Let's Talk Turkey: What Everybody Ought to Know About Preparing That Holiday Bird

One way to conquer that culinary anxiety that may accompany you during the holiday season, is to think about this time of year as just that --- a season! For me, the winter cooking season could not arrive soon enough. This is my most productive time of year. There is always so much to do, and apparently so little time in which to do it. These are the most favorable conditions for producing great food. That's for sure! The day after Halloween signals the start of what promises to be a flavorful culinary journey; which shall last well beyond New Year's Day. By September, after the sweltering heat of summer has gone, we have already begun to prepare for the holiday season. Sooner or later, something wonderful is bound to happen!

This is the time for cordials; homemade liqueurs. Perhaps raspberry, cranberry, peach, or pear --- hazelnuts even. Everything is set as early as September, in order to perfectly steep these delightful flavors in a neutral vodka and sometime in rum for weeks at a time. After awhile, a sugar syrup is added and then this mixture will continue to macerate for an addition period of time. By the end of October, a nice homemade cordial or two serves as a unique personal signature to welcome in the holiday season.

By the second week in November, it is time to start planning the Thanksgiving meal. Usually, I will be working with a favorable theme, and this will guide our decisions along the way. What kind of vegetables, rice or potatoes (notice I never use the word 'starch' - who wants to eat that?), what kind of desserts shall we prepare; and of course the biggest question of all; just what kind of turkey are we going to buy? Nonetheless, there is never any doubt that the big bird shall be the centerpiece of the holiday table.

This is a series dedicated to helping you to negotiate your way through your holiday meal. In a moment, we shall talk a bit about purchasing that wonderful bird. In the upcoming issues, we will discuss how to prepare and cook your bird. You will notice as well, that the rather foolish culinary fad of frying a whole turkey is conspicuously absent from these pages. This is simply because it is the irresponsibility of far too many chefs that they would even suggest to the public this dangerous and unhealthy idea. As a consequence, third degree burns and three alarm fires continue to leave their peculiar mark on household throughout the country during the holiday season.

Purchasing: Let's talk for a moment about purchasing your turkey. Americans consume an average of 17.1 Lbs of turkey per year. For flavor and for ratio of fat to lean, the other white meat is a pretty good deal. However, due to corporate greed and the decision to put increased product yield and profit over quality and flavor there is a 90% chance that the turkey that you buy will be a Broad Breasted White. Although Harvest turkeys are making a comeback, the older traditional brands have been completely phased out of the marketplace. Nevertheless, this is not to say that there is anything wrong with the Broad Breasted White. It's just to present you with an understanding of the realities of the market. The Size of the turkey that you buy will largely depend upon how many guests you intend to serve. You will want to figure approximately 1.5 -1.75 Lbs per person. In others words for 8 people you'll purchase roughly 12-14 Lbs; for 12 people 15-16 Lbs and so on.

Variety: You have a number of choices in the manner in which you purchase your turkey. First: Fresh or Frozen. Most supermarket brands are thoroughly frozen. You must decide if you will have the time to properly defrost it. The manner in which you defrost it is important as well. Raw meats must remain within the Temperature Danger Zone (40-140 degrees Fahrenheit). The safest way, is to place it in a large basting pan and allow it to defrost in your refrigerator. Of course this will take up space and it is rather time consuming. However, it remains the safest bet for sure. The other way, is to use a water bath. This is dangerous. The water must remain within the T.D.Z, and the wrapping must not be punctured at any point, as this will only leave room for opportunistic bacteria. The U.S.D.A permits turkeys to be stored at 26 degrees Fahrenheit and still be labeled as 'Fresh'. The problem with this is that this temperature allows for the formation of ice crystals which puncture the cell membranes allowing water to leak away and leaving Tom no better off than a bird that has been frozen anyway. So, chose wisely but don't believe the hype!

Although there exist for the most part but two remaining varieties of turkey in the American marketplace, you do have several more options in how you purchase your turkey. However first, let's not leave out the other ten percent of the U. S. market that I mentioned earlier.

Heritage Turkeys: While Broad Breasted White Turkeys are bred for yield, Heritage Turkeys are still bred in the traditional fashion. Of course this makes them more expensive; and their availability limited to special order. Yet, they are allowed mature for a longer period of time (usually 26-28 weeks) which adds additional richness to their flavor. Heritage breeds are: White Holland, Narragansett, Black Squash, Jersey Bluff, Bourbon Red Slate, and Standard Bronze.

Organic: These turkeys are raised 'free-range'. They have been fed a vegetarian diet of organic grasses and grains. They are available fresh or frozen, online or in the higher-end supermarket chains.

Natural: This label is not backed by any USDA government guarantee. So, read the label and make sure you know what you are getting. Cheaper seldom means better.

Free-range: This label denotes a bird that is treated more humane and allowed to hang out and graze on grains and grasses instead of being kept in solitary confinement. The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) acts as the warden who makes sure that this is so. They can be found at specialty grocers and in the larger supermarket chains. There is a large demand for these turkeys during the holiday season so you just might want to order ahead of time.

Self-basted: These are turkeys marketed to appeal to the lowest common denominator, and to the laziest of cooks. They actually do require less basting time simply because they are injected before freezing with a solution that may contain a variety of preservatives, salt, herbs and spices, and oil or butter. This can actually give the finished bird a strange and bland flavor. As you shall discover in the following issues on Preparing and Cooking Your Turkey, flavor begins with the 'carmelization process'. There exist few short cuts to flavor. Besides, this process often leaves the flesh of the finished product with a soft, spongy, and squishy texture. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to eat meat like that! These birds have the addition of salt which also makes using brines prohibitive. Whatever you buy, make sure to read the label. If there are more ingredients that simply 'Turkey' listed on the label, it is most likely that you are purchasing a Self-basting bird.

Simply for overall flavor, our last choice is my favorite of them all.

Kosher: Of course these turkeys are raised with strict rabbinical supervision and in accordance to Jewish dietary laws and customs. They are fed an organic diet and then slaughtered in the proper fashion. Afterward, they go through a salt based 'koshering process' meant to make them ethically pure. As a consequence of this process these turkeys generally retain a moist succulent texture when roasted.

It is not recommended that you brine a kosher turkey simply because of the koshering' processes. The only shortcoming is that this process often makes the quills more difficult to pluck out. This shall require a measure of patience. Check you supermarket or order ahead of time from your neighborhood kosher butcher.

In the following issues we shall discuss How to Prepare, Cook, Garnish, and Carve Your Turkey. Throughout these pages you will learn the pros and cons of each process in order that you may choose what works best for you. Refer back to these pages often as your seamless guide to culinary simplicity.