More than half (54%) of Northern Ireland’s festive home cooks are swapping full turkeys for turkey crowns or turkey joints this Christmas, new safefood research has revealed.

As households get ready for the festive season, over half (59%) of home cooks admit to finding cooking Christmas dinner a little stressful, but say they still enjoy the end result with family and friends.

safefood as part of its annual Christmas food safety campaign, is encouraging chefs at home to use a meat thermometer to make sure their turkey is safely cooked through to 75 degrees Celsius so everyone can have a safe and tasty Christmas.

Trish Twohig, Director of Food Safety with safefood said: ‘Our research shows more people are opting for turkey crowns this year which would suggest people are changing their choice of Christmas turkey with an eye on food costs.

‘Whatever kind of turkey you cook this year, using a meat thermometer takes the guesswork out of knowing when it’s safely cooked. To check that it’s cooked, take the turkey out of the oven, and pop a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the meat between the breast and the leg – when it reads 75 degrees Celsius, it’s safely cooked.

‘Meat thermometers are affordable, easy to use and can be used on other eats during the year like chicken, pork, burgers, and sausages to ensure they are cooked all the way through.

‘If you aren’t sure about how long a turkey takes to cook, you can check out all the details on safefood.net/Christmas It’s stuffed with lots of practical help like our interactive turkey cooking time calculator for all turkey types, a Christmas dinner planner to help with meal planning and lots of delicious recipes to make the most of any leftovers.’

safefood has teamed up with Noel McMeel, one of Ireland’s most celebrated chefs, to help take the stress out of cooking Christmas dinner.

“Christmas dinner is renowned as the most important meal of the year, and I’m delighted to work with safefood to provide simple tips for safety in the kitchen. My main piece of advice this year is that cooking time on packaging is a general guide only. To ensure a turkey is fully cooked, I recommend using a meat thermometer.

“If you don’t have a meat thermometer, use a clean fork or skewer to pierce the thickest part of the breast and thigh. You’ll know it’s cooked when: it’s piping hot throughout, its juices run clear, there is no pink meat left and any stuffing is also piping hot throughout.”

safefood’s Top Tips for Cooking the Perfect Christmas Dinner

Get your fridge festive ready – Ahead of the festive rush give your fridge a good clean with warm soapy water and re-arrange the shelves to make space for your turkey – you should store it on the bottom shelf.

How much turkey do you need? – Consider how many people you’re cooking for (children eat less than adults) and whether you want any leftovers. Here’s a guide to the size of turkey you’ll need depending on the size of your party.

- 4-6 people: a 3-4 kg turkey
- 6-8 people: a 4-5 kg turkey
- 8-10 people: a 5-6 kg turkey

Give yourself enough time to defrost – If your turkey is frozen, give yourself enough time to defrost it prior to cooking and defrost it on a dish or tray on the bottom shelf of the fridge. Allow 24 hours for every 4-5 pounds/1.8-2.2kg of frozen turkey. You’ll know it’s completely thawed when the body is soft, the legs can be moved and there are no ice crystals in the cavity.

Don’t wash your turkey – Do not wash your turkey as this can spread harmful bacteria to your sink and kitchen surfaces – proper cooking will kill any bacteria. Handle your turkey as little as possible and remember to wash your hands and any surfaces/utensils with hot, soapy water before you handle any other food.

How long to cook your turkey? For cooking times to suit your turkey, safefood have a handy turkey cooking time calculator on their website at safefood.net/Christmas. To check your turkey is safely cooked, take it out of the oven and pop a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the meat between the breast and the leg; when it reads 75 degrees Celsius, it’s safely cooked. If you don’t own a meat thermometer, pierce the thickest part with a clean skewer or fork and check that it is piping hot, with no pink meat left and the juices run clear.

Using your leftovers – Always cover any leftovers and place in the fridge within two hours of cooking. Ensure any meat is cooled as quickly as possible – cutting it into pieces will help with this. Once in the fridge, any leftovers should be eaten within three days. When re-heating food, ensure it is piping hot all the way throughout and only re-heated once. Check out safefood.net/christmas for some inspiration on leftover recipes.