Store brand VS name brand turkey

[hinodis]

I am doing Thanksgiving dinner this year and I am not sure what kind of turkey I should buy. Is Butterball or Honeysuckle really better then the .38 cents a pound store brand?

 

[kathie859]

Including fresh turkey from a local poultry farm and I think that ANY frozen bird, properly frozen, properly defrosted and roasted will taste remarkably the same and that it's not inferior to a fresh bird . I've had great results with a store brand cheapie I am sure that there are purists out there who swear by Butterball or that fresh, free range is the only way to go--but frankly, my taste buds can't tell enough of a difference to validate the price difference.

 

[maleficentmom]

last year walmart had the cheapest turkeys around here and I got 3...my sister always cooks a butterball and bastes it forever,etc...I cooked mine in a Reynolds turkey Bag (easy and quick) and my kid said "Mom your turkey is so much juicier than Aunt Jane's"..lol...another time I soaked the bird in orange slices and salt water overnight(got the recipe online),stuffed it and used the bag and my sis thought it was great.

 

[bumbershoot]

Going from memory....

health food store, kosher, free range turkey.

It will be small, it won't be all plumped up. But it will be the best you've ever had.


Can't believe I just told someone what sort of turkey to eat...will have to spend extra time chatting with the turkeys at the fair next year. But seriously, once my mom could afford those turkeys the meals were SO much better, and none of us ever went back to the ridiculously huge things at the regular store. (of course I went veggie soon after!)

 

[Evi]

I disagree with the concept that a frozen bird will be as good as a fresh bird. Honestly the most important things are that the bird is fresh and hormone free. The fresher the bird the better it will be. I also highly recommend using a brine for your bird or buying one that has been sitting in a brine.

 

[sharonmickey]

I guess it's up to your individual tastes. We had a fresh bird a few years back and it was the driest turkey I've ever had. We had to buy two fresh, hormone free turkeys to have enough for the family to eat. (Usually there is just one large, frozen turkey and that is enough for us.) I will definitely not do that again! It was more than twice the price, none of us could not taste any difference... other than it was extremely dry.

I generally buy the store brand frozen turkey and cook it in a Reynolds turkey bag. I've also had Butterball turkeys - I cannot tell the difference in taste. Good luck with whatever turkey you decide to purchase.

 

[Pigeon]

I think Butterballs are disgusting. They're pumped full of artificial gunk.

I usually go to my sister's and she's buys wildly expensive, fresh from the farm, organically raised, free-range, kissed on the lips and tucked into bed turkeys. They taste identical to the frozen $.39/lb birds.

 

[Swimalie]

I disagree with the concept that a frozen bird will be as good as a fresh bird. Honestly the most important things are that the bird is fresh and hormone free. The fresher the bird the better it will be. I also highly recommend using a brine for your bird or buying one that has been sitting in a brine.

I agree. The best one we ever had was from New Season's Market in Oregon. I am still dreaming of how good that bird was. I only wish we still lived there.

 

[lindsmom]

Like Pigeon said, the fundamental difference is in the filler that is used on the less expensive turkeys. They are injected with filler (which is a nasty thing) to make the bird bigger, hence making it cost effective for the company to only charge 19 cents per pound etc.

That being said, I buy store brand - not the rock bottom one, but next one up. I am aware of the fillers etc, but I frankly just can't afford a top shelf bird, although I would love to. The differences in dryness etc are the result of the cooking process (let's face it, you're not starting with a dry bird), of which everyone has different theories.

Now I'm going to go look up brines, cause I've never done that. Hmmm....

 

[cruella4me64]

Read this awhile ago and still chuckling over your description! Thanks!

 

[Mama-san]

I think Butterballs are disgusting. They're pumped full of artificial gunk.

I usually go to my sister's and she's buys wildly expensive, fresh from the farm, organically raised, free-range, kissed on the lips and tucked into bed turkeys. They taste identical to the frozen $.39/lb birds.

I love the visual this puts in my mind!

I'm sure I should doing the hormone free thing (don't even know that I've seen one around here - pretty sure the 23 lb.'er I got last week is NOT), but I buy whatever is cheapest and cook it in a baking bag. I've never noticed a difference between brands. Never done the brining thing, but all of my turkeys have been juicy and delicious regardless.

 

[dennise]

When do they usually start putting turkeys on sale for Thanksgiving? What is the ususal price?

 

[kalliyan1]

I usually go to my sister's and she's buys wildly expensive, fresh from the farm, organically raised, free-range, kissed on the lips and tucked into bed turkeys. They taste identical to the frozen $.39/lb birds.

 

[Disneysun]

The folks at Cooks Illustrated recommend a frozen Butterball. Since it is injected with a saline type of solution no brining is needed.

 

[marshallandcartersmo]

what's brining??? Can you tell I'm new to the whole making a turkey thing (it's always been my moms job, but I'm sick of not having leftovers )

 

[Pigeon]

Like Pigeon said, the fundamental difference is in the filler that is used on the less expensive turkeys. They are injected with filler (which is a nasty thing) to make the bird bigger, hence making it cost effective for the company to only charge 19 cents per pound etc.

Most of the cheap supermarket brands I see are NOT pumped full of gunk. They are plain old frozen turkey, period. The Butterballs, on the other hand, which are more expensive, are injected with grease (not butter) and other stuff.

The supermarket turkeys are cheap because they are loss leaders for the stores. The stores take a loss on that item figuring that most people who come in to buy the cheap turkey will more than make up for the loss by purchasing the other ingredients for the meal.

 

[SaraJayne]

what's brining??? Can you tell I'm new to the whole making a turkey thing (it's always been my moms job, but I'm sick of not having leftovers )

It's basically soaking the turkey in heavily salted water for a period of time.

 

[Pigeon]

what's brining??? Can you tell I'm new to the whole making a turkey thing (it's always been my moms job, but I'm sick of not having leftovers )

You soak the thawed turkey overnight in a salt solution which may have other spices and flavorings added. The following day, you remove it from the brine solution and roast it. If you google brining turkey, you'll see various methods for doing it.

 

[kiddo76]

I usually buy a frozen turkey and brine it. If buying a grocery store turkey, I prefer to go with frozen. The 'fresh' turkeys usually end up a little frozen anyway, since they are usually stored right with the frozen turkeys. At least the frozen turkeys are flash frozen and since they are solid are better protected when they are tossed around during transit. I don't really pay attention the the brand, but I don't think I've ever gotten a Butterball.

I've always gotten rave reviews on my turkey, always nice and moist. Makes for excellent sandwiches.

Now, my MIL always orders hers fresh direct from the turkey farm. Her turkey is always wicked dry. I think the dryness/moistness factor has more to do with preparation than fresh/frozen.

One year I might actually plan enough ahead of time to order a turkey from the turkey farm, but until then, I'm perfectly happy with the frozen random brand turkey.

I use Alton Brown's brine recipe and brine overnight.

 

[msmama]

The difference I HAVE noticed between the cheapies and Butterball is the cheap ones always seem to have some feathers left on while the Butterball's are clean.

That said, I talked to the butcher at the grocery store last year and learned that they get all of their turkeys at the same time, so you can buy it now or you can buy it the day before Thanksgiving but they'll all be the same age.

And the grocery store "fresh" turkeys are frozen turkeys that they've thawed.