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Feature Articles Food, Fitness, and
Holidays Let’s Talk TurkeyBy Tammy Roberts, MS, RD, LD,
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It’s November and the percentage of households that won’t have turkey at least once this month is low. Since most people don’t purchase and prepare turkey often, we are offering a quick guide for purchasing, storing and thawing your Thanksgiving bird.
The first decision you need to make is whether you will purchase
a fresh or frozen turkey. A fresh turkey is more convenient
because it can be purchased and prepared at the last minute.
Often, fresh turkeys must be ordered in advance to assure their
availability. Because fresh turkeys require special handling,
they can be more expensive. The advantage of the frozen bird is
that it can be bought in advance. This allows you to take
advantage of special prices.
What size turkey will you need? If you want to plan for
leftovers, the rule of thumb is one pound of turkey for each
person. If you don’t want extra, plan for ¾ of a pound per
person. If you are going to purchase a bone-in turkey breast,
plan on ½ pound per person.
When you get to the store and one turkey says “hen” and one
says “Tom”, there is another decision to make. Other than
describing the gender of the bird, the designations “hen” and
“Tom” are indicators of size. The “Tom” turkeys are the larger
ones. The quality of both should be equal.
What if the package says “basted” or “self-basting”? It just
means that the turkey has been injected with some of the
products that you may have used to baste the turkey. The
products typically used are butter, other types of fat, broth,
spices, or flavor enhancers. Read the label to determine which
ingredients were used, it will vary depending on the
manufacturer.
If you choose a fresh turkey, it should be purchased no more than three days prior to preparation. It should be kept in a refrigerator at a temperature of 40 degrees or below. The preferred method for thawing a frozen turkey is in the refrigerator. Allow one day for every five pounds of turkey for thawing time. If you need to thaw the turkey faster, it can be done in a cold water bath. Keep the turkey wrapped during the process and change the water every thirty minutes. Allow a half hour for every pound. It will take approximately four hours to thaw an eight pound turkey in a cold water bath. Happy Shopping!
Last update: Monday, August 07, 2006
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