Thread: Curious experience with turkey I bought from same place as every year

On Nov 24, 12:16*pm, Amanda Ripanykhazova <licensedtoqu...@gmail.com>
wrote:
....
>
> (25 lb turkey, cooking at 375 in convection oven)

375F is too hot. More like 325F please

John Kuthe...

On Nov 24, 10:16*am, Amanda Ripanykhazova <licensedtoqu...@gmail.com>
wrote:
> What does it mean when large amounts of liquid *start coming off a
> turkey within about an hour of being put in the oven? It is now about
> four hours later and the liquid is near the top of the (shallowish)
> cooking pan so I am draining it (all) off and leaving it in the fat
> separator.
>
> It seems to be about a quarter fat or less (I did take about a quarter
> pound of the fat off it before I started cooking) but I kinda expected
> the stuff in the bottom of the pan to be mostly fat and need watering
> down to make the gravy. At this rate I wont be needing any water or
> anything else to reduce, in fact there might be too much liquid to
> reduce if I use it all.
>
> Incidentally this was emphatically NOT a frozen bird (nor frozen and
> defrosted before delivery to me) but for the first time for this
> supplier, as soon as it was delivered, I saw about a pint of liquid in
> the plastic container, which I thought slightly high: I haven't
> remembered there being quite that much before.
>
> (25 lb turkey, cooking at 375 in convection oven)

Sounds like the bird was injected with a brine. Did you taste the
liquid you've poured off? Is it salty?

On Nov 24, 1:17*pm, John Kuthe <johnkuth...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Nov 24, 12:16*pm, Amanda Ripanykhazova <licensedtoqu...@gmail.com>
> wrote:
> ...
>
>
>
> > (25 lb turkey, cooking at 375 in convection oven)
>
> 375F is too hot. More like 325F please
>
> John Kuthe...

yup, i think i discovered this the hard way, having put it in at about
8.30 expecting a 25 pounder to be ready at about 2, I took it out to
turn it over at midday and found it overdone (and had to tell all one
guests to come slightly earlier)

On Nov 24, 1:52*pm, ImStillMags <sitara8...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Nov 24, 10:16*am, Amanda Ripanykhazova <licensedtoqu...@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > What does it mean when large amounts of liquid *start coming off a
> > turkey within about an hour of being put in the oven? It is now about
> > four hours later and the liquid is near the top of the (shallowish)
> > cooking pan so I am draining it (all) off and leaving it in the fat
> > separator.
>
> > It seems to be about a quarter fat or less (I did take about a quarter
> > pound of the fat off it before I started cooking) but I kinda expected
> > the stuff in the bottom of the pan to be mostly fat and need watering
> > down to make the gravy. At this rate I wont be needing any water or
> > anything else to reduce, in fact there might be too much liquid to
> > reduce if I use it all.
>
> > Incidentally this was emphatically NOT a frozen bird (nor frozen and
> > defrosted before delivery to me) but for the first time for this
> > supplier, as soon as it was delivered, I saw about a pint of liquid in
> > the plastic container, which I thought slightly high: I haven't
> > remembered there being quite that much before.
>
> > (25 lb turkey, cooking at 375 in convection oven)
>
> Sounds like the bird was injected with a brine. * *Did you taste the
> liquid you've poured off? * Is it salty?

i posted hoping on one would respond this way, and that there was
some innocent explanation for something I had done. In truth, i have
experienced this before, when I bought a great looking steak from
JSainsburys but discovered that as soon as I put it under the grill,
all sorts of water started pouring out of it. It ended up a bit like a
boiled piece of meat and the whole thing shrivelled up and cooked to
overdone very quickly indeed. 'Cos someone had injected it with brine
to make it sell better and give the impression of being a one inch
thick steak when it was some lousy mingy cut which had been injected.
I am wondering whether my 25 lb turkey was in fact an 18 lb one which
I was trying to cook as a 25 bl one in a 25 lb time, thereby ruining
it?

On Thu, 24 Nov 2011 15:16:11 -0800 (PST), Amanda Ripanykhazova
<[email protected]> wrote:




>> Sounds like the bird was injected with a brine. * *Did you taste the
>> liquid you've poured off? * Is it salty?
>
>i posted hoping on one would respond this way, and that there was
>some innocent explanation for something I had done. In truth, i have
>experienced this before, when I bought a great looking steak from
>JSainsburys but discovered that as soon as I put it under the grill,
>all sorts of water started pouring out of it. It ended up a bit like a
>boiled piece of meat and the whole thing shrivelled up and cooked to
>overdone very quickly indeed. 'Cos someone had injected it with brine
>to make it sell better and give the impression of being a one inch
>thick steak when it was some lousy mingy cut which had been injected.
>I am wondering whether my 25 lb turkey was in fact an 18 lb one which
>I was trying to cook as a 25 bl one in a 25 lb time, thereby ruining
>it?

Now you know that you have to watch out. Injected beef is crap.
Injected turkey has been around for a long time, but seems they are
adding even more brine. IIRC, it used to be 6%, now it is around 9%.

