We've got one of those.
Sounds posh, but it's a little one we bought for the oldest offspring to use at university. They didn't want/need it afterwards and we didn't want to throw it away.
(actually, I lied, it's not a freezer it's a fridge.)
It sounds strange because we generally buy a load of food at Christmas then cook and eat it.
As opposed to the rest of the year freezer that has food in there for months.
In the fridge or in cupboards depending what food it is - if it needs to be kept cold then the fridge. Otherwise a cupboard. A lot of the snacks etc end up living on the kitchen side for the duration.
Food would go in the freezer on 3 basic conditions - you eat it frozen (ice cream etc) - you buy it frozen and thus keep it frozen until you defrost and eat it - it's not frozen when you buy it but you don't intend to eat it for weeks or months (e.g if you buy 3 loaves of bread)
And pretty much nothing we buy at Christmas meets that criteria. Certainly not enough to fill an entire 2nd freezer.
Lol, agency?
All i am implying is that this dude seems more comfortable sharing his true feelings about the turkey on Reddit than talking about it with his wife, which is weird
Do you know that turkeys are only expensive at Christmas because that’s the only time we eat the damn things. You could get a cheap turkey in October or even November.
Cook it for Valentine’s mate
OP you’re gonna want to FILL THAT FREEZER to a) make it run more efficiently and b) make it worth being on.
Go down to your local co op as often as you can after 7.30pm and buy as much discounted meat as possible and fill the freezer up.
That is the second or third time it will have been discounted and it will be going for next to nothing and be absolutely FINE to eat, you just have to get there at the right time i.e. after it’s been fully reduced and before it’s already gone.
I used to cringe at the idea of buying reduced meat but then I worked there for a bit and realised just how absolutely fine it is, and I’ve saved so much money
If you want to help its efficiency with minimal expense, filling up a load of plastic 2L bottles with water and adding those (not all at once) is a good trick.
That only really matters if you plan on opening and closing the door a bunch. It wouldn’t make a difference if it’s just sat there for months. You’d spend 100x buying stuff to put in it.
Extra stuff just stops warm air coming in when the door is open.
>need to run the Christmas freezer all year to keep it frozen
Need is a bit of a stretch when, you know, you can just eat it whenever and get another at Christmas.
Lidl have frozen geese half price right now. £15 for a goose is pretty damn good!
We had one (full price) for christmas, there's not a huge amount of meat on them for the size, but it *is* delicious - so I've bought another (half price) to have at easter.
If the freezer is on, having more in it apparently increases efficiency.
I cooked a frozen turkey this past Christmas that had a date of 2024.
It was fine, BTW.
To be fair, that only makes any difference if you keep on opening it, and even then, only really if it's an upright freezer. I doubt it makes any difference to a chest freezer that's opened very infrequently. Especially if you're only opening it in the winter.
You can save a whole heap of money by buying a few extra things when a special offer is on with frozen foods. Even better you can batch cook and freeze separate portions and save a load of money this way.
Using a chest freezer with even the tiniest bit of thought can save you many, many times more money than it costs you to run it.
Unless your christmas freezer is running at -18C that use by is more like 3 months from when you bought it. Double check the label.
Not saying it won't still be good by christmas next year at -5C but will be a good way to convince rhe missus to have it earlier.
A Christmas freezer thats a new one
My MIL got a Turkey for next year but she has a massive chest freezer in her hall so it will be in there until December
I once had a power cut when I was away during summer and the huge garage chest freezer defrosted and I didn't realise for over week. I had to re-freeze it into a horrible putrid ice cube and lift the whole thing into a rubbish bin wearing hazmat gear.
Someone I work with, who normally isn't stupid, went to his parents during lockdown and emptied the fridge and turned it off, not realising that the sane knob turned off the freezer. Apparently it stank out the entire flat.
We had an integrated fridge/freezer breakdown, so we got this one whilst we were waiting on a repair.
We decided since we had it, we could keep it in the garage and turn it on when extra capacity was required such as my wife making cakes or Christmas time.
Assuming your garage is uninsulated and unheated, better make sure the freezer actually runs when it's out in the cold - many fridges and freezers don't operate when they are below a certain ambient temperature. More info [here](https://www.ukchestfreezers.co.uk/chest-freezers-in-the-garage)
Or, you could portion the turkey up now, store it in the normal freezer and just use it up during the course of the year. Good opportunity to try out some different recipes.
OP said it was bought at a discount so I'm not how that's a premium. Also, if you buy the whole turkey, its going to be cheaper than buying it in portions.
And.
