Christmas Turkey

1) It is traditional to feel drowsy and sleepy after the rich Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. This feeling is widely believed to be produced by tryptophan contained in turkey. In reality, this substance is not the cause. Holiday turkey is usually served with alcohol, side dishes which are rich in carbohydrates and fat and in a relaxed atmosphere. All this evokes that familiar sensation of sleepiness.

2) You have to remember that stuffing the turkey the night before you are planning the cook it is a fairly dangerous practice. It is very likely that bacteria will start multiplying in the stuffing even if you keep the stuffed turkey in the fridge. This in turn might lead to the food poisoning. So you might want to prefer to take care of your health instead of trying to save time.

4) It might happen sometimes that a perfectly cooked through turkey can still have a pink tint. However, do not let you knowledge about the raw meat to spoil your dinner! Poultry can acquire that pink colour when gases in the gas oven come into the chemical reaction with the protein which creates the red pigment in the raw meat. Thus pink turkey is not necessarily unsuitable for consumption.

5) Turkey is often pronounced to be a perfect protein. It contains the amount of protein necessary for your body, but it is much lower in cholesterol than red meats. For example, 1oz of beef contains 20-30 mg of cholesterol compared to just 15-24 mg in 1 oz of turkey. This makes turkey a great food for children and athletes, because protein helps to build muscles.

6) Due to the fact that turkey breast contains very little fettle fat, it may seem too dry after it has been cooked. However, you can buy and cook the turkey with its skin intact. The skin contains most of the turkey’s fat ant it will help to make the breast less dry and to add a bit of flavour to it without increasing its total fat content.