topic Re: turkey breast vs. whole turkey in Kitchen

turkey breast vs. whole turkey

newname0 — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 18:00:42 GMT

I was in the supermarket recently and saw that the turkey breasts were down to 2 left while there were mountains of whole turkeys nearby. Does this mean people are not interested in baking a big bird today and would rather opt for something smaller. Your opinion please.

Re: turkey breast vs. whole turkey

FranandZoe — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 18:03:22 GMT

I always cook a turkey breast.

I think they just don't get as many breasts in as they do whole turkeys. I'd think more people buy the whole bird. They're less expensive and they serve more. Plus some people like dark meat.

Re: turkey breast vs. whole turkey

stevieb — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 18:03:11 GMT

I know I'm not at all interested in cooking a whole turkey. I do cook a turkey breast several times throughout the year, but never a whole turkey.

Re: turkey breast vs. whole turkey

KingstonsMom — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 18:15:56 GMT

Since it's just DH & I, we cook just a breast.

Too much left over with a whole turkey, for just the 2 of us.

Re: turkey breast vs. whole turkey

momtochloe — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 18:19:31 GMT

I think maybe families and family circles have gotten a bit smaller with the passage of time. I know I run into a lot of people my age (61) looking for the smallest whatever it is as it's just for us or a few people.

Re: turkey breast vs. whole turkey

loriqvc — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 18:25:50 GMT

In my family, if there weren't five of us who ardently clamor for dark meat every year, I'm positive that we'd just do a couple of turkey breasts instead; they're easier to prepare and quicker to cook, and the majority of the group prefers them. I'll be sad when the inevitable conversion happens since I so rarely get to enjoy the dark pieces, but I'll just fill up on more sides and pies to console myself.

Re: turkey breast vs. whole turkey

luvzchiz — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 18:32:09 GMT

@loriqvc just a suggestion; most supermarkets will sell turkey parts in addition to the whole turkey. You can get the dark meat and roast it along with your turkey. Then all should be happy.

I do this with turkey wings. I get an additional 4 wings, so that there are 6 in all. In this way, I get to have my favorite part without feeling badly.

enjoy

Re: turkey breast vs. whole turkey

gardenman — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 18:37:42 GMT

I only eat the white meat, but depending on the price, I often buy the whole turkey. This week a whole turkey is just $.39 a pound at a local grocer compared to $1.19 a pound for just the breast. I'll buy the whole turkey and donate the dark meat to my cats. They'll be happy. I'll be happy. And I'll save money.

Re: turkey breast vs. whole turkey

loriqvc — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 18:41:47 GMT

@luvzchiz - Thanks for your reply. We have so many people to feed that it's almost always worthwhile to get the whole turkey, particularly from a cost perspective, and I don't think the "inevitable conversion" I alluded to will actually happen for another seven or eight years, as some of the younger adults start getting married and doing things with their own families and/or in-laws.

Re: turkey breast vs. whole turkey

luvzchiz — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 18:44:41 GMT

@loriqvc We get whole turkeys too. I was suggesting getting extra dark meat sections and cooking them along with the whole turkey. We have also gotten two smaller turkey's 13-15 lbs, so there would be doubles of all.

In this way, everyone's happy.

Re: turkey breast vs. whole turkey

sunshine45 — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 18:49:43 GMT

i would love to just cook a couple of turkey breasts, but we have people who love the dark meat, plus dark meat makes an excellent broth for soups. after thanksgiving i cook several different soups using some leftover meat, skin, and broth/stock from the bones and carcass.

Re: turkey breast vs. whole turkey

Icegoddess — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 19:40:01 GMT

Just a breast here. My daughter and her family want ham and I don't like ham, so I don't need a whole bird. A breast will feed me and my husband and anyone else that might want turkey and still have leftovers.

Re: turkey breast vs. whole turkey

KentuckyWoman — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 20:40:42 GMT

For my husband and me I cook a small breast. I do love the dark meat though. I think it is more flavorable and moist. Our son is having Thanksgiving at his house this year (yay) his wife is baking a big turkey and he is smoking a 12 pound turkey breast. I can't wait to try it!

Re: turkey breast vs. whole turkey

ECBG — Fri, 16 Nov 2018 23:31:40 GMT

I do a large turkey in a bag, and a turkey breast in the crock pot (no more than 5 1/2 hrs, or the meat chips in place of slices. Turkey definitely has a "best time" when using a crock pot. Another advantage of the crock is lots of broth!

All of the dark meat my DS and DIL don't eat will go home with them as well as half of the turkey breast, stuffing, and sides. DS wants to have that holiday meal for all week as he did when he was home and I was teaching. That's ok. Eventually he'll learn my recipies.

Re: turkey breast vs. whole turkey

Diva on The Q — Fri, 16 Nov 2018 01:36:23 GMT

I thought about getting a turkey breast, but decided on a whole turkey. I like the presentation of a whole turkey on the table.

Re: turkey breast vs. whole turkey

AuntG — Fri, 16 Nov 2018 01:49:43 GMT

With so many people liking white meat, I'd make a whole turkey and a breast. I bought a whole bird because it was so much cheaper per pound.

Re: turkey breast vs. whole turkey

Toppers3 — Fri, 16 Nov 2018 01:57:14 GMT

@newname0 wrote:
I was in the supermarket recently and saw that the turkey breasts were down to 2 left while there were mountains of whole turkeys nearby. Does this mean people are not interested in baking a big bird today and would rather opt for something smaller. Your opinion please.

I think that you're probably right about this.

It's just my husband and me for our Thanksgiving dinner and it has been that way for quite some time now.

I will be making a small, boneless turkey breast for us this year.

I got ours a couple of weeks ago at the store when they first started putting them out.

They tend to sell out really fast, so that is why I bought it when I saw it as they were a good price and I wanted to get one while I had the opportunity.

I used to roast a smaller turkey for us, so that we would have lots of leftover turkey, but then I started to just make a smaller breast for us.

I have noticed generally that the smaller-sized bone-in turkey breasts seem to sell well, too.

Re: turkey breast vs. whole turkey

manhattan1950 — Fri, 16 Nov 2018 02:10:01 GMT

I cook turkey breasts at least once a month, mainly to use for sandwiches.

For Thanksgiving, I make a Diestel Organic whole turkey. It's the BEST. It's MUCH better than a frozen turkey.

Re: turkey breast vs. whole turkey

RedTop — Fri, 16 Nov 2018 03:19:37 GMT

The years I cooked whole turkeys were only because they were holiday gifts from my employer. Our dogs ate every bit of the dark meat.

My family only wants turkey breast, so I usually cook two large ones for the 4 of us.

Re: turkey breast vs. whole turkey

Fressa — Fri, 16 Nov 2018 17:17:54 GMT

I started making turkey breast years ago. Most of my family only like the white meat. The other fact is that most of our family are making two turkey dinners. My husband doesn't like the dark meat but I don't mind it in casseroles or turkey salad of which he doesn't eat. He's really picky with the few kinds of meat he likes. Turkey breast is so much easier for me to manage roasting with all the side dishes.