Turkey Trials

Perhaps you’re hosting Thanksgiving for the first time this year.  Or maybe you’ve done the side dishes before, but someone else prepped the bird.

If you’re scared of botching the Pièce de résistance this Thursday, fear not!  You have time on your side.

Why not procure a smaller bird and cook it tonight to test your methodology and give yourself a sense of confidence that the meal on the big day will be a home run?

You may be thinking that the last thing you want is to pre-inundate yourself with poultry, or wondering what on Earth you’d do with too much meat.   Actually, this is exactly the point I’m getting at, and something to be considered year round:  buying in bulk.

Consider that a package of paleo-friendly (sodium-nitrite & nitrate-free, gluten-free, no sugar added and so on) turkey breast may be about $6.99 for three two-ounce servings (using figures from a local Whole Foods), while the raw, free-range, pastured turkey is only $3.99 per pound, it’s a no-brainer from an economical standpoint.

Roast your turkey (or steam it, or barbeque it, or prep it however you’re planning on doing it on Thanksgiving), give yourself a pat on the back for a successful execution and then break down the bird and use up those leftovers.  Turkey soups, turkey salads and frozen turkey for later are all ways to stretch the dollar and not let any of the bird go to waste.

One less thing to stress about while you’re getting everything else ready for your guests!