Christmas dinner

GingerLily · 15-12-2016 4:27pm

Walter H Price wrote: »

but why eat somthing you dont really like just because its tradition , like we would never roast meat any other time of the year , i find roasting drys nearly every meat out , it much rater a steak than roat beef , chicken or turkey in currey , enchilada , fajita or pasta suace then just dryed out in the oven and coved in bisto.

I dont mind veg in a kinda take it or leave it way but my OH literaly eats no veg so that kinda defeats the purpose of the traditional bland roast for us.

Your family doesn't even celebrate Christmas to be fair, so it's hardly surprising you don't appreciate the magic of Christmas Dinner.

Joeface · 15-12-2016 4:44pm

been doing the Christmas dinner cooking for good few years now . Tried every way

Turkey Breast only from the butcher , Cooked in a bag on top of veg and some garlic cloves and your preferred herbs ( all in the bag) , Skin facing up . Tear open the bag for the last 20-25min. .Never been dry or boring .. ..............Damn it I'm hungry now .

have not found my perfect Ham yet , Tried coke , Cider , and one or 2 others its always fine never wow.
tempted to try this http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/holiday-ham-with-riesling-and-mustard-368962 for this season

Walter H Price · 15-12-2016 4:45pm

GingerLily wrote: »

Your family doesn't even celebrate Christmas to be fair, so it's hardly surprising you don't appreciate the magic of Christmas Dinner.

They don't , that's very true , but we always had the Turkey and Ham growing up, my parents did do the traditional Christmas thing right up untill we were both over 18.

I'm not knocking anyone who enjoys it , just wouldn't really be for me the whole roast meat and veg thing is just a bit dull in my book i'd much rather a good Curry or Pasta based meal then spuds boiled veg and roast meat

_Jamie_ · 15-12-2016 4:52pm

Glenster wrote: »

Name a blander/dryer meat than turkey.

You cant. there isn't one.

Easy. Chicken breast. It's way blander. Turkey has a strong, distinctive flavour to my palette. And my mother is a whizz at roasting a moist turkey. Y'all just can't roast it properly.

LirW · 15-12-2016 5:00pm

Ohhh my topic:

My first Christmas in Ireland with my partner's parents. Thing is that she is a dreadful cook. And I mean it, she absolutely cannot cook (I think the only thing she can make is like casserole and even that is not great). I'm Austrian and I'm quite used to mad Christmas food and I'm a decent cook myself. Therefore I offered to cook and already came up with a menu.
They refused, they want turkey and ham. After quite some desperation, my man said "f it, we cook our own" because he's quite fed up with the classic Christmas dinner as well. Doesn't go down too well but I tasted her ham once it it was awful.
Funfact: I told my man ages ago if he can pre-order meat, since he works right next to a place with good meat. Didn't do it til today.
I started to store Chicken nuggets and chips, please send help.

_Jamie_ · 15-12-2016 5:33pm

OldGoat wrote: »

Even when cooked properly and served moist and succulent it's still bland fowl.

I find it has a distinctive flavour. I never see the fuss about roast beef, for example, I actually find it not particularly flavoursome at all, even if properly cooked and not overdone. It's always underwhelming to me and I'd never cook it myself. Like, in everyday cooking, give me a roast chicken leg over roast beef any day of the week. Way more succulent, juicy and tasty. I understand that some people genuinely don't like turkey but sometimes it seems like it's the thing to say at Christmas or else people simply have never had a truly moist turkey.

_Jamie_ · 15-12-2016 5:39pm

Shenshen wrote: »

I don't know, maybe they enjoy bland? My gran used to always ask the waiter for her food to be cooked bland when ordering something in restaurants.

For the love of god.

IamMetaldave · 15-12-2016 5:45pm

Glenster wrote: »

Walter H Price wrote: »

not the biggest fan of the traditional roast meat and veg its a bit dull tbh.

I love cooking and like to play around with the ingredients a bit , last year we had stuffing balls with garlic butter to start , a turkey mince and gammon lardons lasagna with Brussels sprout and smocked bacon gratin , chocolate brownies and homemade Christmas cookies with custard and cream for desert , was awesome.

Thinking of trying maybe an Idian or Chineese theme this year

Jaysus, do you have a website I can donate to? I'm on the verge of tears over here.

Lasagna for Christmas Dinner?

I have Lasagna every year for Christmas dinner because I hate Christmas dinner.

appledrop · 15-12-2016 5:46pm

I can't stand Christmas dinner never have. I hate turkey + everything else that goes with the Christmas dinner. The only thing I eat is the ham. Even worse is Christmas parties or Weddings that serve Christmas dinners. I am then staving for the whole evening.

