fresh vs frozen turkey??

[MrandMissVacation]

I would love to try Alton Brown's brine recipe. My question is--I've always used the broth from my turkey in my dressing, which I cook in a separate pan after the turkey is finished cooking. If I brine my turkey, would I still be able to use the broth for my dressing, or would it be too salty?

The brining solution should be discarded after the turkey takes it 'bath'. I would use fresh broth (turkey or chicken or vegetable) to prepare the stuffing. Also with the Alton Brown method he does not stuff the turkey. I prepare my stuffing on the side w/ fresh broth in a casserole dish.

 

[thebeesknees]

Hee, hee, just a funny fresh turkey story. My mom usually invites several single people with no family around to have Thanksgiving with us. A couple of years ago, one lady said she had been given a fresh turkey from work and would give that to Mom to use. For one thing, it was about the smallest turkey I've ever seen, but the funny part was when my Mom unwrapped it that morning to get it in the oven and we realized that whoever had plucked the turkey had done a really lousy job. She and I spent almost an hour with tweezers and tongs trying to get the little feathers out that they had missed, and we obviously missed some, as well, because we got the most unusual odor as it was cooking, and found little burnt, black nubbins here and there when we pulled it out of the oven!

 

[MarilIncredible]

I agree with the posters who said it is more about cooking technique and less about fresh vs. frozen.

Fresh, frozen, organic, hormone-free -- no matter the turkey, my grandma can somehow manage to make it taste horrible, like discount immitation turkey cold cut product.
I, on the other hand, can make any turkey magical.

 

[allyphoe]

If I brine my turkey, would I still be able to use the broth for my dressing, or would it be too salty?

The pan drippings and broth made from the carcass would be fine for gravy. If you're using pre-seasoned bread cubes for the dressing, you may get an oversalted result. But if you're used to a commercial "pre-basted" turkey (which can be very salty), a brined turkey doesn't produce saltier drippings or broth than that.

 

[Tink415]

Having prepared both (including having raised the turkey ourselves, which is as fresh as possible), I think cooking technique matters more than fresh vs. frozen.

I agree!

 

[Sandy321]

Brine - be VERY careful you do not brine a turkey that is already "brined" (or 'injected' with a 'solution' )

Yes, I learned this the hard way - I loved Alton Brown's show on brining, and everyone raves about a brined turkey so of course I tried it - omg - it was THE SALTIEST thing I ever tasted!!

I refused to even consider brining - but I was given some psuedo apple cider that didnt taste good, and jokingly said it would be good for a brine and that's about it Yep - this time I did my homework and read the fine print on the frozen birds - a Kosher Bird doesnt have anything extra injected in it and is perfect for brining!!

 

[DVC Sadie]

I brine my turkeys over night but I use a lot less salt than any of the recipes suggest. We then add a lot of ice and put it in a cooler so it doesn't take up my valuable refridgerator space.

The making or breaking of a delicious turkey is not whether or not it is frozen, fresh, or fresh organic but to make sure that you don't over cook it. There is nothing worse than a dried out, tough as shoe leather piece of bird.

 

[dis2cruise]

wow thanks everyone for all the ideas especially in brining. I think I will get a fresh bird this year!!

 

[TWyn]

The pan drippings and broth made from the carcass would be fine for gravy. If you're using pre-seasoned bread cubes for the dressing, you may get an oversalted result. But if you're used to a commercial "pre-basted" turkey (which can be very salty), a brined turkey doesn't produce saltier drippings or broth than that.

I appreciate your reply. I am used to the pre-basted turkeys, so the drippings from the brined turkey should work out just fine. I don't use pre-seasoned bread crumbs, so that won't be a problem either.

 

[TWyn]

The brining solution should be discarded after the turkey takes it 'bath'. I would use fresh broth (turkey or chicken or vegetable) to prepare the stuffing. Also with the Alton Brown method he does not stuff the turkey. I prepare my stuffing on the side w/ fresh broth in a casserole dish.

I wouldn't use the brine, only the pan drippings from the cooked turkey. I always make my dressing on the side, too, so this should work out okay. Thank you for your reply.

