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Thanksgiving Tip: How to Buy a Bird

partysugar — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:00:15 -0800

Buying a turkey can be a daunting task: it should be big enough to feed a crowd, but have plenty of meat for leftovers. It also has to fit inside your oven, deep fryer, or brining vessel. Then there's the question of fresh versus frozen? No worries, I'm here to help! To learn how to order the turkey that's right for you, read more.

Figure out how much you'll need. For each guest you will need about one and half pounds of turkey. For 8 people, get a 12-14 pound turkey. For 10 people, a 15-16 pound bird will do. For 12 people, an 18-20 pound turkey is necessary. For 14 people, get a 21-22 pounder. A 24-pounder will feed 16 people. For a group larger than 16, you'll need more than one turkey.
Be familiar with the terms used to describe turkeys:
- Self-Basting turkeys are injected with additives like water, broth, and butter.
- Fresh turkeys are birds that have not been cooled below 26°F.
- Frozen birds are stored at or below zero degrees.
- Free-Range means the bird is not raised in a cage and is permitted to graze on grass and grains.
- Organic turkeys are raised free range without the use of additives or pesticides.They are fed an organic diet.
- Kosher turkeys are farmed according to the Jewish dietary customs and are treated with a salting process after slaughter. Because of this technique, you should not brine a kosher bird.
- Heritage birds are farmed like they were before the 1920s, meaning they have a slower growth rate, richer flavor, and more dark meat.
- Wild birds are the most similar bird to what the Pilgrims ate. They have lots of dark meat and little fat.
When purchasing a frozen turkey look for the bird with the latest sell-by date because that means it's the freshest. Avoid leaky or sticky packaging and never buy a bird with a bad smell. Buy several days before Thanksgiving to allow time for defrosting.
Fresh turkeys keep in the fridge for only two days, so order now and pick up later.
If you are worried about the turkey fitting in your oven, measure it before ordering the bird. However, most standard ovens can hold a 25-pound turkey.
Birds can be ordered and purchased from Whole Foods, Williams Sonoma, and Heritage Foods.

Have you ordered your turkey yet? What kind do you plan on making?

Source

A Bobby Flay Thanksgiving

partysugar — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 07:45:04 -0800

At the Food Network NYC Wine and Food Festival last month, my favorite demonstration was Bobby Flay's. Although it was early October, Flay had Thanksgiving on the mind. He loves the food-centric holiday so much that every year, he wakes up at 5 a.m. and cooks a feast for 40 friends and family members. To find out how Flay makes his Thanksgiving a delicious success, read more.

The most important ingredient on Thanksgiving is chicken stock. Make sure to stock up on a good quality, store-bought brand. Flay keeps a pot of it heated on the stove all day and uses it to moisten the stuffing and turkey.
If you can afford it, buy a good, free-range turkey.

Prioritize! Do the cranberry a couple of days before Thanksgiving.
Be sure to put chicken stock in the bottom of the pan. The stock will steam the meat and make for a juicy turkey.
Don't rely on the minutes per pound rule when cooking turkey. The turkey is done when a temperature says 160°F.
Don't stuff the bird. Cook the stuffing outside in a separate dish.
Don't put eggs in the dressing. It doesn't need it.
Avoid cornstarch when making gravy. Flay prefers to make a separate sauce instead of the classic gravy.
Don't be afraid of salt. Flay says he "would rather die from salt than eat bland food."
Season and taste everything. According to Flay, "If you aren't tasting the food, you're not cooking."
After dinner play a girls vs. guys game of Trivial Pursuit!

What do you think of Bobby's tips? Do you have plenty of chicken stock on hand when making Thanksgiving dinner?

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Thanksgiving Tip: How to Select the Right Turkey

YumSugar — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 16:27:11 -0800

You may have perfected your Thanksgiving menu, including a mouth-watering recipe for Herb-Butter Turkey, but do you know how to choose the perfect bird to serve at your big feast? Have you figured out how big it should be? Do you know the difference between frozen and fresh? If you'd like the answer to these questions, then keep on reading, I've compiled a few tips to help you out.

To figure out how big of a turkey you should buy, a good rule of thumb is about 1 lb. per person, more if you want leftovers and less if those people are children (unless they're children with adult appetites!). If the turkey is prestuffed, up the amount to 1.75–2 lbs. per person.
Generally speaking, the younger the bird, the better the flavor and tenderness. Fryer (also called roaster) turkeys are less than four months old and the most tender turkey you can buy. Young turkeys are four to eight months old and have soft, smooth skin. A yearling is a 12-month-old turkey and is reasonably tender. A mature (also called old) is one that is older than 15 months. The meat is tough and it is not well suited for roasting.

Discover a few more tips, just read more

Although a fresh turkey costs more than a frozen, it's generally considered a superior bird. Fresh turkeys have never been cooled to a temperature lower than 26°F, whereas frozen turkeys are flash frozen. If you buy a fresh turkey, try to arrange to pick it up as close to the eating date as possible. Storing a fresh turkey in your freezer may cause it to deteriorate quickly (home freezers don't have the same cooling capability as commercial ones).
Some other labels you might see on a turkey include: smoked - ready to eat as the process has cured and cooked the meat; organic - one that is only fed organic feed; natural - no artificial ingredients or coloring are added; self-basting - injected with various ingredients that keep the turkey moist while roasting.

If you have any great tips or questions on how to select the perfect turkey, let us know in the comments below!

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'Wich of the Week: Herb Roasted Turkey With Cranberry Sauce

YumSugar — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 12:11:31 -0800

After a morning of errands last weekend, I rewarded myself with an enormous Herb Roasted Sonoma Turkey sandwich from Pluto's, a local chain known for its sammies, salads, and comfort foods like mashed potatoes and stuffing. The aroma there always reminds me of Thanksgiving, so a sandwich made from freshly carved turkey and cranberry sauce was a must.

For today's 'Wich of the Week, I'll tell you how to create this traditional holiday leftover sandwich any time of year. After all, turkey and cranberry is such a delicious combination, it would be a shame to eat it only on Thanksgiving. To find out how to make it, read more.

Pluto's turkey-and-cran is exceptional for two reasons: The restaurant carves the turkey right off the bird, then sets the whole sandwich on the grill for a few minutes, giving the bread a distinct crispness. If you have a grill, I highly recommend this method; I'll be using a cast-iron grill pan. As for the turkey, you can buy thick-cut roasted turkey at most grocery store delis or - even better - you can purchase a raw turkey breast, coat it in herbs, and roast it yourself.

Here's what you'll need to replicate Pluto's sandwich at home:

3 to 4 slices of thick-cut, herb-roasted turkey
2 slices of sourdough bread
A handful of caramelized onions
Sierra Nevada Honey Mustard or similar
Garlic mayonnaise
2 to 3 pieces of red leaf lettuce
2 slices of tomato
About 1/8 cup of canned whole berry cranberry sauce, such as Ocean Spray

Coat the bottom slice of sourdough with mustard, then layer the lettuce, tomato, and turkey on top of the bread. On the other slice, spread the garlic mayo, followed by the cranberry sauce. Top the turkey stack with caramelized onions, then press the mayo-cranberry slice down on top. Place the sandwich on a grill or a grill pan until lightly crisped, about two minutes per side.