Making Christmas dinner for the first time - any tips?

Former_MSE_Laura

As you may have seen on MSE's social channels, MSE Rebecca is cooking Christmas dinner for the first time this year! 🎄

So Forumites, do you have any top tips for her, and how she can keep it MoneySaving?

Toonie

The most important thing is to not spend the whole day cooking and stressing out. Make a plan, even a vague one of how long things take to cook, and work backwards from when you want to eat. I've also planned out meals for Christmas Eve until 28th December. That way I know what I need and have even written down what ingredients things need so I don't have to do a mad dash to the shops. Plus it means you can be realistic about how much you are cooking (and what you can do with leftovers to make your budget stretch).

I'm cooking for just me, DP, and FIL, so we're keeping it simple on the big day. Turkey crown, roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding (which I'm making the day before and reheating), stuffing balls (again make ahead and reheat), cabbage, carrot, cranberry sauce, and gravy. I've also got some part baked rolls, some crackers, and some sausage rolls (in the freezer) which we'll use for a buffet supper with leftovers or with cheese.

bargainbetty

Work out numbers of people and a rough idea of portion sizes. Don't make stupidly large amounts of things. Except roast potatoes, you can never have too many roasties. Buy wonky veg or bowls from a market - no one cares once a cauliflower is chopped up. 

Prep as much as you can the night before. Have a rough idea of cooking times before you start in the morning. 

Encourage guests to bring nibbles, desserts, drinks etc as a contribution. Give each person a thing to do to help. 

Don't stress. It's just an overhyped roast dinner. And gravy covers a multitude of errors.  

moonpenny

I always cook potatoes before the event. Par boiled for roasties and fully boiled and mashed for mash.

Zapp roasties in microwave to bring them up to temperature then roast as normal.   
Fork mash potatoes before microwaving as they tend to go a bit solid if making the day before (especially if you have added butter.)

I find it less stress to get potatoes out of the way. Enjoy!

Gem-gem

Don't place the stuffing inside the Turkey - it will increase the cooking time. Cook separately. 

Ways to keep Turkey moist: 
a) cook in a roasting bag
b) cover breast with butter and then streaky bacon

Always air on the side of caution - cook Turkey for longer - to ensure that it is fully cooked. Check at the thickest part of the bird.

if you want a tastier stuffing, buy some sausage meat ( or reskin some sausages) and then mix with sage and onion stuffing (after liquid has been added) then add some red currants and chestnuts. 

Make gravy from juices from Turkey and vegetable water - then add a thickener. 

Part-boiling your potatoes first will make them fluffier. After part-boiling, add oil or melted fat, pepper and onion salt then place into hot fat in pan.

Yorkshire puds - ensure that oil/fat & oven is hot enough. For six puds I do: 
1/2 pt milk ( whole is better but any type will do)
2 eggs ( instead of 1)
100g flour
pinch of salt
The extra egg plus hot oven will ensure that you have lovely risen puds. 

We bought our Turkey earlier in the year - it is ys. 

Potatoes and veg - waited until supermarkets bought their Christmas offers out. 

ChainsawCharlie

Preparation preparation preparation
After 36 years of marriage we realised just 3 years ago that roast potatoes freeze incredibly well, so whenever we roast now, we peel the whole 5 pound bag and roast them all, then freeze what we dont eat,  we then cook from frozen when we need them
This saves time, and makes sure you use a whole bag and don't end up chucking any away.

We also now buy one big joint of roast beef, biggest you can get we choose asda online, then when it arrives cut it into 2 or 3 depending what size you require, then freeze them for when you need them

This is a cheap way of buying roast joints.

catz4m8z

I always try and plan carefully (I write cooking times down and cross things off as I get to them as Im easily distracted!).
Also do as much prep as possible in advance. Lots of stuff can be done the day before and reheated.
If you are trying to save money then go big on the veggies! Much cheaper then meat and you can really pile your plate up without it costing a fortune (plus veg is good for you!).

JIL

My tip would be think of the oven space, its impossible to cook everything in one oven at the same time. 

scrummy-mummy

We often do our Turkey 'low and slow' and put it in the oven before going to bed late on Christmas Eve. Frees up the oven, self basting and less stress on the day worrying about how it will all fit in the oven.

Archie_Duke

I’ll be following a few tips from here today and tomorrow and fingers crossed for a tasty roast on Christmas Day! 

deannagone

I'm afraid this is for a family, not for one but I am lucky, I have a meat slicer and large freezer so a lot of it will be sliced up and served when we want it over the next few weeks lol (I have an autistic son who loves turkey).

I actually bought a frozen turkey (£12.99 from Aldi) and for the first time removed the legs and wings (and deboned them) once defrosted so I ended up with a crown joint, and used the meat from the deboned legs etc to make a roulade.  I've used bacon, butter, lots of herbs, oranges and lemon rind, sausagemeat and a packet of chestnuts to create a stuffing, but I've placed this under the joint skin to help the meat taste less of turkey and increase moistness (I have to confess, while my son loves Turkey I absolutely hate it so prefer to flavour it as much as I can).

Its the first Xmas I've done anything like this (I have brined the turkey crown as well which is another first, a way of infusing flavours and supposed to make it more juicy) but I know I've got more 'meat'/meals for a lot less money than usual.  I was quite shocked when I saw a woman buying a bronze whatever turkey crown for £80 in M&S lol.  Not the cheapest place to shop I know, but I was quite shocked compared to my large whole turkey for £12.99 and enough for meals for quite some time!

However as its my first time deboning and taking apart a turkey carcass, its take a lot of extra time lol.  Unfortunately I've had a lot of problems with my arthritis so I kept having to stop yesterday so its not going according to plan time wise ha ha.  But it'll all be made by 'lunchtime'.  And the house smells totally delicious lolol.  I tend to cook the turkey the day before normally so I just have to do veg and roasties on the day.  

So its all a bit of an experiment.., but I'm very happy with the money I've saved.  Lots of meals out of the one turkey and it won't be bland or boring.  I'm planning to have a buffet on boxing day, and will do things like BBq turkey and salad in bao buns (home made).  

I know its all a bit involved.., but it took me 3 attempts (over 3 Xmases) to figure out how to get a nice moist roast turkey (thank you Jamie Oliver years ago lol).  Use a meat thermometer to check how well its cooked, you'll never get a dried turkey or a turkey with undercooked bits as long as you use a thermometer.  

So put either butter and herbs and / or  bacon/sausagement under the skin of whatever turkey joint you have, and use a thermometer to make sure you don't under/overcook it.    It won't be dry and will taste wonderful.

If anyone wants to try these things next year, google is your friend.., there's loads of suggestions as to stuffings, how to brine etc.