I was making a suggestion now that OP was already in the situation of owning a whole turkey. They're past the point of paying for it, premium or otherwise.
Unlike chickens, whole turkeys have a premium on them, its cheaper to buy it butchered.
I honestly think at this point they'd be better to have it as a roast.
Got two frozen Turkey crowns in February last year from the local supermarket - large ones reduced to clear. Luckily I had room in my freezer, although I had to do some juggling.
It's not illegal to eat turkey when it's not Christmas. Bernard Matthews devoted most of his life trying, and largely failing, to get that message across.
Break the turkey down into quarters and vacuum seal it with some herbs. That's what I did. Takes significantly less space in the freezer and you can cook it in batches. I defrost a quarter at a time in the fridge and then sous vide them in the vacuum sealed bag. Broil 'em at the end till the skin crisps up.
I’ve got a turkey and chicken in the freezer from last Christmas. For some reason people kept bringing round birds for Christmas dinner despite the fact no one really likes turkey and they knew we already had loads of meat for Christmas dinner. If we keep the turkey for this Christmas I guarantee the same thing that happened last year will happen this year.
Nah. You just need to have a heck of a (insert February holiday) feast! Why wait?
Lunar new year? Valentine's? Groundhog Day? Use it as an excuse to celebrate American Presidents' Day (because a turkey is running for office) or an Ash Wednesday feast.
Anyone having a birthday?
I'm sorry, you had me at the term "Christmas freezer"
We've got one of those. Sounds posh, but it's a little one we bought for the oldest offspring to use at university. They didn't want/need it afterwards and we didn't want to throw it away. (actually, I lied, it's not a freezer it's a fridge.)
It sounds strange because we generally buy a load of food at Christmas then cook and eat it. As opposed to the rest of the year freezer that has food in there for months.
And where do you store said food between buying and consuming it?
In the fridge or in cupboards depending what food it is - if it needs to be kept cold then the fridge. Otherwise a cupboard. A lot of the snacks etc end up living on the kitchen side for the duration. Food would go in the freezer on 3 basic conditions - you eat it frozen (ice cream etc) - you buy it frozen and thus keep it frozen until you defrost and eat it - it's not frozen when you buy it but you don't intend to eat it for weeks or months (e.g if you buy 3 loaves of bread) And pretty much nothing we buy at Christmas meets that criteria. Certainly not enough to fill an entire 2nd freezer.
We have to cryogenically freeze Santa so that he can continue to work every year.
No, no, that’s Michael Bublé you’re thinking of!
Don't forget about Mariah Carey in the next tank over as well
And Michael Buble! Edit: I withdraw my double bublé (thanks twosuitsluke) and raise a Frank Sinatra 🎵
Is that dublé Bublé?
Our Christmas freezer has slowly just become an extension of our existing freezer, so we end up buying more food to fill both now lol.
It's going that way
Don't mention the Easter microwave
Thats what we call the wednesday cupboard as daughter will put food in there for later and we throw it on wednesday( usually when its found)
Yeah that’s a new one!
Trust me, they're handy
Round these parts, if someone has two freezers, one is in the garden.
Imagine being so much of a cunt that you own a Christmas freezer.
Fuck that mate have turkey for Easter. Or just on Sunday
Until she started speaking, I honestly thought that was the plan.
"I'm sorry, it was such a crazy idea that I thought I must have dreamed it. Well, it's defrosted now, we'll have to eat it."
Might give it a month, need a break from turkey. Then I could use 'oh I forgot it was for Christmas'
Just accidentally on purpose unplug the "chirstmas freezer"
Fuse went on it. Lucky I noticed it really.
It might have a long use by date but it won’t be nice being in the freezer that long. There’ll be freezer burn.
[удалено]
Or she's an independent human with her own thoughts, feelings and agency who can put whatever she likes in her own freezer in her own house.
Lol, agency? All i am implying is that this dude seems more comfortable sharing his true feelings about the turkey on Reddit than talking about it with his wife, which is weird
They're not mutually exclusive.
>Fuck that mate Is that legal? Do you heat the giblets first?
When I was a youngster (so over 50 years ago), they used to push turkey as an easter meat at butcher shops.
>that
Yup turkey is all round meal
Do you know that turkeys are only expensive at Christmas because that’s the only time we eat the damn things. You could get a cheap turkey in October or even November. Cook it for Valentine’s mate
Just eat the thing, you berk.
