There can never be too may turkey taste tests or suggestions about different methods of cooking turkey before Thanksgiving, whether you are trying to choose the perfect bird, find the perfect temperature or narrow down your list of useful gadgets. After all, the holiday comes only once a year and anyone motivated enough to cook their own bird is going to want to do it right. In their quest for the perfect turkey, the Washington Post tested out several more expensive local brands against the ubiquitous Butterball. Their food section staff and chef Todd Gray got together and tasted four birds prepared by Chef Bryan Voltaggio of Charlie Palmer Steak (who shoots and plucks his own wild turkeys).
The favorite was the free range, all-natural turkey from Maple Lawn Farms, with moist and full flavored meat. In what came as something of a surprise to everyone, the ordinary Butterball came in second, pleasing taste buds with its familiar flavor even though it was a bit dry. The judges did not like the flavor of the fresh, free-range, organic, certified humanely raised and handled American Bronze heritage breed turkey from Ayrshire Farm or the fresh, natural Shady Brook Farms turkey.
Chef Voltaggio said he could see the difference in textures in the two mass produced birds (Shady Brook and Butterball) and would prefer to serve one of the other two brands. But the taste test here is a good reminder that it doesn't matter what you pay for the bird as long as your guests enjoy what you're serving
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-17-2006 @ 6:08PM
Susan said...
Am I alone? I cook a turkey 5 or 6 times a year. I like turkey, it is relatively cheap and - did I say I like turkey? For crying out loud, what's the big deal about cooking a turkey?
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11-17-2006 @ 11:21PM
bdw said...
Back when I was young and financially challenged I lived a few miles from Barber Turkey's main plant. I learned that the diffence between a grade A turkey and a grade B turkey was that if the skin on a grade A turkey was accidentally pierced during the rendering process, the turkey was magically transmogrified to class B. Even a half inch slit was enough. The local grocery stores were full of grade B "generic" turkeys from Barber and sold for ten or fifteen cents a pound. It became a game to find the cut, sometimes we never did. Anyway, I cooked a LOT of turkeys, and still like them, though I have a bit more money these days. I can gleefully make a roasted oyster stuffing that costs more than the bird. It's mostly in how you cook it, and it's not that difficult.
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12-21-2006 @ 8:40AM
Robert said...
I cook turkey's twice a year, for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I've used "utility grade", Grade A, and Butterball. The Grade B and Utility Grade turkey's are the ones scratched during processing, and often it's not bad, but it can be. Usually they are covered in plastic so you can't see, but you are taking the chance that the breast will have a large gash across it, or a wing is missing. I cook them all the same way, with a lot of butter. Turkey's don't have a lot of fat on them, compared to a chicken or duck, and that's why they need long low-temperature cooking so they don't get dry. It's a good idea to stuff clumps of real butter between the skin and breast, so the breasts keep more oil in them so they stay more moist. A lot of basting is another good idea, like every 30 minutes. Generally you cook a turkey as long as possible... if you have time to cook a turkey for 12 hours then do it at 270F, if you have less time then cook at 300F. Always use a thermometer to be sure, and keep in mind that the temperature will increase about 10 degrees after you take the bird out of the oven to rest for 30 minutes. This doesn't have to be complex. Keep in mind that you can't over-baste a turkey... turkey's are different than other cooking because they lack fat to keep them moist when cooking.
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