 

[npmommie]

I had a fresh turkey from Trader Joe's last year and it was the BEST turkey I've ever had!!! It was more that the frozen ones at the regular stores but it was so totally worth the money. I can't remember what I paid but it wasn't totally insane.

Plus no worries about having to defrost it!

Just got this in email
about TJ's turkey
http://view.exacttarget.com/?j=fe64...c7c137473&jb=ffcf14&ju=fe2a16757760017e751c78

 

[punkin]

So I just bought a fresh turkey at Trader Joe's and the sell-by date is Nov. 28. Has anyone kept a Turkey in the refrigerator that long, or should I just freeze it to be safe (kinda defeats the purpose of buying fresh though)?

Also, will a 14 lb Turkey feed 10 people? I am actually having 14, but 4 are vegetarians. It will be very interesting.

 

[BrandiP]

So I just bought a fresh turkey at Trader Joe's and the sell-by date is Nov. 28. Has anyone kept a Turkey in the refrigerator that long, or should I just freeze it to be safe (kinda defeats the purpose of buying fresh though)?

Also, will a 14 lb Turkey feed 10 people? I am actually having 14, but 4 are vegetarians. It will be very interesting.

The turkey should be fine in the fridge until then. I don't think it will be big enough for 10 people, even 6 with the vegetarians. I believe the recommendation is 2lbs. per person. It sounds like a lot, but the weight of the turkey includes all the bones and other ickiness. The turkey will also shrink as it cooks. We always guess a little over on the pounds, so we have leftovers!

All that being said, if you already bought your turkey, I'm sure you'll be fine. Especially with all the side dishes and desserts and other good eats, you'll have plenty of food. I've never had a Thanksgiving dinner where we ran out of food!

 

[punkin]

I guess I could go buy a second turkey. I love leftovers. Maybe I'll do that later this week.

 

[flagdaytwins]

As a Trader Joe's fan....I find their stuff goes bad quickly because it's so fresh (right?), so I would freeze the fresh turkey.

Our family is nuts for Butterball brand, fresh or frozen. We just love chemicals (me, I prefer organic, free-range fresh but I'm outnumbered).

 

[Goofy'slady]

Hubby and I made a special trip to TJ's to look at the turkey's to see if we would actually purchase Mr. Turkey from them this year. They were just what we expected and we decided we that we would come back this upcoming weekend to make our purchase. We really didn't want a big 'ol turkey taking up so much space in the fridge for so long.

There will only be 7 of us at our TG dinner; 5 adults and 2 kids so we think the 12lb turkey will be more than enough for us. I'm excited to get to taste this turkey and the fact that it comes already brined only excites me more. I'll have to report back and let everyone how everything turned out.

T.

 

[shruley]

I just bought a turkey from Trader Joe's. (Love that place.) My sell by date is Nov. 30, we just stuck it in the back of our fridge. The price wasn't bad for fresh, pre-brined, no-hormones! I had read 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lb. per person, so we got about a 14 lb. bird for our 6 1/2 people. (kids don't eat that much). Now that I'm home now it doesn't seem like that much, though! Hoping I don't regret not making a larger turkey. This is the first time I've cooked one for more than 4 people, never worried about size before.

 

[BeenHereB4]

Well, we're running on a VERY tight budget this year so I have to stick with my free frozen bird from Shoprite. I'm thinking if I brine it and be careful not to overcook, it should be awesome.

I would love to try one of the TJs some time though.

 

[punkin]

I just bought a turkey from Trader Joe's. (Love that place.) My sell by date is Nov. 30, we just stuck it in the back of our fridge. The price wasn't bad for fresh, pre-brined, no-hormones! I had read 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lb. per person, so we got about a 14 lb. bird for our 6 1/2 people. (kids don't eat that much). Now that I'm home now it doesn't seem like that much, though! Hoping I don't regret not making a larger turkey. This is the first time I've cooked one for more than 4 people, never worried about size before.

Ack, now I know I will need another Turkey.

 

[BeenHereB4]

Ack, now I know I will need another Turkey.

You could also just cook an additional breast or a ham in addition to the turkey too.