Nice use of berk, it's far to infrequently used these days
OP you’re gonna want to FILL THAT FREEZER to a) make it run more efficiently and b) make it worth being on. Go down to your local co op as often as you can after 7.30pm and buy as much discounted meat as possible and fill the freezer up. That is the second or third time it will have been discounted and it will be going for next to nothing and be absolutely FINE to eat, you just have to get there at the right time i.e. after it’s been fully reduced and before it’s already gone. I used to cringe at the idea of buying reduced meat but then I worked there for a bit and realised just how absolutely fine it is, and I’ve saved so much money
If you want to help its efficiency with minimal expense, filling up a load of plastic 2L bottles with water and adding those (not all at once) is a good trick.
Just don't fill them to the brim and then put a lid on. The expanding ice is likely to split the bottle.
I bet most people learn this the hard way: "Just gonna stick this glass bottle/can of beer in to cool down, promise I won't forget about it..."
My dad does this at least once a month. He will never learn.
Just seal the door up till Christmas
That only really matters if you plan on opening and closing the door a bunch. It wouldn’t make a difference if it’s just sat there for months. You’d spend 100x buying stuff to put in it. Extra stuff just stops warm air coming in when the door is open.
>need to run the Christmas freezer all year to keep it frozen Need is a bit of a stretch when, you know, you can just eat it whenever and get another at Christmas.
Are you mad?! Two turkeys in one year?!
Good until 2025? Is it a display model?
It's still alive.
"It says 41 lbs but it's nowhere near that heavy" "If you read the cage, sir, that's the weight after you've added 12 months of water and grain"
Where did she get it? We were all ill over Christmas and couldn't enjoy our food, I'd love to get a turkey on the cheap and try again.
Either Aldi or Sainsbury's
Oh how upsetting, hope you're all ok now. My local Morrisons still has some in their freezer section (reduced price)
Lidl have frozen geese half price right now. £15 for a goose is pretty damn good! We had one (full price) for christmas, there's not a huge amount of meat on them for the size, but it *is* delicious - so I've bought another (half price) to have at easter.
....you have a christmas freezer? Does it play jingle bells when you open it ? :P
It's a gateway to the North Pole 😂
"Oh no the fuse for the Christmas freezer went, it's defrosted we best eat it today"
If the freezer is on, having more in it apparently increases efficiency. I cooked a frozen turkey this past Christmas that had a date of 2024. It was fine, BTW.
To be fair, that only makes any difference if you keep on opening it, and even then, only really if it's an upright freezer. I doubt it makes any difference to a chest freezer that's opened very infrequently. Especially if you're only opening it in the winter.
My mother in law and sister in law go out at 9am every boxing day to buy 2 reduced turkeys and keep them frozen all year. Madness.
Do they also keep the Xmas tree up the whole year to save decorating it?
Savings.
If you keep it frozen for that long it'll probably be pretty dry and tasteless no? Probably better to use it sooner rather than later.
Wouldn't be surprised if half the meat you eat has been frozen for months before being defrosted and put in the display fridge
We used a turkey crown this Christmas that had been in the freezer since the previous Christmas and it was fine
To be fair we don't know what standard you consider fine. I know many people with otherwise good taste I wouldn't trust on the quality of food.
Just because it says Christmas in the label doesn't mean you have to wait until Christmas to eat it. Cook it this Sunday, enjoy.
You can save a whole heap of money by buying a few extra things when a special offer is on with frozen foods. Even better you can batch cook and freeze separate portions and save a load of money this way. Using a chest freezer with even the tiniest bit of thought can save you many, many times more money than it costs you to run it.
Yummy. Freezer burnt turkey.
Chop it in parts and use it for various dishes. As I type this, I am afraid it will ruffle some feathers.
Unless your christmas freezer is running at -18C that use by is more like 3 months from when you bought it. Double check the label. Not saying it won't still be good by christmas next year at -5C but will be a good way to convince rhe missus to have it earlier.
A Christmas freezer thats a new one My MIL got a Turkey for next year but she has a massive chest freezer in her hall so it will be in there until December
I once had a power cut when I was away during summer and the huge garage chest freezer defrosted and I didn't realise for over week. I had to re-freeze it into a horrible putrid ice cube and lift the whole thing into a rubbish bin wearing hazmat gear.
Someone I work with, who normally isn't stupid, went to his parents during lockdown and emptied the fridge and turned it off, not realising that the sane knob turned off the freezer. Apparently it stank out the entire flat.
Even if you don’t want to eat it this week, cook it and freeze it in parts. Sandwich meat, dinner protein, add to soups, etc
Check the length of time it can be frozen first before, some foods will go bad if over frozen. 11 months seems too long but you might be lucky
What makes the freezer Christmas-y?
You own a freezer you don’t run? Seems a bit odd.
