Turkey is one of the most commonly consumed types of meat and it’s common during Thanksgiving or holidays. However, to ensure that the turkey comes out well, one needs to select the right type of turkey, such as young turkey vs. regular turkey. So, let’s check out the potential differences between these types of turkeys!
Young Turkey vs Regular
There was a time when you didn’t know about the turkey choices you had, but the good news is, there are various choices. This is because there are flavorful and juicy turkeys out there while local turkeys are tasters. Some common types of turkeys include organic, heritage, natural, and organic but we are sharing the differences between young turkey and regular turkey to help you make the right choice!
Young Turkey
A young turkey is a turkey that is around four months to eight months old. In addition to young turkey, it is also known as a young roaster. The young turkey is known for the high-quality meat because it’s said that the younger the bird, the better the meat. To illustrate, young turkey has smooth and soft skin which comes out extremely delicious and crispy. Even more, the young turkey has tender meat which cooks into the moist and juicy meat.
While we have already added information about the young turkey’s life, it is sometimes also called yearling, but for that, the turkey needs to be more than one year.
Regular Turkey
Regular turkey is known as the turkey limited or no processing with the coloring or artificial ingredients. It is also known as regular turkey, which means the turkey is free-range. However, you need to remember that the regular turkey has relatively drier meat as compared to young turkey and other types of turkeys out there, particularly because the others have additional processing that elevates the texture.
This simply means that the regular turkey is purer as there are no artificial ingredients added for their processing, and even if you get the cut meat, it will behave with minimal processing.
Shopping For Turkey – Things To Keep In Mind
The differences between the regular turkey and young turkey are quite limited since it only sheds light on the age and processing factors. So, if you want to go ahead and shop for turkey, we are sharing the instructions or tips that can help, including;
- If you have to purchase the whole turkey, it is suggested that you purchase 1 pound turkey for one person as it’s great for helpings and you will have delicious leftovers for sandwiches. On the other hand, if you don’t want the leftovers, opt for ¾ pound turkey for one person
- Always check the packaging of the turkey because if it is torn or punctured, it must not be purchased. In simpler words, you must ensure that the packaging is intact before you purchase the turkey. In addition, the torn or punctured packaging means that the thawed contents will be dropped which is not only messy but hard to handle as well
- If you are purchasing turkey from the sale, it’s better to look for the smaller ones because they are likely to be young turkeys, leading to juicier and tenderer meat. Also, you can always freeze some turkey for the summer-time grilling sessions
- If you have some time on hand and won’t mind waiting, it is better to opt for frozen turkey because it is cheaper as compared to fresh turkey. Also, if you are concerned about the quality and flavor, that’s not something to be worried about because frozen turkey has the same quality
- If you want to purchase a fresh turkey, it is better that you only purchase it one or two days before you intend on roasting it. This is because this time period will help retain the quality and freshness of the meat. Also, for these one or two days, you must put in the coldest section of your refrigerator until you are ready to pop it in the oven
- Some turkeys are available with a pop-up timer that pops out when the turkey is cooked to perfection. So, if you have a hard time with cooking, purchasing turkey with a pop-up timer will be better
So, are you sure about turkeys and their respective shopping tips?