Turkey Isn't Just for Holidays

November 1, 2026

Hello Friends,

Turkey is one of the most economical but elegant meats to serve for holidays and special occasions. Most turkeys today are purchased from the supermarket in the frozen state. This has always worked well for me until recently. After I roasted it, I thought it looked awfully small, so I decided to weigh it. It shriveled up to nothing. I forget now how much weight I lost when cooking it, but it was a lot.

After talking to other people, I found they had the same problem. I assumed that with the bad economy, by adding more water when freezing, it was a way for the producers to gain a few extra dollars. I decided to go with fresh turkeys from now on; even if I purchase it in advance fresh and then place it in my freezer for a while. If you use a frozen one you might want to weigh it after cooking to see how much it weighs compared to the purchase weight. Just a thought!

More Tips and Recipes for Turkeys!

Talking about the weight of turkeys, young turkeys can weigh as little as four pounds. The older (Tom turkeys) can weigh 20 to 30 pounds; just the size I love to cook for Thanksgiving. I also like the larger birds because it is the best buy, economically speaking. These larger ones have a great ratio of meat per pound, and I love lots of leftovers.

The best way to thaw a frozen turkey is to place in on a tray and set it in the refrigerator until it thaws. My large turkeys usually take about 4 days in the refrigerator to thaw. Allow 1 to 2 days for a 4-to-12-pound turkey or 2 to 3 days for a 12-to-20-pound turkey to thaw in the refrigerator. When preparing the turkey for roasting, remember to remove the giblets from the cavity. Are you laughing? A lot of people laugh at this, but I had a sister who roasted the giblets still wrapped in the paper and stuffed in the cavity. Rinse the turkey, inside and out, before preparing it for the oven. If you are stuffing the turkey, do it right before placing in the oven; NOT THE NIGHT BEFORE.

Your friend, Frances