Neven Maguire tells Boards.ie members how to cook the perfect Christmas Turkey dinner

On Monday 07 December I got to talk to Neven Maguire about how to ensure that your turkey is well cooked this Christmas. Exciting, eh? It's for the Boards.ie Christmas forum at http://www.boards.ie/christmas

Neven spoke to me as part of the Safefood Christmas campaign which will help you ensure your food is well cooked, safe to eat and tasty.

From their press release:

"Christmas dinner is undoubtedly one of the most special meals of the year, but preparing a tasty and nutritious meal for family and friends is pointless if the proper food hygiene practices are ignored. Any leftovers should be cooled and refrigerated within two hours of cooking and eaten within three days, making sure they are piping hot and reheated only once.

My recipe for a turkey and leek pie is a delicious way to use up the leftovers and is available on the safefood website.

Dr. Gary Kearney, Director, Food Science, safefood commented; We know that cooking Christmas dinner is a challenging, but rewarding part of Christmas. And with 81% of people usually cooking for between 3 and 10 people on Christmas Day, the home kitchen can be a very busy place. Our advice this year will help make it easier to cook a safe and tasty turkey in a fan assisted oven and there are lots of ways consumers can get the exact cooking time to suit their turkey, whether stuffed or unstuffed.

He continued, The length of time you cook your turkey is a key factor in ensuring it is safe and tasty, but our research reveals just 8% of people work out the cooking time based on the weight of their turkey. 20% of people said they thought their turkey was cooked by either looking at it or by the smell, but these methods dont guarantee that the turkey is thoroughly cooked.

Turkey is the meat of choice for Christmas with 94% of people saying they eat turkey on Christmas Day. 83% of people said they buy a fresh turkey, with 11% purchasing a frozen turkey. Consumers should remember to thoroughly defrost their frozen turkey prior to cooking and carefully wash their hands in warm soapy water if they come into contact with raw turkey.

For information regarding the recommended cooking times and temperatures for gas and non-fan assisted electric ovens and advice on food safety or nutrition visit www.safefood.eu or call the safefood helpline on 1850 40 45 67.

Consumers can also request a copy of safefoods free Christmas leaflet, Time the turkey to perfection this Christmas!

Neven can be found online at http://www.nevenmaguire.com

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