Christmas turkey tips

Defrosting

The safest defrosting method is in the fridge. Allow about 2-3 days for an average sized turkey, longer if you are feeding a crowd and buying a big 7.5kg bird. Keep the turkey in its wrapper and put it in a container at the bottom of the fridge where dripping juices won’t contaminate other foods. A turkey defrosted in the fridge will keep refrigerated for 1-2 days before cooking.

If short on time, you could use the cold water defrosting method (hot water will encourage bacterial growth). Submerge the turkey in cold water, keeping it in its sealed wrapper so it won’t absorb extra water. Change the water every 30 minutes. Allow about one hour per kg. The defrosted turkey needs to be cooked straight away.

BRINING

Brining is a great way to ensure your turkey is moist. However, some manufacturers, such as Freedom Farms, sell already brined birds so this step may not be needed.

Peter Gordon’s brining tips: For a wet brine — and this is preferable when doing a whole bird as it’s hard to rub salt in the cavity — the rule of thumb is 6 per cent salt by weight to water. So, that’s 60g salt (just over 2 Tbsp) per litre of water. Dissolve the salt in a cup of boiling water, then add the rest of the water as cold as possible and you’re ready to soak your

bird. A turkey will require 1-2 days. It must be refrigerated all the time. These recipes on bite.co.nz include brining instructions: •

Roast brined turkey with gravy and • cranberry relish Date and macadamia nut • roast turkey Barbecued butterflied turkey • with nut stuffing Roast turkey

Stuffing

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If stuffing, estimate one cup of stuffing for each 500g of turkey. Cook any extra stuffing, covered, on the side.

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Pack the stuffing loosely inside the turkey because it will expand during cooking. • Keep dry and wet ingredients separate until just before stuffing the bird or cooking on the side to safeguard against sogginess. If you like a drier stuffing, add an egg or two. •

Cool your stuffing and then stuff the turkey at the last minute before cooking. However, 1-2 hours beforehand should be fine as long as the turkey is refrigerated. Never stuff the day before. The stuffing may not cool down enough even in the fridge and harmful bacteria could easily multiply. That's not a problem, of course, if you decide to cook your stuffing alongside, rather than inside, the turkey which is what some cooks

swear by for a more moist result.