Do you roast your turkey on Christmas Eve ?

Not roasted a turkey for 40 years....I will be making a bit and mushroom thingie with gloriously Moorish mushroom and sherry sauce. I can make it all ahead of time...especially the sauce. I always have a brandy and orange while cooking Christmas dinner...ever...I think it was too large one year. I forgot to put lid on liquidizer when blitzing the sauce. I was still finding it 6 months later in the kitchen....

I think jamie did something with brocolli& caulie? I half watched it while altering my christmas shop online My late mum used to cook her turkey christmas eve,but i don't,my son has a thing that he won't eat 'leftovers' which usually means all that's cooked ahead.so i cant.But yes ninathenana,you MUST reheat meat thoroughly before eating..and i agree with elastic,it wouldnt be same on christmas day without the cooking turkey smell wafting about Jamie oliver actually said he does turkey about 9am after getting up at 7 & heating oven & prepping turkey. (nowt to do with all those kids youve got who will be up for santa then jamie??) he also said to remove when cooked,cover& leave to rest awhile,and then you've time to get pigs in blankets& roasties& yorky puds in oven.

I do some of the veggie prep the night before (and write out a Cooking Timetable to follow the next day) but always put the turkey on Christmas morning and then get on with anything-else that needs to be done. When the turkey is done, I cover it with foil to "rest" and slam in the roast potatoes (already par boiled and fluffed) in the oven whilst still hot, then put the rest of the veggies on as they're needed. Christmas morning wouldn't be the same for me without the smell of roasting turkey!

Never done, never would with poultry. Did the spuds one year and they were not the same as freshly done. Will do as much prep as possible though

Cook it christmas eve and carve it and break up the carcass so that it fits in the fridge more easily. On Christmas day we put what we need into a baking tray , cover it with gravy, cover with foil and put in the oven while the spuds are roasting.

That's a good idea Purplepoppies.

If you cook it early enough Christmas morning, double wrap with foil, then use a heavy bath sheet folded over it should stay warm and leave the oven free for everything else. I did exactly that yesterday, worked a treat ?

Yes I do it every year. My DH can't stand the smell of turkey cooking over night or at anytime.
Hence he doesn't have turkey, he has 2 other meats!
I slice mine put in foil containers with cardboard lids - warm gently in the oven before plateing

We have never had a turkey, we have ravioli and baked ham but we always cook everything Christmas morning

I put mine in the oven when I go to bed on Xmas Eve, on a timer so that it is done by about 10am. Then just leave it to stand while we do the presents, put the rest of the dinner in the oven to do, and it's still hot when we have dinner. Frees up time on Xmas morning and gives spare time to make sure it's cooked. My Mum used to do the same, and we've never suffered any ill effects.

Yes we do, carve it and place in the fridge. Christmas Day we wrap it in tin foil and place in steamer. Serve piping hot, keeps meat lovely and moist.

Yes, cooked on Christmas Eve, chilled overnight and sliced first thing on Christmas Day. I add the gravy and heat thoroughly in the oven in time for the meal. I have to say, though, that it's many years since I did a whole turkey. I buy a crown - so much easier to deal with.

Ninathenana - Surely the smell of cooking turkey is part of Xmas morning.
The fun, especially for the children, when it comes out of the oven. and precarved, no thank you. Watching it be carved on the table is also good. And is it wise to reheat poultry of any kind - I wouldn't. You can reheat vegetables, including the potatoes, and almost everything else, but not the turkey, please.

agreed

Always Chrismas Eve in our house so that we can have a turkey sandwich when we get back from Midnight Mass before we go to bed

I've never done it before but I have read of people doing it.
My reasoning was, I never seem to have space to cook all the accompaniments. Could I re-heat the pigs in blankets on the day, and what about stuffing balls ?

Nope I’ve never done it, always cook the turkey crown Xmas morning

I always did this when the children were small. Made life much easier and allowed me to enjoy the morning of opening stockings and presents.

I think it is quite safe so long as the meat is thoroughly reheated. It also means the turkey is thoroughly cooked in the first place, rather than being done while you are distracted and rushed.

No
Gordon Ramsay said his MIL used to do this and it is dangerous, it can cause food poisoning.

Meat has to be reheated very thoroughly indeed, not just warmed through.
I never pour hot gravy on to cold meat either.

Have done in the past when worried about an overly full oven, alternatively set the oven timer so the turkey was cooked by 9, carved when cool. No need for either now as fewer mouths to feed. I didn’t reheat the meat, no one noticed any difference.

I always did when I was cooking Christmas dinner - then carved it on the day and served cold.
However, my daughter is cooking this year - at my house - and tells me that she is cooking it Christmas morning. Fine by me, I am just grateful that she is cooking. She will cook the roast potatoes the day before and reheat them - it makes life easier for her and they just as delicious.

Yes I always have done, I also carve it and put into tupperware boxes in the fridge so it's ready and available to be heated for lunch and also for sandwiches etc. Some goes straight into the freezer for new year. When we first got married my Husband who was a gas engineer was on call on Christmas day, actually that went on for nine years. Mostly he was left in peace but he did sometimes miss the kids opening their presents or lunch would be held up waiting for him to come home. One year he left in the middle of lunch and finished it off after the emergency was dealt with.

Should be every Saturday!

My ex neighbour always did this every Sunday.

On last nights Jamie Oliver Christmas cookery show he cooked turkey, stuffing, roast potatoes (and something else I can’t remember) the day before to free up time on Christmas Day.

No. Strange idea. What would Christmas morning be without the smell of roasting turkey?