Comments on: Fresh vs. Frozen Turkeys – Which Tastes Better

By: Melodie M

Melodie M — Tue, 05 Nov 2019 19:51:40 +0000

I find no difference in fresh v/s frozen if I marinate my turkey the night before roasting. It is succulent and very juicy. I also let it rest before carving.
Try it once and you’ll see. No difference…

By: Sonya Breaum

Sonya Breaum — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 03:28:42 +0000

In reply to Marilyn Weaver. Marilyn, I worry about the same.

By: Jack

Jack — Sun, 18 Nov 2018 19:08:10 +0000

Total bunk. Fresh, frozen or previously frozen are storage terms and have NOTHING to due with quality. NO turkey can be raised with hormones in the USA. ORGANIC is the only label that controls diet and antibiotic use. FREE ROAM = no cages but indoors. FREE RANGE = some outdoor exposure. Fresh turkey is generally better is like saying red cars are generally faster. Please use a meat thermometer when cooking.

By: Eben lenderking

Eben lenderking — Sat, 17 Nov 2018 14:35:12 +0000

To answer the question about food safety, fresh or frozen makes no difference. It is the hygiene standards of the processor. It is more likely that birds raised indoors or under high stress factory farmed conditions will be at greater risk of pathogens because of the unhealthy conditions they are raised in.

To answer the question about fresh or frozen, definitely fresh. Freezing causes the water in cellular tissue to expand and crystallise, rupturing the cell walls. When you thaw and cook a previously frozen bird the moisture in the meat will run out more easily, resulting in a drier cooked bird. The flavour will be the same but the frozen bird will be drier. Counter with a light gravy.

By: Marilyn Weaver

Marilyn Weaver — Mon, 12 Nov 2018 18:57:25 +0000

My concern about purchasing a fresh turkey is that I may be more likely to food poison my guests and family. Between the killing, processing and storage of a fresh turkey, it seems more likely that something in storage and transport could have exposed the turkey to a less than ideal atmosphere for safe eating. Comments?

By: Dick Stetson

Dick Stetson — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 13:38:09 +0000

This is totally wrong. I have been the turkey cooker for Thanksgiving for20 years. We get a large bird (40+ lbs) for Thanksgiving. A few years ago we could not find a large bird locally, but found one at Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm, in Connecticut.

Difference number one (and in the instructioins) our fresh killed bird cokked in less time. (5 minutes less per pound. Difference number two. With every slice of breast meat, juice came out of the meat. Not a dry slice in the whole bird.

There is a BIG difference between fresh and store bought. When you pick up a fresh bird, they are pink, not off white. They cook quicker because they have not lost alot of moisture, like those quick frozen, and the heat travels through the meat quicker.

P.S. I get a ton of gravy also.