We all want to know how to cook the perfect turkey for our Christmas dinner - and avoiding common errors such as overcooking can be tricky.
If the success of your whole Christmas dinner hangs on pulling off this one roasting challenge, here are the five things to avoid.
1. Underestimating your turkey
Turkeys can be big! Before you bring home a bird that won't fit in the freezer, fridge or oven, be sure to measure up.
MORE: YOUR EASY CHRISTMAS DINNER TIME PLAN
2. Forgetting to properly defrost your bird
It can take at least a couple of days for a large bird to thaw, so remember to pop it at the bottom of your fridge well in advance of Christmas Day.
MORE: THIS IS WHY WE EAT TURKEY AT CHRISTMAS
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3. Forgetting to take your turkey out of the fridge
Your turkey needs to reach a temperature of 74 degrees during cooking, which will take longer if it starts from fridge cold. Take your turkey out of the fridge (see above) an hour before cooking, to avoid your whole Christmas dinner being pushed back an hour.
4. Overcooking the turkey
Nobody wants dry turkey! Make sure you check the timings and heat settings before you start roasting your bird, and take it easy on the festive bubbly until you're done basting.
MORE : GOOD HOUSEKEEPING'S ULTIMATE TURKEY GUIDE
5. Undercooking the turkey
Short of burning your bird, this might be the worst turkey fail of all! Don't forget to weigh the turkey once stuffed with sausage meat (which needs to cook as well) and calculating the cooking time for the whole stuffed bird.
Got any top turkey tips to share? Tweet us @GHmagazine
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The GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurst is our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Our GH Kitchen Manager Linzi Pucino is our very own Italian food expert (originally hailing from the North East of Scotland!) and can be found working her way through midweek recipes that cover all bases, from haggis to ragu! Our Kitchen Editor Nadine Brown loves digging into the stories behind her favourite foods and enjoys applying her eclectic tastes to more modern, flavour-forward recipes - just don't give her too much chilli! Our Junior Food Content Produce Frankie Prichard combines a love of beautiful presentation and flavour-led, seasonal cooking in her recipe development, along with a passion for bringing people together through food. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time