Now in saying that while I hate the food I love the way all the family gets together on the day so wouldn't change that for the world.

pilly · 15-12-2016 5:48pm

appledrop wrote: »

I can't stand Christmas dinner never have. I hate turkey + everything else that goes with the Christmas dinner. The only thing I eat is the ham. Even worse is Christmas parties or Weddings that serve Christmas dinners. I am then staving for the whole evening.

Now in saying that while I hate the food I love the way all the family gets together on the day so wouldn't change that for the world.

So you would actually rather starve than eat a bit of Turkey and Ham for the sake of it? Really?

appledrop · 15-12-2016 5:54pm

I actually like ham so am grand on Christmas day as always loads. However when you go to these events you always get a scrapy bit of ham hidden under a pile of turkey. I won't touch turkey is horrible.

Glenster · 15-12-2016 6:00pm

_Jamie_ wrote: »

Easy. Chicken breast. It's way blander. Turkey has a strong, distinctive flavour to my palette. And my mother is a whizz at roasting a moist turkey. Y'all just can't roast it properly.

Turkey = Bigger = Longer to cook = Dryer

QED

Just because your ma is some sort of wizard who can coax a non-Saharan turkey out of the oven does not mean its not dry and bland.

Answer me this, how long does your ma spend making this succulent turkey? if she spent as long prepping a chicken would it not taste even better.

JESUS THEY DONT EVEN SELL TURKEYS 50 WEEKS OF THE YEAR, COS NO-ONE WANTS THEM COS THEY DRY AF.

Yamanoto · 15-12-2016 6:12pm

I quite like Turkey that's been cooked well & retained its succulence, but it's the hours of associated faff and stress of plating up too much accompanying veg & all the other seemingly mandatory trappings that make Christmas dinner a bit exhausting.

I'm lucky to spend Christmas day with family I love but tbh, there's just too much pissing about doing things simply because tradition says that's the way it should be done. I'd far prefer if it were pared back a bit, to maximise the time spent sitting round the table having a chat & a laugh with those I care about considerably more than roasties, stuffing and cranberry sauce.

picturehangup · 15-12-2016 6:17pm

We always get a bronze free-range turkey, and they are not at all dry, especially if cooked breast side down rather than up, as the juices seep through, which keeps it nice and moist. Overcooked turkey tends to be very dry. Perhaps we are listening to bord bia ads re. salmonella a bit too much, but still need to heed!

RWCNT · 15-12-2016 6:20pm

I actually like Turkey quite a bit, especially the leg, but sticking to having that for your dinner out of tradition is daft if you don't enjoy it.

So many delicious alternatives, had Beef Wellington for the first time at my ex's parents house a few years ago and it was unbelievably awesome. Spiced Beef is another fave.

Glenster · 15-12-2016 6:21pm

IamMetaldave wrote: »

I have Lasagna every year for Christmas dinner because I hate Christmas dinner.

I cant help you.

Give these guys a try -116123

DEFTLEFTHAND · 15-12-2016 6:27pm

Usually too fcked up to enjoy the dinner properly.

Yourself isit · 15-12-2016 6:30pm

people who think turkey dry or bland have never had it cooked properly.

_Jamie_ · 15-12-2016 7:13pm

Glenster wrote: »

Turkey = Bigger = Longer to cook = Dryer

QED

Just because your ma is some sort of wizard who can coax a non-Saharan turkey out of the oven does not mean its not dry and bland.

Answer me this, how long does your ma spend making this succulent turkey? if she spent as long prepping a chicken would it not taste even better.

JESUS THEY DONT EVEN SELL TURKEYS 50 WEEKS OF THE YEAR, COS NO-ONE WANTS THEM COS THEY DRY AF.

You don't need to be a wizard, just a competent cook. You can't cook. Sucks to be you. :cool:

Tauriel · 15-12-2016 7:46pm

demanufactured wrote: »

You're cooking them wrong.

I don't cook them, it's usually a relatives I am dragged to :rolleyes:

Kivaro · 15-12-2016 7:50pm

GingerLily wrote: »

BAH HUMBUG!!!!!

Based on some of the posts on this thread, I think you meant to say:
BAH HAMBUG!!!!!

P_1 · 15-12-2016 8:03pm

Been trying to suggest that hot and spicy Turkey fillets be used instead of the bland, dry whole bird that usually ends up in the bin. Have not met with much success.

mohawk · 15-12-2016 11:40pm

I love Christmas dinner. My favourite part is the sandwiches in the evening. Ham, turkey and stuffing. Better then the dinner itself.

