topic Re: Christmas cooking: tips & tricks! in Off-Topic

Christmas cooking: tips & tricks!

Martin-O2 — Mon, 17 Dec 2018 12:42:42 GMT

Hey everyone!

The festive season is well and truly here and one of the best parts about Christmas is stuffing your face!

For those with the pleasure (or pain?) of being in charge of the cooking at Christmas it can be a stressful time with the risk of under cooked birds and burnt spuds always lurking.

This thread is where you can share your best kept Christmas cooking secrets! Have a hack to make sure the Turkey stays moist and succulent? Know any techniques for super crispy roast potatoes or have a recipe for perfect gravy? Then give a Christmas gift to the community and let us know below!

Re: Christmas cooking: tips & tricks!

Anonymous — Mon, 17 Dec 2018 12:51:03 GMT

My mum swears by duck fat for crispy roast potatoes!

Re: Christmas cooking: tips & tricks!

viridis — Mon, 17 Dec 2018 12:52:09 GMT

Doesn't it just appear on the table once you put the magic table cover on?

Re: Christmas cooking: tips & tricks!

Martin-O2 — Mon, 17 Dec 2018 13:00:29 GMT

@Anonymous I've done roast spuds with goose fat and can confirm they come out lovely.

@viridis very good!

Re: Christmas cooking: tips & tricks!

viridis — Mon, 17 Dec 2018 13:01:57 GMT

What's funny?

Re: Christmas cooking: tips & tricks!

Cleoriff — Mon, 17 Dec 2018 13:09:17 GMT

@viridis wrote:
Doesn't it just appear on the table once you put the magic table cover on?

You must be related to my husband @viridis. Another one who thinks the 'Christmas Fairy' does it all

NB: Best thing I ever found was ...ONCE when drunk, I put the turkey in upside down. I couldn't get my head round it when I came to carve it.....however, once I realised, ie sobered up, the turkey was superb, moist and tender. According to the family, it was the best ever.....

Also I NEVER shove stuffing inside the turkey... Cook it separately and that way it will have a lovely crisp topping...

Re: Christmas cooking: tips & tricks!

viridis — Mon, 17 Dec 2018 13:13:14 GMT

No, no, no it's not a fairy.
It's the Christmas table cover, put it on when the missus asks, and 2 hours later a meal is created.

That would be even funnier, if not for the fact I'm the one who cooks Xmas dinner.
See it's like this:
Lots of meat = Barbecue = man cooks
Xmas dinner just goes over the meat to veg ratio enough to classify it as a barbecue= man make food.

Re: Christmas cooking: tips & tricks!

Cleoriff — Mon, 17 Dec 2018 13:16:33 GMT

@viridis wrote:
No, no, no it's not a fairy.
It's the Christmas table cover, put it on when the missus asks, and 2 hours later a meal is created.

That would be even funnier, if not for the fact I'm the one who cooks Xmas dinner.
See it's like this:
Lots of meat = Barbecue = man cooks
Xmas dinner just goes over the meat to veg ratio enough to classify it as a barbecue= man make food.

Nah. My other half is a damn good cook, though wont attempt roasts or casseroles.

So stuff your 'man makes food' rubbish....when I am in the kitchen, he stays out ...or else

Re: Christmas cooking: tips & tricks!

jonsie — Mon, 17 Dec 2018 14:36:20 GMT

I haven't had a Christmas dinner for 6 years. Looking forward to one served up by my daughter in law this year....minus the sprouts and stuffing!....and the Christmas pudding & mince pies (can't stand any of them!)

Re: Christmas cooking: tips & tricks!

Glory1 — Mon, 17 Dec 2018 15:17:30 GMT

Well I'm looking forward to it all, turkey, stuffing, crispy roast potatoes, stuffing and sprouts with plenty of cranberry sauce and not too much gravy and mince pies with double cream, yummy

I'm on sprouts duty and @MI5's recipe, which I've kept a note of will go down a treat.

I do pig out on Christmas dinner.

Re: Christmas cooking: tips & tricks!

Martin-O2 — Mon, 17 Dec 2018 17:41:42 GMT

@Cleoriff I love how you discovered the upside down technique due to booze!

Woah 6 years is a long time to go without a Christmas dinner @jonsie. I bet you'll love it.