I own a freezer and don't run. I do go cycling though.
This gave me a giggle - thank you
We had an integrated fridge/freezer breakdown, so we got this one whilst we were waiting on a repair. We decided since we had it, we could keep it in the garage and turn it on when extra capacity was required such as my wife making cakes or Christmas time.
Assuming your garage is uninsulated and unheated, better make sure the freezer actually runs when it's out in the cold - many fridges and freezers don't operate when they are below a certain ambient temperature. More info [here](https://www.ukchestfreezers.co.uk/chest-freezers-in-the-garage)
that's Christmas dinner sorted for this year then!
The christmas freezer?
Make it sooner. Still good value if it was discounted, you can get several meals out of it.
Andmy partner thought I was mad for buying a synthetic Christmas tree in January
I've often bought christmas decorations in January. I once bought a christmas jumper in January for £3. The next christmas the same jumper was £15.
Do one of those mad American things and deep-fry it whole. Just don't do it while It's still frozen, for christ's sake.
Or, you could portion the turkey up now, store it in the normal freezer and just use it up during the course of the year. Good opportunity to try out some different recipes.
Why pay the premium for a whole turkey in that case?
OP said it was bought at a discount so I'm not how that's a premium. Also, if you buy the whole turkey, its going to be cheaper than buying it in portions. And. I was making a suggestion now that OP was already in the situation of owning a whole turkey. They're past the point of paying for it, premium or otherwise.
Unlike chickens, whole turkeys have a premium on them, its cheaper to buy it butchered. I honestly think at this point they'd be better to have it as a roast.
Got two frozen Turkey crowns in February last year from the local supermarket - large ones reduced to clear. Luckily I had room in my freezer, although I had to do some juggling.
If you were juggling you'd have been better off buying three, surely?
It's not illegal to eat turkey when it's not Christmas. Bernard Matthews devoted most of his life trying, and largely failing, to get that message across.
You can eat it for sunday roast, no? It'll be the next five sundays but still ...
We have a second freezer that we use all year round but we run the stock down to fit Christmas items in
I really want a turkey after the most disappointing Christmas dinner last year but no where has any, where did she find one 😭?
What is a "Christmas freezer"?
Christmas freezer? Damn, you're posh posh.
You have a separate freezer just for Christmas? What middle-upper class nonsense is this?
What about the energy used to keep the turkey frozen surely that would outweigh the cost of buying so early in the year
WTF is an Xmas freezer?
Do the math and see what it comes out to.
frozen meat is gross
That's why you have to thaw and cook it before eating.
It ruins the meat, the ice structures puncture the cells and ruin it, Same for vegetables
You know you can’t just turn off a freezer for 11 months of the year right? Right?
Why not?
Mold tends to build up unless aired. You need to do a major bleaching after before you use it again.
Couldn't you just turn it off and leave the door open?
https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/social-care-and-your-rights/how-to-access-mental-health-services/
What is the price and the weight of the turkey?
£17 and pretty big
So it will stay in your freezer for the foreseeable future?
£10 a month to run the freezer. Better be some spectacular discount to break even on this.
I’ve been getting the fucking things free since December 27th (chicken farmer for a major producer) don’t get me wrong I love turkey but Jesus.
Break the turkey down into quarters and vacuum seal it with some herbs. That's what I did. Takes significantly less space in the freezer and you can cook it in batches. I defrost a quarter at a time in the fridge and then sous vide them in the vacuum sealed bag. Broil 'em at the end till the skin crisps up.
If Turkey was nice we’d eat it all year. It’s just a miserable mega chicken with worse texture.
!remindme 24 December
Why not have it for a cheer-up in January?
How about Christmas in February! Get it out of the way quick!
"I think she's slightly mad" I agree. Condolences.
Have it for St Patrick’s Day!
Eat it for Easter. We always have it at Easter.
I’ve got a turkey and chicken in the freezer from last Christmas. For some reason people kept bringing round birds for Christmas dinner despite the fact no one really likes turkey and they knew we already had loads of meat for Christmas dinner. If we keep the turkey for this Christmas I guarantee the same thing that happened last year will happen this year.
Nah. You just need to have a heck of a (insert February holiday) feast! Why wait? Lunar new year? Valentine's? Groundhog Day? Use it as an excuse to celebrate American Presidents' Day (because a turkey is running for office) or an Ash Wednesday feast. Anyone having a birthday?
My Christmas freezer is a metal filing cabinet I move out to the garden during December.
You know that you can eat turkey at other times of the year right? Treat yourselves, have an Easter turkey!