze cooked meat for no more than 6 months approx. This is for quality rather than safety Do’s and Don’ts of re-heating!
Remember, if food is already cooked – only reheat food once. When reheating food, ensure it is piping hot all the way throughout.