Just the sprouts this year @Glory1? Or are you handling any other aspects of the meal prep?

Re: Christmas cooking: tips & tricks!

Cleoriff — Mon, 17 Dec 2018 17:45:08 GMT

@Martin-O2

I have only ever been 'tipsy' once when cooking Christmas lunch. Never again....

Re: Christmas cooking: tips & tricks!

Martin-O2 — Mon, 17 Dec 2018 17:46:54 GMT

@Cleoriff wrote:

@Martin-O2

I have only ever been 'tipsy' once when cooking Christmas lunch. Never again....

There's so much that can go wrong!

Re: Christmas cooking: tips & tricks!

Glory1 — Mon, 17 Dec 2018 18:19:57 GMT

@Martin-O2 wrote:

Just the sprouts this year @Glory1? Or are you handling any other aspects of the meal prep?

No just the sprouts @Martin-O2. One of the friends I'm staying with had the sprouts I did following MI5's recipe. So that's my job.

Someone else is doing the roast potatoes as they have a great recipe. Our hostess is doing the turkey and all the trimmings. Other veg: carrots, peas, parsnips are being looked after by our hostess's daughter.

It's all set to work like clockwork, and definitely no drink till we're done and the turkey and potatoes are in the oven, the veg in their saucepans all ready for showtime: a perfect Christmas dinner

Re: Christmas cooking: tips & tricks!

TallTrees — Mon, 17 Dec 2018 21:37:27 GMT

Hi @Martin-O2

like jonsie I haven't had a Turkey Dinner for years.

I roast other meats instead with roasties too.

Sometimes we like baked Ham on the bone ~ long bake time.

Ham is good cold too so very versatile, very nice with baked potatoes

also with mashed potatoes or Crisps and pickles. Love all vegetables

so have a variety in.

I always bake a proper Christmas Cake with marzipan and icing with

little snowmen, trees, santa and penguins on too with glitter.

This is last years Christmas Cake 2017 ~ I photo one each year!

A glass of Crabbies Ginger Wine at Breakfast goes down a treat.

Re: Christmas cooking: tips & tricks!

Martin-O2 — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 16:31:34 GMT

It's great that you all get together on the cooking @Glory1! I just get shouted at if I go into the kitchen Christmas day.

Same here @TallTrees I really enjoy a good bit of ham! Love the cake too! You'll have to share a pic of the 2018 cake when it's completed (and save me a slice of course!).

Re: Christmas cooking: tips & tricks!

sheepdog — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 18:26:41 GMT

@viridis wrote:
No, no, no it's not a fairy.
It's the Christmas table cover, put it on when the missus asks, and 2 hours later a meal is created.

That would be even funnier, if not for the fact I'm the one who cooks Xmas dinner.
See it's like this:
Lots of meat = Barbecue = man cooks
Xmas dinner just goes over the meat to veg ratio enough to classify it as a barbecue= man make food.

Actually, a few years ago we had planned to the turkey in the BBQ. Seriously. Fortunately the oven was replaced in time so was done in that instead but its quite feasible. Which was a shame as we were looking forward to trying it. People tend to be a touch surprised when we say cooking spaghetti bolognese on a BBQ tastes fantastic (think about it....)

I thought this was a joke (seen on The Goldbergs) but they really do exist: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=turkey+fryer

Re: Christmas cooking: tips & tricks!

TallTrees — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 19:24:11 GMT

Hi @Martin-O2

Cake is baked but not decorated yet ~ will post photo when done.

Re: Christmas cooking: tips & tricks!

Glory1 — Wed, 19 Dec 2018 08:27:30 GMT

@Martin-O2 wrote:
It's great that you all get together on the cooking @Glory1! I just get shouted at if I go into the kitchen Christmas day.

Well @Martin-O2 if we didn't all get together to help, Christmas dinner would arrive Boxing Day

Fortunately it's a very large kitchen or we'd get in each other's way. Probably why you get shouted at. No room and you're in the way. At least I hope so

Re: Christmas cooking: tips & tricks!

welshsteve76 — Wed, 19 Dec 2018 09:37:24 GMT

Don't cut the crosses in the bottom of your sprouts. They will go soggy. Sprouts are much nicer with a slight resistance to them. Cook with a little salt & pepper and after draining mix in a blob of butter