How to choose (and cook) the perfect Christmas turkey

Wondering how to navigate this year’s Christmas meal? We’ve got your back.

The first thing you’ll need to choose is your “centrepiece”: turkey, ham, seafood or something else? Click here to read our guide to your different options.

If you’ve settled on turkey, continue on to figure out which type will work for you - and how to cook it to perfection.

If you need to feed a lot of people: choose a whole turkey

Why choose a whole turkey?

  • It’s great if you’re serving a lot of people, or you want leftovers.
  • There’s a mix of light and dark meat to suit every taste.
  • Bonus: giblets can be used to create gravy or stock.

How to cook a whole turkey:

  • Oven temperature should be approximately 170°C.
  • The general rule is to allow 40 minutes cooking time per kg of turkey- e.g a 6kg bird will need 4.5 hours of cooking.
  • Allow the turkey to stand for 20 minutes before carving.

If “easy to cook” is the priority: go for a stuffed turkey breast roll

Why choose a stuffed turkey roll?

  • A turkey breast rolled with flavoured stuffing means every slice is a delicious cut.
  • It’s usually wrapped in netting for easy cooking.
  • It’s easy to get a consistent bake throughout.

How to cook a turkey breast roll:

  • Oven temperature should be approximately 190°F (87°C).
  • Cooking Time should be approximately 30 minutes per kilogram. For example, a 4kg bird will need 2 hours of cooking.

If you need it on the table quick (or want everyone to get the best cut): try a plain turkey breast

Why choose a plain turkey breast?

  • Quicker to Carve.
  • Easier to Serve.
  • Less dark meat so everyone can have the 'best cut'.

How to cook a plain turkey breast:

  • Oven temperature should be approximately 190°F (87°C).
  • Cooking Time should be approximately 30 minutes per kilogram. For example, a 2kg bird will need 1 hour of cooking.

Order the perfect Christmas turkey

We’ll help you find the perfect turkey for your Christmas lunch or dinner. You can reserve a delivery slot now, and edit your order all the way up to our Christmas cut-off dates:

  • Monday December 19 midday - for meat and seafood centrepieces (turkey, ham, oysters, and prawns, etc)
  • Thursday December 22 midday - for everything else
  • Christmas deliveries on the 23rd & 24th of December

Click here to find out how to secure your delivery slot.

Want some help?

If you’re not sure which one to order or want to be sure it’s the right size for you - just give our Customer Happiness team a call on 1300 851 343.

100% delivery guarantee

And you can rest easy - we have a 100% delivery guarantee on Christmas centrepieces. Plus, if something isn’t right with your order, we’ll go to the shops for you (on Christmas eve if we have to!) to make sure everything is perfect.

Click here to place your Christmas order.

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