Thanksgiving feast is the main attraction of the festival and turkey forms the main dish of the day. So, you need to choose the best turkey for your grand Thanksgiving feast. A bad turkey can spoil the entire zeal and enthusiasm of the day. So, never buy a turkey from an unapproved store or from the sellers sitting on the corner of the road. Do not compromise on the quality of the bird. Your bargain for a few pennies may make you end up with a low quality turkey. The bird may be sick and infectious and this may cause your family and guests to fall sick. Besides, low quality turkeys always taste bad and you will have to repent for the party being spoiled by such a bad choice of turkey. In this article, we bring you some helpful tips for buying turkey on Thanksgiving.
Useful Tips for Buying Turkey
Read tips for buying the turkey on Thanksgiving,
turkey warnings and quality control tips on turkeys.
Tips for Buying the Turkey on Thanksgiving
- Frozen turkeys should be bought three days in advance, so that there is sufficient time to defrost them properly.
- It is advisable not to buy pre-stuffed turkeys, even though it seems like less work and easier preparations. Baking stuffed turkeys can promote bacterial growth and can be actually harmful to health. It can also result in mass illness among your guests.
- If you are buying a fresh turkey, inspect it carefully to see that there is no discoloration. Also make sure that there are no signs of freezer burn on the turkey.
- Make sure that no parts of the fresh turkey are frozen or have started to freeze. The package containing the turkey should have no ice crystals formed inside.
- While buying a turkey, makes sure that it is USDA-approved and is of Grade A quality.
- The best place to buy a turkey is a reputed supermarket. Avoid buying turkeys from unapproved shops or roadside sellers.
- The tastiest turkey is one that is about 4 to 6 months old.
- You can go for the basted turkeys, which are injected with a sodium-based solution, to increase their juiciness. They taste great as well. However, if you are particular about the ingredients which go into your turkey, simply buy a fresh one and brine it by yourself.
- There should be about 0.75 pounds of turkey for each guest. So, just multiply the number of your guests with the figure and you will know how much your turkey must weigh. For instance, 10 guests will need about 7 to 8 pounds of turkey, while 100 guests will need about 70 to 80 pounds of turkey.