Butterball's New Cook From Frozen Turkey And It's A Thanksgiving Game-Changer

As Thanksgiving draws near, many of us begin our menu planning for the big meal. One perennial star tends to be the most stressful part of the meal to prepare, the basic roasted turkey. While there are many things to consider when it comes to roasting a bird, one factor perennially derails home cooks — how long to thaw a turkey. Indeed, this is one inquiry that floods the Butterball® Turkey Talk-Line® every year.

The ingenious folks at Butterball have decided that there needs to be a solution to the age old issue of forgetting to thaw the turkey. Introducing the Butterball Cook from Frozen turkey. For the first time in 70 years, home cooks can roast a turkey without the fuss of thawing, basting, brining, or seasoning the bird. What's more, no unwanted hidden giblets to surprise you when you begin carving the bird. Simply unwrap the turkey and toss it in the oven. That's it. No mess, no stress.

As a professional chef, I have cooked virtually every kind of turkey you can imagine. When I heard about this miracle frozen turkey, I had serious doubts. I was skeptical as to whether the bird would cook through completely or evenly and if it could remain moist. The kind folks at Butterball furnished me with one of their new revolutionary birds so that I could test it myself. Read on to find out if my skepticism was well-founded or if this invention will transform Thanksgiving forever.

I'm accustomed to spending a lot of time fussing over a turkey. For days I agonize about thawing, brining, and seasoning a bird to perfection, depending on what cooking method I plan to use. The idea that I could simply open a package, pull a turkey out and put it straight into the oven simply wasn't computing for me. Every fiber of my being felt like this was wrong, but I proceeded, as the packaging instructions suggested.

You begin by rinsing the frozen turkey that is wrapped in a plastic covering in cold water. Once you tear away the seal and remove the bird from the packaging, it is placed on a rack set in a roasting pan, drizzled with oil, and popped in the oven, which has been preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Roughly four hours later, once the internal temperature of the turkey has reached 170 degrees Fahrenheit when tested in both the breast and thigh, the bird is done. Rest for 30 minutes and the bird is ready to enjoy.

The key to this miraculous turkey is a specially-formulated brine that keeps the turkey moist throughout the roasting process so that it can cook completely through. If you ever wondered if brining meat makes a difference, this is the ultimate test. If it can keep a frozen turkey moist, you know there is something to the science behind soaking meat in a salty solution.

Curious consumers can obtain a Butterball Cook from Frozen Premium Whole Turkey at various participating retailers nationwide, including Harris Teeter, Lowes Foods, Publix, Kroger and Kroger banner locations (such as Fred Meyer, Fry's and Ralph's), and some Walmart stores. To guarantee that your local grocery store carries these wonder birds, visit the product locator page located on Butterball's website.

When you do locate these magic birds near you, you might want to snag a couple of them for two reasons. First, you should consider making two birds this Thanksgiving, the way Anthony Bourdain always used to do. A stunt turkey can be used to wow your guests, while the backup is carved to serve and send home in doggie bags. Second, Thanksgiving is a good time of year to stock up on turkey for the rest of the year. Assuming you have the freezer space, frozen meat is a great way to feed a family in a pinch, especially if it can go straight from the freezer to the oven.

Though prices may vary by region and retailer, the suggested retail price for the Butterball Cook From Frozen Premium Whole Turkey is between $2.49 and $2.99 per pound. According to FinanceBuzz, this is just slightly higher than the national average for a standard turkey, which is $2.39 a pound. 

That said, if you are hunting for a heritage turkey, an organic one, or one that has been pasture-raised, you can expect to pay quite a bit more. For comparison, a Double Certified Organic Whole Turkey from Wise Organics that weights 14-16 pounds costs $175.00 plus tax and shipping, an average of $11.67 per pound. 

At just 10 cents more per pound than the national average, this turkey may end up costing a wee bit more, but may be worth it in terms of the time saved and amount of stress avoided. And, if you factor in the cost of producing a brine, seasonings, or any special preparation you may typically apply to a standard roast turkey, you would probably find yourself ahead in the end.

Drumroll please. Not only did this turkey look stunning when it came out of the oven, with nicely browned, shiny skin, its aroma was off the charts. My house smelled divine as this turkey slowly did its thing in the oven. I resisted the urge to peek to check on the progress, even though I really wanted to watch what happened to calm my anxiety about the bird coming out over or underdone.

When I began carving the turkey, I was stunned to see how juicy it was. The juices oozed out of the meat as I separated the wings, legs, and breast meat from the carcass. What's more, the breast — which is notoriously challenging to keep tender — was succulent and exceedingly easy to slice.

As far as the taste, I was shocked at how good this turkey tasted. The packaging instructions note that you can add a layer of seasonings to this bird if you would like, but I opted to just cook it as-is to see how it tasted without any doctoring up. I didn't want to mask the inherent flavor of the brine with any dried herbs or spices. This was a good call. The meat wasn't bland, nor was it overly salty. I found it to be just the right balance of salinity. Dare I say, because it wasn't overshadowed by other flavors, the meat tasted more turkey-like.

I may have gone into this tasting a little wary, but I am a convert. I have nothing but good things to say about this turkey. It is a huge time savings and can accommodate home cooks of any experience level. The process of making it couldn't be easier and the finished product was dynamite.

My one piece of advice would be to have a good quality meat thermometer on hand to ensure you cook the meat to 170 degrees Fahrenheit before removing it from the oven. There are instructions regarding covering the turkey with aluminum foil if it hasn't reached the safe minimum temperature by the four hour mark. I do recommend following these guidelines as it will prevent the breast meat from drying out.

One additional note: Though the skin is visually stunning, it does not get particularly crisp. If you enjoy munching on turkey skin that has a good crunch to it when you bite into a drumstick, this may not be the best option for you. I usually avoid the skin, so this is not a deal breaker for me. Additionally, I would not recommend making homemade gravy in the drippings from this turkey.

That said, this turkey is well worth the purchase and I can wholeheartedly say it is chef-approved. Focus your efforts on other parts of the meal, like leveling up canned cranberry sauce or perfecting that homemade pecan pie. As for the turkey, you can leave the hard work to the experts at Butterball.