Christmas Dinner Timings! (for a first timer!)

blueberrypie

sarahsarah wrote: »

I did know that about microwaves, honest!

So how does this sound?

1015 Oven On
1045 Turkey In
1130 Roasties on to parboil (8 mins) and oil in roasting pan to heat up
1145 Roasties into oven, Spuds for mashing into pan
1200 Stuffing Balls and Parsnips into oven
1205-1210 Veg on
1215 Turkey Out, Mash potatoes, Make Gravy, Serving Dishes and Plates in to warm through
1230 Carve Turkey, Dish everything up into servers

It's just the pigs in blankets I have to buy before i can add the timings of them to my list! I've probably forgotten something obvious!

I would give the turkey longer to rest at the end - you can stretch this out for much longer than 15 minutes, and it will give you more time (and thus less rush) at the end. It also gives you more oven space if you're putting the veg in when you take the turkey out (instead of trying to fit it all in) - although maybe you're not roasting your veg. (But if you're not, try it - they are so good done that way!)

I'd also give the roasties more time than you've allowed - they always seem to take longer than you expect.

I'm doing turkey, ham, roasties, mash, pigs-in-blankets, roast veg, roast parsnips and gravy - if you want me to post my timings, I will (although I'm feeding eight, so my roasting times for meat will be longer than yours).

~Chameleon~

I agree with above poster, you need to allow longer than 15 mins from turkey coming out of oven to carving it. Minimum standing time is 20-30 mins but if covered in foil it will keep warm enough for an hour or so.

I usually whack up the heat when meat/bird comes out to get tin hot enough for roasties then turn it back down to 200C/gas 6 when they go in. Also put pigs-in-blankets, stuffing and parsnips in at same time as they all need a good 45-55 mins to cook.

This leaves you free to sort out your mash/steamed veg and gravy and everything can be dished up into the servers and covered in foil as they become ready to keep warm until service.

sarahsarah

blueberrypie wrote: »

I'm doing turkey, ham, roasties, mash, pigs-in-blankets, roast veg, roast parsnips and gravy - if you want me to post my timings, I will (although I'm feeding eight, so my roasting times for meat will be longer than yours).

If you would post your timings, that would be fab! That's what I was looking for really doing this thread!

blueberrypie

sarahsarah wrote: »

If you would post your timings, that would be fab! That's what I was looking for really doing this thread!

Righto. We're eating this evening at 6ish, so with your plan to eat early-lunchtime-ish, you'll have to adjust my times forward by more than 5 hours. I highly recommend eating in the evening of Xmas Eve if you can - works so much better if you have children, and makes for much less rush on Xmas Day (and on Cooking Day) :-) Obviously there will be things on my menu that aren't on yours and vice versa.

Here's what's already done:
- turkey thawed
- gammon soaking
- mashed potato made and refrigerated
- sage sausage stuffing balls made
- chipolatas wrapped in bacon
- carrots chopped, shallots peeled (for my roast veg recipe)
- stock (homemade) thawing in fridge
- cranberry sauce made
- potatoes for roasties peeled, cut and covered in water

Today's plan:
9am-ish Prepare ham (cloves, cider, spices)
9.30-ish Ham into slow cooker, make herb butter for turkey
11.30-ish Take turkey from fridge to allow it to come to room temp, chop veg for turkey trivet (a la Jamie)
1pm-ish - Butter turkey (a la Jamie)
1.10 - Turkey into oven (covered in foil), run dishwasher
1.30 - Remove mash from fridge (it's in the pot from the small slow cooker, so I want the pot to warm a bit before heating it)
2.30 - Toast walnuts for stuffing2, start mash in small slow cooker
3pm-ish - Cut day-old French bread into cubes for stuffing2
4pm-ish - Saute ingredients for stuffing2, boil water for roasties. Check table is clear - if not, ask children to clear it! (My dining-room table works hard for its living LOL)
4.10-ish - Parboil potatoes
4.30-ish - Stuffing2 will be simmering in a heavy pot
4.40-ish - Put roasting tin with small amount of oil in oven (for roasties), remove foil from turkey. Drain potatoes when parboiled enough and give them a good shake. Check table is set and ready to go.
4.55-ish - Take roasting tin with hot oil from oven, put potatoes into it, stir/fold them to cover in oil, put them in oven. Prep parsnips.
5.05 - Put carrots, shallots and beetroot in oven (again, my roasted veg recipe). Remove turkey from oven and leave on counter to rest (I cover in foil and a fleece blanket to keep warm). Start gravy, using trivet and juices in roasting tin from turkey.
5.15 - Stuffing balls into oven (stuffing2 is still simmering on hob). Parsnips into oven. Boil water for sprouts.
5.30 - Chipolatas into oven. Sprouts into boiling water.
5.40 - Sprouts drained and added to roasted veg dish. Ham out of slow cooker.
5.45 - add seasonings to mashed potatoes
5.50 - move stuff to serving dishes (tho some things will be cooked/served in same dish - for things I'm moving, if the serving-dishes can be placed in my top oven to warm from the heat from the main oven, I'll do that). OH will be carving turkey while I do this.
6pm-ish Everything on table.

As you can see, there's quite a bit of space in between lots of my timings. That makes it all less of a rush, gives me time to look after and play with children, drink cups of tea, eat mince-pies - and deal with any unexpected problems.

Note that the only thing that goes in the oven while the turkey is in there is the oil for roasting potatoes. Nothing else goes in until the turkey is out, which eliminates most space issues.

I've worked out ahead of time what I'm cooking each thing in, and what I'm serving each thing in. Much easier than suddenly realising that I need a particular roasting tray that's already in the oven with another item in it...or that I need to wash a hot dish because I need it for serving something.

Hope that's helpful :-)

bing0

turkey crown in hot oven for 1 hr 20 mins.
Whilst that's cooking:
prepare veg

potatoes pre boiled for 10 mins

then sauted for colour,placed in oven 22 mins before service

(by colouring them this attracts heat,you get a great roastie like this,also fluffy inside through pre boiling)

old english style carrots....unpealed and cut into large strips,cooked in water with lemon,sugar and butter,very nice

sprouts cleaned,but NEVER crossed (this is an old wives tale) you do not need to do this.Cook them for several minutes until just cooked,served with toasted almonds sprinkled on top.

roasted parsnips brushed with honey

yorkshire puddings (do these how you want) although I do believe you should weigh out your ingredients for this

gravy made quickly off the stock from the turkey,passata,carrot/onion juice

corn flour,coloured with gravy browning.

stuffing made out of scraps from the fridge.

I find by cooking as normal,you are not tempted to over cook foods.

This is just another meal at the end of the day , although a very special one !

blueberrypie

All going well here. Turkey in oven, ham in slow-cooker (and smelling divine!), mashed potatoes in small slow cooker. Have cut bread and toasted walnuts for stuffing2, but am now taking a break to browse teh internets, nurse the baby and track Santa with the other kids for a bit. Will go into full-on-cooking mode at about 4pm when I get stuck in with the stuffing, roasties and veg :-)