Choosing Best Turkeys for Thanksgiving

Choosing best turkeys for Thanksgiving needs experience. In this article, we will discuss the terms for turkey shopping and tips to buy a good turkey that will taste delicious and deserves to be the table centerpiece for your Thanksgiving party. Basted turkeys are the ones that have been injected with a sodium-based solution to increase the juiciness of the bird and have a heightened salt content. They may be injected with flavor enhancers, fat, broth or stock. Though they are juicier when roasted directly, their taste is a little different and off. According to US law, the labels on the package must include a statement enlisting the total quantity and common name of all the ingredients in the solution injected in the turkey.

The best way is to buy an unbasted turkey and brine it for a few hours before cooking. Fryer or roaster turkeys are turkeys usually less than four months old and are very tender. They weigh about 4 to 8 pounds. Young turkeys, also known as young roaster turkeys, are about 4 to 7 months and are quite tender too. These two types of turkeys are best for roasting purposes. Turkeys that are about a year old are known as yearlings and their skin and meat are moderately tender. They cost less and can still be used for roasting but mature turkeys that are above fifteen months of age have tough meat and should not be used for roasting. Buy about ¾ pound of turkey for each person, so a turkey for eight guests should weigh about 6 pounds.

Turkeys that roam freely while being raised do not taste any different. Female turkeys or hens usually weigh less than 15 pounds and male turkeys or toms generally weigh more than 15 pounds but their gender makes no difference on their flavor, texture or tenderness. Kosher turkeys are the ones that have been prepared under Rabbinical supervision and often have a coating of salt on the turkey to increase its juiciness and saltiness. You need not brine these turkeys but soaking them in water may make them tenderer. Minimally processed turkeys mean the same as their name but their processing may include traditional processes to prepare meat such as smoking, roasting, freezing, drying and fermenting. They can do well for roasting.

Natural turkeys mean that there are no artificial flavors, food coloring, chemical preservatives or other artificial ingredients added to the turkey. They often taste best, when roasted but they may cost more. The label 'no antibiotics' is allowed on the turkey only when the turkey farm raises the turkeys without using antibiotics. The inspectors check them and keep a tab on them. Federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones in the poultry, so 'no hormones' turkey means that turkeys have not been given hormones to raise them. Knowing all these terms will help you in making an informed choice while buying your turkeys.