Confessions of a suburban housewife: I’ve never cooked a turkey.
Don’t be so surprised. Frankly, I have an aversion to cooking anything that needs to be thawed, prepped, cooked, carved and packed for leftovers. And the dishes… oh, the dishes! Before marrying into my husband’s family, I was in turkey-less bliss.
Then, I met my future mother-in-law. And I tasted her Thanksgiving turkey… and I became a forever fan. Yep, I joined the gobble gang. More turkey please!
Juicy, moist and flavourful – with herbed stuffing and thick, rich gravy – just the thought of a Butterball turkey always makes me drool with anticipation. It’s been a holiday tradition for me for 10 years now, and for millions of Canadians, much, much longer than that.
So, what if I told you that the above turkey, stuffing and all, was cooked from frozen?
The Promise: pre-stuffed with delicious homestyle stuffing, this Butterball Stuffed Whole Turkey is tender and juicy every time. Simply remove the frozen turkey from the plastic bag, place it on a rack in a shallow roasting pan, brush the skin with vegetable oil and roast according to the time listed on the roasting chart. (Click here for full instructions.)
And that’s pretty much it.
This past weekend, due to scheduling conflicts and family commitments, we opted to celebrate our Thanksgiving meal one week early. It’s pretty much a win-win: I had a chance to enjoy the most scrumptious dinner seven days sooner, and you now have time to run out and purchase your own Butterball Stuffed Whole Turkey because it’s simply that good. Bonus: no thawing!
Truth is, my mother-in-law once again prepared the turkey, and she was mildly skeptical it could compete with the traditional frozen Butterball Whole Turkey – her beloved go-to. She had never cooked a bird from frozen, and she had never trusted this special occasion to someone else’s stuffing! Alas, she was a good sport and was open to expanding her culinary repertoire.
However, since we were trying something new, we did take advantage of Butterball’s helpful resources:
1. Online Cooking Tips. Here, we found a link called “Is a pre-stuffed turkey really safe?”, and it answered all the questions we had about cooking a turkey from frozen. In fact, Butterball turkeys are stuffed immediately after processing when they are at their freshest, and are then blast frozen so there is no opportunity for bacterial growth. Peace of mind – check!
2. Turkey Calculator. Of course we enlisted the help of the turkey calculator! With a 6kg frozen turkey in front of us, we didn’t want to take any chances. The instructions on the package did provide an estimate (4-5 hours), but I wanted a more precise cooking time. The calculator stated that it would cook in 6 hours and 15 minutes at 325°C, and our turkey was ready in exactly that time.
3. Turkey Talk-Line. Although we didn’t enlist the help of pros this time, for more than 30 years, the professionally trained turkey experts that make up the Turkey Talk-Line have been answering turkey related questions each holiday season. This year, they’re available from Monday, October 5th to Monday, October 12th 2015 and Monday, November 2nd to Thursday, December 24th 2015. Just call 1-800-BUTTERBALL and select Option 3 to speak with a Turkey Talk-Line Representative.
The result? Perfectly cooked, tender and juicy turkey. Butterball, you made good on your promise!
And, can we talk about this stuffing? I don’t want to say that it’s better than my mother-in-law’s made from scratch stuffing, but it’s a very close second. It was perfectly fluffy and not mushy at all, which is incredible considering it came from a frozen turkey!
Both my mother-in-law and I agree: Butterball’s Stuffed Whole Turkey is the easy way to prepare a perfectly delicious Thanksgiving meal. If you’ve been sitting on the fence about whether to serve a turkey this weekend, start a new tradition with Butterball.
Mmm….who doesn’t love a ButterBall Turkey giveaway? Thanks for the chance :)
Mouth is watering.
Looks yummy! Can’t wait to enjoy our turkey this weekend!
Butterball is my go to Turkey brand. Love the little breast rolls for everyday meals too.
we had one a couple weeeks ago while we had Grandma down yum it was the best, looking forward to it again this weekend
Mmmmm, I can’t wait till next weekend, I love turkey and turkey leftovers!!
I enjoy the leftovers more than the actual dinner. lol
YUM, thanks for the chance to win!! Butterball is delicious!
I haven’t cooked a turkey myself, I’ve never had to… but I do love it!
I’ve never tried Butterball’s turkey but hear people talking about it all the time. Maybe this year I will have to see for myself what all the fuss is about!
I love Butterball turkeys, they are so easy to cook and so delicious!
The Butterball cook from frozen is the ONLY turkey I make. I tell everyone! Too easy & yes I have experienced the other turkeys Thaw? & make dressing etc ending up too tired to eat by dinner time. Now I enjoy the whole day. Absolutely their biggest fan
What?? You’ve never cooked a turkey? For shame.
I haven’t cooked a Butterball in years, can’t afford them. Last year around Christmas I did however, call the Butterball hotline and got some great tips on cooking a turkey. I found out that I’ve been doing it wrong all these years.
Whenever I would cook a turkey, I would put it in a pan, add some water to the bottom of the pan, cover with foil then cook away. Turn’s out that that is the wrong way to cook a turkey. What you’re actually doing it by cooking it that way is actually steaming it.
Well, Min at Butterball told me to cook it uncovered. That way you are roasting not steaming the bird. I cooked my Easter turkey that way and it was the best turkey that I’ve ever had. The texture was different and it cooked much faster than when covered. Just cover breast with foil if browning too much. I won’t be going back to the old method of cooking a turkey ever again.
Min was even so kind as to send me a $25 GC for a turkey. My Thanksgiving turkey was free!! Best price.
Looks delish! I’ve never cooked a turkey before but Butterball seems like an easy recipe so I think its worth a try. Thanks for sharing Lena and will let you know how it turns out.
That turkey looks so delicious.
I’m now craving a turkey and stuffing sandwich lol
WOW, that turkey looks incredible, now I can’t wait for our turkey dinner, my mouth is watering with anticipation! I just hope that it turns out as good as yours did!
i’ve never had a home made turkey dinner
I’ve only ever cooked a turkey once. But my husband brought home a butterball for me to try. I’m excited about it.
This sounds like a wonderful option especially for those of us who are short on time (ie forgot to thaw).
ohhhhh i’m drooling ,it looks so delish… i love Turkey , i have mine cooking now , house smells so good , Happy Thanksgiving to you and your Family Lena :)
it’s not t-giving without the stuffing
mmmm butterball turkey!!! nothing is better. We had our butterball turkey last night and doing another one up next weekend
Looks so very delicious. We like Butterball too.
Butterball is our choice also always so nice and juicy…yours sure looks tasty
We just cooked our Thanksgiving turkey yesterday because hubby was out of town and i love having everyone together
I am all about all the other dishes besides turkey. After so many years, still don’t like turkey
I have been using Butterball for many years, I love that I look like I know what I am doing every year and their stuffing is fabulous!
Can’t wait to enjoy our turkey tomorrow,enjoy your Easter weekend !!
We had one of these Butterball turkeys for Thanksgiving this year and everyone really enjoyed it. There was so much stuffing!
Your turkey looks delicious and the stuffing too
Just put my Pre-Stuffed Cook from Frozen Butterball in the Oven !
Did You ever Baste it ?
Did You make Gravy from the pan drippings and juices ?
( I’m wondering if it is safe )
Help ! lol
This is My 1st Turkey ever !!