Tips on Buying a Thanksgiving Turkey
According to the National Turkey Federation, 95 percent of Americans eat turkey at Thanksgiving. That’s one popular bird! But not all birds were created equal. Choosing the top turkey takes experience. You may know, for instance, that you should only buy a USDA-approved Grade-A turkey. But should you go fresh or frozen? basted or un-basted? organic, natural, free-range, minimally processed, or kosher? un-stuffed or pre-stuffed? with or without a pop-up thermometer? Then there’s cooking and carving...
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. It all starts with choosing the top turkey. Try these turkey-picking tips and gobble up big savings on the best bird:
1. Size, Sex and Age Matters – To start, you should determine your desired turkey size according to your number of dinner guests. Account for about 0.75 pounds of turkey per person, so a turkey for eight guests should weigh about 6 pounds. When it comes to deciding between a hen (female turkey) or tom (male turkey), you may consider that hens usually weigh less than 15 pounds, and toms generally weigh more than 15 pounds. But their gender makes no difference in terms of flavor, texture or tenderness. What does make a big difference is the age of the bird. Fryer or roaster turkeys, those less than four months old, are very tender. Young turkeys, from 4 to 7 months old, are quite tender too. These two types of turkeys are best for roasting. Turkeys that are about a year old, yearlings, have moderately tender skin and meat. They can still be used for roasting, and cost much less. Mature turkeys, or those above fifteen months of age, have tough meat and should not be used for roasting. According to the Reluctant Gourmet, the younger the bird, the tastier the turkey.
2. Frozen, Fresh or Hard-Chilled? - In short, frozen is the best and cheapest option. Frozen turkeys are blast frozen so quickly that no ice crystals are formed on them (so that thawing does not damage the turkey) and then they are stored at 0°F or lower. They need to be bought out of the deep freeze at least three days in advance of cooking, so there is sufficient time to defrost them properly. Trying to defrost the turkey by leaving it outside the refrigerator can be harmful, since it may cause bacterial growth and food poisoning. Instead, thaw it in the fridge, for about five hours for every pound of the turkey's weight. If time is of the essence, go hard-chilled or fresh. Hard-chilled or partially frozen turkeys are chilled between 0 - 26 degrees F, and so are quicker to defrost. Fresh turkeys (the most expensive sort) have never been chilled below 26 degrees F, so they have never been frozen. The latter need to be transferred to the refrigerator as quickly as possible and should be cooked within two days of purchase.
3. Basted vs. Un-basted – Basted turkeys are the ones that have been injected with a sodium-based solution to increase the juiciness of the bird. They may be injected with flavor enhancers, fat, broth or stock. According to US law, the labels on the package must include a statement listing the total quantity and common name of all the ingredients in the injected solution. To be on the safe side, it might be best to buy an un-basted turkey and brine it for a few hours before cooking it. Then again, the Reluctant Gourmet tried to brine his own turkey one year, and lived to regret it...
4. Un-stuffed vs. Pre-stuffed – Pre-stuffed birds are for the birds. Even though it seems like it will be less work, baking pre-stuffed turkeys can promote bacterial growth and be harmful to health of your guests.
5. Turkey Terms – When it comes to turkeys, there are tons of types to choose from: Organic (meaning they have not been given antibiotics or growth hormones); Natural (meaning there are no artificial flavors, food coloring, chemical preservatives or other artificial ingredients added to the turkey), Minimally Processed (meaning their processing may include smoking, roasting, freezing, drying and fermenting), Free-range (refers to turkeys that roam freely while being raised), and Kosher (those processed under the supervision of a rabbi).
There are organic turkeys but not many of them because of the strict certification criteria imposed by the USDA, and so they are the most expensive variety. When it comes to Free-Range, the Reluctant Gourmet is reluctant, since according to the USDA, any bird that has access to the outside can be considered "free-range", so often they do not taste any different, although they can be much more expensive. Natural cost bit more too, but often taste better. Finally, if you’re concerned about the health of the turkey, the best option for the money is Kosher, since kosher birds are grain fed with no antibiotics, allowed to roam free, and soaked in salt brine before being packaged, which can soften the meat, and add a lot of flavor to it. Remember: if it’s not labeled 'no antibiotics', or ‘no hormones’, it means both have been used on your bird.
Comments
Also keep in mind that when you buy a stuffed turkey, you're paying for that extra weight (can get pretty pricey paying turkey $/lb for stuffing). I also like to buy a bigger turkey than I need for the meal--gives me lots extra to make delicious turkey pies (to freeze for future meals) as well as feed the family for a day or two on hot turkey sandwiches as well as turkey sandwich buns to munch on. Great to add extra meat to turkey soups too ;).
Your article is incorrect with the information on"no hornome". From the USDA Website:
NO HORMONES (pork or poultry):
Hormones are not allowed in raising hogs or poultry. Therefore, the claim "no hormones added" cannot be used on the labels of pork or poultry unless it is followed by a statement that says "Federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones." www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact...
I would like to know if the size of the turkey makes the meat tougher. I do understand that the age is very important for tenderness.
I just wanted to let you know that we linked to this article from here:
www.mahalo.com/How_to_...
Thank you! Great stuff!
Thank you--it'll be a frozen turkey for us this year.
ily turkey day