Turkey meat, or also referred as just turkey, is the meat from turkeys. This type of meat is commonly consumed all around the world, but mostly in North America, during the holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas. We will explore in this article the versatility of cooking with turkey meat.
Normally, turkeys are cooked whole, with just the head, feet, and feathers removed. But the sliced turkey can be used as sandwich meat or served as cold cuts. Especially the smoked turkey meat and be usually sold as turkey ham or turkey bacon. Also, if you have those leftover turkey from the holidays it can be used instead of chickens in many recipes.
Turkey meat has been eaten since the 15th century in North America. A source of protein, niacin, vitamin B6, zinc and vitamin B12. If you remove the skin, the white turkey meat is very low on fat and can be added in diets with low calories ingestion.
The easiest way to cook a turkey
The most common way to consume turkey is the way we do it at the holidays: roasted.
The perfect roasted turkey needs to have that delicious crispy skin. The meat inside needs to be tender with all seasoning flavor evenly spread through it.
This method will work well with any size of turkey. The oven time depends on the size and if you stuffed it. It is necessary 13 minutes for each pound of turkey if roasting empty and 15 minutes per pound if stuffed.
It will be better if the turkey is already completely defrosted before being roasted. If you take it to the oven right after removing from the freezer it will also work out. You will just need to adjust the oven time.
If you are preparing the turkey for Thanksgiving in the United States. The usual accompaniments are cranberry sauce and gravy with mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, green beans, squash, and sweet potatoes as side dishes.
Now, if the turkey is being prepared for Christmas, usually in Europe. The most common side dishes are roast potatoes, brussels sprouts, and parsnips.
Processed turkey ham
After the whole roasted turkey that we normally cook during the holiday seasons, the other common way to consume turkey meat is in the form of processed meat made from cooked or cured turkey meat, known as turkey ham.
Turkey ham is a ready to eat product that is normally used to make sandwiches and can be served cold or heated.
Even though the name is turkey ham, there are no ham or pork products in its composition. The turkey is machine-deboned and made with the addition of water, which adds moisture and weight.
But it is important to mention that this processed turkey meat is not as health as the white meat from the turkey. This product has a lot of salt in it, since Sodium is usually used in processed meats as a preservative or for flavor enhancer.
Consuming too much sodium can increase your blood pressure and the excessive consume of salt increase the chances of stomach cancer.
Add turkey in your diet
Fresh or frozen turkey can be bought any time of the year at any grocery stores or supermarkets and it is easier than you may thing to add it in your diet.
- Salads: add the cold turkey meat into your salad to increase your protein intake. The seasoning from the salad will make the turkey meat even more delicious.
- Curries: as mentioned above in the article, turkey can replace chicken in a lot of recipes.
- Soups: use turkey instead of chicken in soups and see the taste increases. You can also make your own stock from turkey bones.
- Sandwiches: Add the cold or hot turkey meat or the turkey ham. With the addition of lettuce, tomato, mustard, etc. your sandwich will go to another level.
- Burgers: mix the ground turkey with breadcrumbs to make burgers. This is an awesome alternative to the red meat burger that many people do not even think about.
The health benefits of cooking with turkey meat
Turkey is one of the best sources of protein and is very high in niacin, vitamin B6, zinc and vitamin B12. And if you remove the skin, the white turkey meat is extremely low on fat.
The light, skinless roasted turkey has less cholesterol than chicken, pork, or beef since it is very low on saturated fat and total fat.
It is believed that turkey has mood-enhancing properties since the present tryptothan in turkey produces serotonin.
If you are going for a low calorie and fat intake diet, stick to the white turkey meat in your recipes. Try to cook, roast or boil with the minimum quantity possible of oil. Also, be careful with the seasonings and salt.
Conclusion
Turkey meat is probably one of the most common and consumed meats in the world. It is present in many countries and cultures, but more specifically in North America during Thanksgiving and Christmas, two very well celebrated holidays.
Basically, there are no holidays without turkey in the main meals and the preparation of it is one of the most important part of the days. In the article we mentioned the easiest and most common tips on how to make roasted turkey.
One of the main qualities of the turkey meat is how many incredible nutrients and vitamins it has. If consumed skinless, the white turkey meat has almost no fat in its compositions and is very low on calories. So, for those looking for health meats to include on their diet, turkey meat is the perfect solution.
The turkey ham is another type of turkey meat that is largely consumed and loved. Turkey ham tastes delicious in sandwiches and can be easily found in any grocery stores. Let us know if you consume turkey meat at home apart from the holidays and what are your tips to cook with it.
