Cuire ou cuisiner

Question

Est-ce que je peux utilizer “cuire” comme “Je cuis une jolie dinde”?

Céline Pickard · Accepted Answer

Bonjour Iris,
There is a difference between cuisiner and cuire in French:
When you say "je cuisine un repas" you're talking about the entire act of creating a dish from start to finish (i.e. assembling, seasoning, and combining ingredients). 
When you say "je cuis le poulet", it focuses on the cooking (applying heat: baking, boiling, frying, roasting, etc.).
Therefore, "cuire" does not work here as the person is talking about "Christmas Eve dinner" and not about a specific food item.
I hope this is helpful.
Bonne journée !