Christmas turkey warning issued after man revealed his went grey

It goes without saying that the most important component of a Christmas dinner is the turkey, which usually gets placed centre stage on the table.

We spend ages poring over which one to choose from the supermarket and anxiously peer at the oven every 10 minutes to make sure it's coming along nicely.

So it's hard to imagine it all going completely wrong... and by completely wrong, we mean a disgusting shade of grey.

Not exactly picture perfect, is it?

On Reddit, a user posted: "Someone brined a turkey in a metal pan and this was the result… and I am oddly terrified."

It can't be that hard to cook a turkey, can it? (Getty Stock Image)

They included a screenshot of the now-deleted post, in which a misguided turkey chef wrote: "Can anybody tell me what happened?

"I brined my turkey for about 24 hours in this pan and when I pulled it out the brine it looked like this."

One user responded: "The salt in the brine reacted with the metal of the pan, and essentially electroplated the turkey with bits of pan."

A second person added: "Yes. My father was a butcher, brining is done in stone (or in his case, concrete, because big volume) vats. Also sauerkraut, do that in stone pots."

Avoid a metal pan to avoid ruining Christmas dinner (Getty Stock Image)

A third then asked: "Okay but this turkey is essentially caked in metal because they weren't brined in stone. So would it still be edible?"

And somebody else joked: "Well, that's one way to get iron in your diet."

However, a doctor shared the photo to X and said: “Please don’t eat this turkey.”

While we gobble up a turkey as part of our Christmas dinner, those in the US also eat one as part of their Thanksgiving spread.

While deep-frying a turkey is more of an American tradition - it's important to note that a serious warning has been issued.

The New York Post stated: "Fire is the concern here, along with serious burns - and it’s not just an issue at Thanksgiving.

"Dried-out Christmas trees, lit candles during Hanukkah, and greasy ovens at any time of year can all lead to a possible flare-up in the home."

Ultimately, the advice is to always deep fry outside of the home, to never leave your set up unattended, having access to a fire extinguisher, make sure the turkey is totally dry as oil and water don't mix - and of course, ensure there are no children or pets around.