Between shopping, preparations and pre-baking, we spend the best part of six weeks sometimes getting ready for Christmas day – but when it comes down to it, there’s always a little disaster just waiting to befall us!

 

The wonderful folk at Stork know this all too well, and they decided to do a little digging to find out about Irish mums’ greatest Christmas Day kitchen calamities.

 

Can you guess what our most common Christmas Day cooking-related disaster is? Yep, that’s right – overcooking the turkey!

 

A nationwide survey revealed that a staggering 51% of us overcook our festive bird on the big day – not too surprising, and a bit of a relief for all those thinking it was just them. The sprouts (37%) and the roast spuds (28%) are next in the firing line when it comes to Christmas Day cooking disasters.

 

 

Having mulled this over, we think it’s only right that we share a few pointers for getting the Christmas dinner right – here are some tried and tested tips for avoiding the aforementioned disasters:

  • Time your turkey: The best way to avoid incinerating your turkey is by carefully timing the cooking. Rather than fiddling about with numbers and sums, go online and find a turkey cooking time calculator – sorted!
  • Don’t stress if your bird won’t fit in your oven: Easier said than done, we know, but there is a way around it. Simply remove the legs, cutting at the thigh joint, and cook them separately in another roasting dish.
  • Avoid soggy sprouts: Most chefs out there will advise you, first and foremost, to avoid frozen sprouts and opt for fresh ones instead. If you’re steaming them, they’re ready as soon as you can slide a fork in (don’t wait for them to turn to mush!), and give them no longer than 40 minutes in an oven if roasting.
  • Keep your roast spuds crispy: An old wives’ tip that we work from is to pre-boil your spuds for about five minutes, then stick them on a roasting tray and continuously turn them, coating them in oil all over – delicious!

Of course, do not let it get you down if you do encounter a Christmas Day cooking disaster – you’re in good company! According to Stork’s research, one in four Irish people have a cooking-related meltdown on Christmas Day, with 1:47pm being pinpointed as the most stressful time of the day for cooks. Been there, done that, says you.

 

With one in five mums admitting to feeling under-appreciated for their Christmas Day cooking and baking efforts, all that’s left is to remind you to thank your wonderful mum for her incredible efforts and hard work!

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