Whether Your Turkey Is Burned Or Undercooked, These Chef Tips Can Rescue It

It’s the one meal of the year of the year that you literally and figuratively can’t afford to get wrong but somehow, it seems that you may have.

You’ve followed all the crucial steps to cook a turkey, you’ve duly stuck to basting and baking times, you’ve even maybe enjoyed the smell wafting through your home.

Somehow, it’s still not right.

Thankfully, according to Craig Nelson and Robin Aitken, chefs at Ox and Finch and Margo, – who are both expected to be part of a top line up of renowned chefs featured at Meatopia – all is not lost quite yet. 

How to rescue turkey that hasn’t cooked properly

Nelson says that how you serve and slice a botched turkey is key to avoiding a further festive faux pas: “If your turkey is a bit too pink, slice it however you want it, lay it on a tray and put some of your Christmas gravy over before placing in the oven until it’s fully cooked.

“If your turkey is burnt, how you serve it will make all the difference. Salvage the meat by shredding it and presenting it in a dish that people can get stuck into, or straight on the plate. The breast is likely the most burnt part, so focus on saving the brown meat – leg and thigh – which I think is the best bit anyway.” 

Couldn’t agree more.

If neither of these seem feasible, Nelson has one more solution: “If you’ve got a bit of time, are feeling creative and have a table full of adventurous palates, you can always try and repurpose shredded turkey: turkey pie, curry, casserole. Unconventional, but a good way to make sure you don’t waste meat!”

Aitken  – the head chef at Glasgow’s newest City Centre restaurant –  Margo, believes that your secret weapon is gravy.

“Overcooked and dry meat at Christmas can be an utter nightmare, but masking the flavour with sauces and seasoning can really make a difference”, he said. 

“Gravy is your secret weapon – so use it.” 

Happily.

He explains: “Should your turkey be slightly raw, take this as an opportunity to add more flavour. Cook an equal quantity of seasoned water and butter at just below a simmer to finish poaching the bird’s breast and legs. It’s a great time to provide some moisture or indeed lovely flavouring such as garlic, thyme or clove.

“A dry turkey can be salvaged similarly: slice the turkey thinly, and make sure you’ve got plenty of sauces for moisture: a hearty gravy, zesty cranberry sauce and creamy bread sauce should mask the flavour and save the day.”

Honestly, all of these solutions sound drool-worthy to me.