Online spare parts supplier, eSpares offers a host of tips and advice on surviving the festive season in the home:
Sour puss – A build-up of spills and grease in your oven, will cause smoke and fumes that can sour the turkey, so clean your oven well in advance of the big day, using a specialist oven cleaner.
Eco-warrior – To clean the interior of your oven the environmentally friendly way, make a paste of water and bicarbonate soda and coat the inside of your oven in it. Let it stand over night, then scrub off
Don’t let your cooking go to rack and ruin – If you’re having lots of guests this Christmas and you’re short on oven space, why not invest in some extra oven racks?
Full of hot air – Check that your oven is reaching the correct temperature with an inexpensive oven thermometer; a damaged or worn door seal lets out heat and is the most likely cause of a failure to maintain the correct cooking temperature. An oven door seal can be replaced in about 10 minutes and costs just £12.99.
Puffed out – If your Hoover conks out in the run up to Christmas don’t despair; check for and clear any obstructions in the hose, or if it’s a leaky hose, eSpares carries hoses for all major vacuum cleaner models.
Turkey tips – If you’ve bought a frozen bird, make sure that you defrost it thoroughly; even if you have a fresh bird, take it out of the fridge late on Christmas Eve, so that it’s at room temperature when it goes into the oven.
Keeping your eye on the birdie – As a general guide, in an oven preheated to 180ºC (350ºF, Gas Mark 4):
Turkey under 4.5kg, allow 45 minutes per kg plus 20 minutes.
Turkey weighing between 4.5kg and 6.5kg, allow 40 minutes per kg.
Turkey over 6.5kg, allow 35 minutes per kg.
Cover your turkey with foil during cooking and uncover for the last 30 minutes to brown the skin; to stop the meat drying out, baste it every hour during cooking.