I know loads of people who don't like sprouts but still have them at Christmas. My granny always puts a couple on her plate every year even though she hates them. Then there is the people cooking them up in pancetta trying to disguise how disgusting they really are. If you don't like something feck tradition and have something you like.

philstar · 15-12-2016 11:54pm

anyone for Duck?

kfallon · 15-12-2016 11:56pm

mohawk wrote: »

I know loads of people who don't like sprouts but still have them at Christmas. My granny always puts a couple on her plate every year even though she hates them. Then there is the people cooking them up in pancetta trying to disguise how disgusting they really are. If you don't like something feck tradition and have something you like.

You wha'?

Estrellita · 16-12-2016 11:14am

mohawk wrote: »

I know loads of people who don't like sprouts but still have them at Christmas. My granny always puts a couple on her plate every year even though she hates them. Then there is the people cooking them up in pancetta trying to disguise how disgusting they really are. If you don't like something feck tradition and have something you like.

Wrong. I'm beginning to think people are bollocksing up sprouts they way they are with their turkey. Cook / boil the s.hit out of everything, then tell everyone how you hate Christmas dinner. You get what you put into a dinner.

We love Brussels sprouts in our house, and yes I use pancetta in it. I'm not disguising the taste of them, I'm enhancing with meat juice flavour which softens the leaves nicely and gives them a nice bacon-y saltiness to them. It wouldn't be unknown to add meat flavours to other food. Gravy is another example.

It's fine to hate a boiled-to-s.hit sprout, but not a loved sprout. High in protein (for a green), source of vitamin C and K, folate, manganese, and potassium. Eat up your sprouts dear.

jester77 · 16-12-2016 11:17am

philstar wrote: »

anyone for Duck?

Yip, having duck on the xmas eve :pac::pac::pac:

Walter H Price · 16-12-2016 11:23am

Estrellita wrote: »

Wrong. I'm beginning to think people are bollocksing up sprouts they way they are with their turkey. Cook / boil the s.hit out of everything, then tell everyone how you hate Christmas dinner. You get what you put into a dinner.

We love Brussels sprouts in our house, and yes I use pancetta in it. I'm not disguising the taste of them, I'm enhancing with meat juice flavour which softens the leaves nicely and gives them a nice bacon-y saltiness to them. It wouldn't be unknown to add meat flavours to other food. Gravy is another example.

It's fine to hate a boiled-to-s.hit sprout, but not a loved sprout. High in protein (for a green), source of vitamin C and K, folate, manganese, and potassium. Eat up your sprouts dear.

Totally agree sprouts can be awesome if done properly , like any veg if boiled to death yeh its going to be slimy pointless bland gick , i do agree that alot of why people dont like the full Christmas dinner is because allot of Irish people cant cook for Sh!t, there's nothing worse than bone dry turkey meat , over boiled ham , dry stuffing out of a packet and some over boiled veg and lumpy mash.

This thread has actually inspired me to ditch the indian/ chineese theam for this year and give the traditional thing a proper lash, im not sure Turkey can be anything other then bland but will give it a lash ,will be adding a duck just in case though :P

Estrellita · 16-12-2016 12:05pm

Walter H Price wrote: »

Totally agree sprouts can be awesome if done properly , like any veg if boiled to death yeh its going to be slimy pointless bland gick , i do agree that alot of why people dont like the full Christmas dinner is because allot of Irish people cant cook for Sh!t, there's nothing worse than bone dry turkey meat , over boiled ham , dry stuffing out of a packet and some over boiled veg and lumpy mash.

This thread has actually inspired me to ditch the indian/ chineese theam for this year and give the traditional thing a proper lash, im not sure Turkey can be anything other then bland but will give it a lash ,will be adding a duck just in case though :P

Lol.. no need for the duck unless it's what you really want. You just have to keep an eye on everything.

Turkey is only known to be dry and bland by those that near cremate the thing in the oven. You can't bang it in the oven for a couple of hours and hope for the best. I take the turkey out every so often and give it a little bath in its own juices. It's carefully wrapped in strips of bacon to lock down the moisture and allow it's bacon-yness to seep in.

The turkey is best enjoyed with a lovely, moist homemade stuffing. I make it from scratch every year, dry shop bought stuffing is not an option. I hate dry stuffing with a passion

LirW · 16-12-2016 12:07pm

Estrellita wrote: »

Lol.. no need for the duck unless it's what you really want. You just have to keep an eye on everything.

Turkey is only known to be dry and bland by those that near cremate the thing in the oven. You can't bang it in the oven for a couple of hours and hope for the best. I take the turkey out every so often and give it a little bath in its own juices. It's carefully wrapped in strips of bacon to lock down the moisture and allow it's bacon-yness to seep in.

The turkey is best enjoyed with a lovely, moist homemade stuffing. I make it from scratch every year, dry shop bought stuffing is not an option. I hate dry stuffing with a passion

Can I come over and have a bit of your turkey? I really fear for the poor bird in the house after my in-laws are done with it

Christmas dinner

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