Turkey - Buy, or DIY?

[bentrinh]

Being from a Asian family, we don't know much about turkeys and Thanksgiving. This year I'm in charge of the food . Where do you guys usually get your turkey? My parents want to buy a ready-to-eat(or bake?) version from Ralph's or such, but I would think buying from a higher-end place, or cooking it myself would taste better. Remember no one in my family, including me, knows how to deal with turkey (although we've done Asian style chicken dishes before)

 

[Andy M.]

If you feel up to tackling the whole operation of preparing a Thainsgiving turkey and roasting it, go for it. If you are less interested in the preparation and look forward to being with family, buy a fully cooked turkey and go from there.

I think most people buy Butterball turkeys from their supermarket. There are also other brands and turkey farms and other outlets for organic and free range turkeys.

My local market advertises a complete cooked traditional turkey dinner with all the fixings for $55. that feeds 6-8 people.

 

[bentrinh]

If you feel up to tackling the whole operation of preparing a Thainsgiving turkey and roasting it, go for it. If you are less interested in the preparation and look forward to being with family, buy a fully cooked turkey and go from there.

I think most people buy Butterball turkeys from their supermarket. There are also other brands and turkey farms and other outlets for organic and free range turkeys.

My local market advertises a complete cooked traditional turkey dinner with all the fixings for $55. that feeds 6-8 people.

I'm just concerned about the taste. As for preparing and roasting, I'm a bit lazy, but I'm sure I can recruit my cousins to help me (and I have quite a bit of cousins).

 

[Andy M.]

You don't have to do anything special to a turkey to get it to taste good. You have to be sure to cook it completely but not overcook it. If you like, you can just unwrap the turkey, empty the cavities (they are packed with turkey parts in bags), and put it into the oven. Most turkeys come with instructions on how to cook them.

The majority of the effort for Thanksgiving goes into the preparation of side dishes and desserts.

 

[GB]

We have both cooked our own and bought premade from a farm. There is an amazing turkey farm a mile from my parents house so even though mom makes a mean turkey and all the sides, sometimes it is just better to get it all premade so that she can spend more time with family and less in the kitchen. Both ways have been very successful for us.