This Thanksgiving is going to be different for everyone, especially our family. Every year we go to my sister's for an awesome Thanksgiving feast, courtesy of my brother-in-law (all the men in our family cook!), but this year we decided to keep it just the four of us.
Sorry guys, I'm not ready to attempt my first turkey (maybe next year!) so I am leaving it up to my husband. However, I will be helping with grocery shopping and prepping. Plus, come back to my blog on Thanksgiving Eve for a fun dessert you can make with the kids!
But for those of you who are brave enough to make your own turkey here are a few pointers I found online on how to choose the right one:
1) Make sure to pick the right size
The rule of thumb is to have 1-2 pounds per person. If you are nervous about having too little, or too much, go for right in the middle - 1.5 lbs. per person
2) Choose between frozen or fresh
FROZEN: If you buy frozen make sure to leave enough time to defrost the turkey (Approximately 1 day per 4 lbs.) It's also best if the turkey is at room temperature right before cooking.
FRESH: If you choose a fresh turkey, try to buy it the day before. It's recommended to keep in the
refrigerator for only 24 hours before roasting.
3) There are a variety of terms you might see when you buy your turkey. Here are a few and what they mean:
Self-basted/Enhanced: A self-basted/enhanced turkey is injected with a salt & flavor solution. This is done to help add moisture when you cook the turkey. Make sure to read the label as some enhanced turkeys can be highly processed.
Natural: A natural turkey does not have any additional artificial flavoring or preservatives. If you want an all natural turkey make sure to read the label carefully as most supermarket turkey's have an "All Natural" label with an asterisk. These turkeys are usually less processed than enhanced turkey's but they still contain a small amount of baste solution (see picture below for reference)
Organic:These turkeys have been fed organically grown feed and are free of chemicals or antibiotics.
Free Range: This just means the turkey has been allowed outside instead of staying in a cage the whole time. Some say this helps with exercising the turkey's muscles creating a more flavorful meat. However, this all depends on how much time the turkey has actually spent outside.
4) Don't forget the bag of giblets!
This is more of a prepping tip but I've heard too many stories where people didn't realize there was a bag of giblets (heart, neck, liver and gizzards) in the turkey cavity. Some people use it to make gravy but you definitely don't want to forget it inside a roasting turkey, especially if it's a plastic bag!
As for what we are using this year, we ended up getting a similar turkey to the photo above. Unless you are particular about how the turkey has been raised, or prepped, any supermarket turkey is fine for your first try!
Whatever turkey you pick, just remember, it's okay to be imperfect and improvise as you go!
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