You bought 2 pounds of water in that bird.

Some stores are still selling pork and beef that is not injected. Find
one and enjoy it.

On Nov 25, 12:29*am, Ed Pawlowski <e...@snet.net> wrote:
> On Thu, 24 Nov 2011 15:16:11 -0800 (PST), Amanda Ripanykhazova
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> <licensedtoqu...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >> Sounds like the bird was injected with a brine. * *Did you taste the
> >> liquid you've poured off? * Is it salty?
>
> >i posted hoping on one would respond this way, * and that there was
> >some innocent explanation for something I had done. *In truth, i have
> >experienced this before, when I bought a great looking steak from
> >JSainsburys but discovered that as soon as I put it under the grill,
> >all sorts of water started pouring out of it. It ended up a bit like a
> >boiled piece of meat and the whole thing shrivelled up and cooked to
> >overdone very quickly indeed. 'Cos someone had injected it with brine
> >to make it sell better and give the impression of being a one inch
> >thick steak when it was some lousy mingy cut which had been injected.
> >I am wondering whether my 25 lb turkey was in fact an 18 lb one which
> >I was trying to cook as a 25 bl one in a 25 lb time, thereby ruining
> >it?
>
> Now you know that you have to watch out. *Injected beef is crap.
> Injected turkey has been around for a long time, but seems they are
> adding even more brine. *IIRC, it used to be 6%, now it is around 9%.
>
> You bought 2 pounds of water in that bird.
>
> Some stores are still selling pork and beef that is not injected. Find
> one and enjoy it.

Yeah but this is one of the best and most reliable butchers in New
York City!

Is there any connection between it being injected and it cooking so
inordinately quickly? I forgot to mention, when we took it out at 12
to turn it over, not only was it done, all meat was falling off and
the leg bone looked completely dried out.

"Amanda Ripanykhazova" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
On Nov 25, 12:29 am, Ed Pawlowski <e...@snet.net> wrote:
> On Thu, 24 Nov 2011 15:16:11 -0800 (PST), Amanda Ripanykhazova
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> <licensedtoqu...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >> Sounds like the bird was injected with a brine. Did you taste the
> >> liquid you've poured off? Is it salty?
>
> >i posted hoping on one would respond this way, and that there was
> >some innocent explanation for something I had done. In truth, i have
> >experienced this before, when I bought a great looking steak from
> >JSainsburys but discovered that as soon as I put it under the grill,
> >all sorts of water started pouring out of it. It ended up a bit like a
> >boiled piece of meat and the whole thing shrivelled up and cooked to
> >overdone very quickly indeed. 'Cos someone had injected it with brine
> >to make it sell better and give the impression of being a one inch
> >thick steak when it was some lousy mingy cut which had been injected.
> >I am wondering whether my 25 lb turkey was in fact an 18 lb one which
> >I was trying to cook as a 25 bl one in a 25 lb time, thereby ruining
> >it?
>
> Now you know that you have to watch out. Injected beef is crap.
> Injected turkey has been around for a long time, but seems they are
> adding even more brine. IIRC, it used to be 6%, now it is around 9%.
>
> You bought 2 pounds of water in that bird.
>
> Some stores are still selling pork and beef that is not injected. Find
> one and enjoy it.

Yeah but this is one of the best and most reliable butchers in New
York City!

Is there any connection between it being injected and it cooking so
inordinately quickly? I forgot to mention, when we took it out at 12
to turn it over, not only was it done, all meat was falling off and
the leg bone looked completely dried out.



You got ripped off. The bird was either injected with saline or it was
vacuum chambered Either way it was considerably fluid "enhanced." The
results you describe sound like you would expect a turkey to cook if it were
boiled in water. Which it was. This is so common it should be illegal. I
once bought 2 pounds of what looked like gorgeous sea scallops. Rather than
pan sear they cooked down into a bath of boiling water an inch thick.
Complete ripoff.

Next time you know to ask for non injected birds. That's how we learn to
cook, from our mistakes.

Paul

"Amanda Ripanykhazova" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
On Nov 24, 1:17 pm, John Kuthe <johnkuth...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Nov 24, 12:16 pm, Amanda Ripanykhazova <licensedtoqu...@gmail.com>
> wrote:
> ...
>
>
>
> > (25 lb turkey, cooking at 375 in convection oven)
>
> 375F is too hot. More like 325F please
>
> John Kuthe...

yup, i think i discovered this the hard way, having put it in at about
8.30 expecting a 25 pounder to be ready at about 2, I took it out to
turn it over at midday and found it overdone (and had to tell all one
guests to come slightly earlier)


Convection ovens dramatically reduce cooking time. An unstuffed 25 pounder
would have taken 3 hours at most in a convection oven. I always cook turkey
to no more than 135 because the bones hold so much heat the bird continues
to cook long after being removed from the oven. In your case, though the
problem was you were sold a bill of goods. The turkey was water injected
and it basically boiled.

Paul