I am fed-up with cooking turkey, the meat is always dry. What are the alternatives for Christmas dinner?

There are a number of options for a traditional Christmas dinner. Why not try goose or duck, or even chicken if you are cooking for a small number of people. These birds are generally smaller than turkeys so they are quicker to cook and it’s easier to keep the meat moist.

Here are some handy pointers to help you plan your cooking times, but remember, always check that the bird is properly cooked before serving, because eating undercooked poultry could cause food poisoning.

These are the three main ways to tell if poultry is cooked:

• the meat should be steaming hot all the way through
• when you cut into the thickest part of the meat, none of the meat should be pink
• if juices run out when you pierce the turkey, or when you press the thigh, they should be clear

Remember some ovens, such as fan-assisted ovens, might cook the bird more quickly – check the manufacturer's handbook for your oven if you can.

For conventional ovens

As a general guide:

• Chicken should be cooked in a preheated oven at 180ºC (350ºF, Gas Mark 4) for 45 minutes per kg plus 20 minutes.
• Goose should be cooked in a preheated oven at 220ºC/425ºF/Gas Mark 7 for 35 minutes per kg.
• Duck should be cooked for 45 minutes per kg at 200ºC/400ºF/Gas Mark 6.

In fan assisted ovens

As a general guide:

• Chicken should be cooked in a preheated fan assisted oven at 180ºC for 50 minutes per kg plus 40 minutes.
  Tip: Cover in foil until the last 30 minutes of cooking and baste every 30 minutes.
• Goose should be cooked in a preheated fan assisted oven at 200ºC/400ºF/Gas Mark 6, for 35 minutes per kg plus 20 minutes.
  Tip: Pierce the skin before cooking to help drain the fat and poor away any excess fat halfway through cooking. Keep the goose covered in foil to help stop the meat drying out and remove for the last 30 minutes.
• Duck should be cooked for 35 minutes per kg in a preheated fan assisted oven at 200ºC/400ºF/Gas Mark 6.
  Tip: Pierce the skin before cooking and drain off the excess fat halfway through cooking. Duck does not need to be covered in foil.

When cooking duck and goose the oven should always be hotter to melt the fat under the skin. It’s also important to pierce the skin before cooking and drain off the excess fat halfway through cooking.

I've heard that reheating rice can cause food poisoning. Is this true?

It's true that you could get food poisoning from eating reheated rice. But it's not actually the reheating that's the problem – it's the way the rice has been stored before reheating.

Uncooked rice can contain spores of Bacillus cereus, bacteria that can cause food poisoning. When the rice is cooked, the spores can survive. Then, if the rice is left standing at room temperature, the spores will germinate into bacteria. These bacteria will multiply and may produce toxins (poisons) that cause vomiting or diarrhoea. Reheating the rice won't get rid of these toxins.

So, the longer cooked rice is left at room temperature, the more likely it is that bacteria, or the toxins they produce, could stop the rice being safe to eat.

It's best to serve rice when it has just been cooked. If that isn't possible, cool the rice as quickly as possible (ideally within one hour) and keep it in the fridge for no more than one day until reheating.

Remember that when you reheat any food, you should always check that it's steaming hot all the way through, and avoid reheating more than once.

How can I make sure food gets cooked properly on the barbecue?

There are a number of things you can do to make sure barbecued food gets cooked properly:

• Wait until the charcoal is glowing red, with a powdery grey surface, before you start to cook.
• Make sure frozen food is properly thawed before you cook it.
• Turn the food regularly and move it around the barbecue, to cook it evenly.

Remember, meat that looks cooked on the outside might not be cooked in the middle. Don't take any chances, because eating undercooked meat could cause food poisoning.

Always check that food is steaming hot all the way through. And make sure there isn't any pink meat left in chicken, burgers, sausages and kebabs, and that any juices run clear.

It's also important to keep raw meat away from cooked meat and ready-to-eat foods, such as salad and bread rolls, to stop bacteria spreading. Here are some safety tips to remember:

• Wash your hands thoroughly after handling raw meat.
• Use separate utensils for raw and cooked meat.
• Never put cooked food on a plate or surface that has been used for raw meat (unless it has been washed thoroughly).
• Don't put raw meat products next to cooked or partially cooked food on the barbecue.
• Don't add sauce or marinade to cooked food if it has already been used with raw meat.

Why do some frozen foods say 'cook from frozen' and others 'defrost then cook'?

Cooking instructions are put on food labels for two main reasons – to help make sure that the food will be thoroughly cooked and also be enjoyable to eat.

Freezing doesn't affect the safety of food because bacteria can't grow at very cold temperatures. When food is labelled as suitable for cooking from frozen, it is safe to do this as long as you follow the instructions and make sure the food is steaming hot all the way before you serve it.

However, freezing can affect the quality of food, for example, the appearance, texture and flavour. These effects will vary depending on the food and how long it is frozen. With some products, a manufacturer might decide that the food will be of a better quality if it is defrosted before cooking. Other products might be as good to eat, or better, if they are cooked from frozen. So quality will usually be the main concern for a manufacturer when it decides whether to advise defrosting before cooking, or not.

It's important to follow the defrosting and cooking instructions on packaging because they are designed to make sure the food is cooked thoroughly. For example, if the label gives a cooking time for defrosted food and you cook it from frozen, you won't know how long to cook it for to make sure it is properly cooked.

If you leave food to defrost for a long time at room temperature, this could allow bacteria to grow in the food. These will usually be killed by thorough cooking, but if the food is undercooked the bacteria could survive and make you ill. That is why you should always make sure that food is steaming hot all the way through before you eat it.

Is it safe to eat tofu without cooking it?

The tofu available in shops has already been cooked during manufacture, which should kill any bacteria present in the soybeans used to make it.

Therefore, it should be safe to eat shop-bought tofu without cooking it, providing you follow the instructions on the packaging.

Is there any specific guidance for cooking with microwaves?

When you cook food using a microwave, or by any other method, the most important thing is to make sure that the food is cooked thoroughly, to destroy any food poisoning bacteria that may be present.

When cooking or reheating meals in your microwave, follow the guidelines on the packaging, including any advice about stirring the food or leaving it to stand. If microwave-cooking guidelines are not provided, you should consult the microwave manufacturer's instructions.

Remember, when you're reheating food you need to make sure it's steaming hot all the way through. Don't reheat it more than once.