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TALKING TURKEY WITH STEW LEONARD'S!
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TALKING TURKEY WITH STEW LEONARD'S!
Farm Fresh Grocer Shares Top 5 Thanksgiving Customer Questions
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NORWALK, CONN., November 9, 2011 - Stew Leonard's has been a top Thanksgiving shopping destination for more than forty years. In the week leading up to Thanksgiving Day, the farm fresh food grocer will sell more than 22,000 Thanksgiving turkeys to our customers, which is more than three times the number of turkeys sold during an average week. Our chefs and bakers will also make enough gravy to fill up an entire swimming pool, enough pies to go the length of 97 football fields, and bake a quarter-million dinner rolls!
But, every year, our customers ask Stew's chefs the same five questions about the best way to choose, prepare, and cook their holiday turkey. This year Stew Leonard Jr. shares his top turkey tips that he's picked up over the course of his lifetime in the grocery business:
Q. What size turkey should I buy and how far in advance can I buy it?
A. Stew Leonard's offers a range of sizes to meet everyone's needs! Our turkeys weigh in anywhere between 12lbs to...get ready for this...28lbs! Now that's a big bird! But I think that having leftovers is just as important as the big meal itself, so I always make sure that we have a bird that allows for 2lbs. per person. If you're not a fan of leftovers though, I think that 1.5 lbs per person is just fine. Our fresh turkeys can be purchased 10 days in advance, giving you more time to prepare for the big day!
Q. What's the difference between the two different turkeys you sell?
A. Our Fresh turkeys are from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and have no artificial ingredients added to them. My family always gets our all natural free range Naked Turkey to put on the table- these turkeys are fed a 100% vegetarian diet and are NEVER given antibiotics or added hormones. We like cooking this bird because it has 20% more breast meat and 55% less fat than regular turkeys!
Q. How should I store my turkey prior to cooking?
A. Once you have your turkey home, it should be stored in the coldest part of your refrigerator, which is the bottom back corner. Keep it wrapped in the plastic until just ready to begin preparing. Our chefs also recommend putting the raw turkey on a plate or in a pan just to make sure no juices accidently drip inside the refrigerator.
Q. For how long should I roast my turkey?
A. I always follow a few simple guidelines to make sure our turkey is cooked to perfection. Prior to the big day I make sure the oven is clean as this helps concentrate the heat. Second, I make sure the oven is fully preheated- I generally turn the oven on when I take the bird out of the refrigerator to begin preparing it. That way, a bit of the chill is gone from the turkey giving it the opportunity to cook at a more even pace. Lastly, I always making sure that when I insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh the temperature reads 180 degrees F. Oven temperatures vary to some degree, so I always start checking my bird 45 minutes before I think it might be done just in case we can start eating earlier!
Q. Does your family stuff the turkey before roasting? I've heard it's not safe but everyone seems to be doing it!
A. We like to use our chef's Turkey Marinade inside of our bird- it gives the meat a wonderful flavor and the aroma is incredible! If your family really prefers to stuff your turkey, just be sure to place fully cooked stuffing in the turkey right before roasting, never the night before (this could grow bacteria), and make sure the stuffing is 165 degrees F before removing from the oven. Keep in mind that when you stuff the bird the cook time increases slightly, up to 5 extra minutes per pound of turkey.
CHEF GEORGE'S PERFECT TURKEY
Chef George Llorens has been Stew Leonard's executive chef for more than two decades. Here's his recipe for a flavorful, juicy Thanksgiving turkey:
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary or 2 teaspoons crushed dried rosemary
- 2 tablespoons orange zest
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
- 1 fresh turkey (about 16 pounds), rinsed and patted dry
- 2 onions, quartered
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 325. Rinse the turkey and dry well. In a small bowl combine the rosemary, orange zest, minced garlic, salt, black pepper and olive oil.
- Rub some of the oil and herb mixture under the skin of the legs and breast. Rub the remaining oil over the turkey. Place two quartered onions into the turkey cavity along with three medium sprigs of rosemary.
- Place the turkey on a rack in a large roasting pan and bake for 3 to 4 hours, or until the thickest part of the thigh registers 180F on a meat thermometer (do not touch the bone). If turkey becomes too brown, cover with aluminum foil. Place turkey on a cutting board and let stand for 20 minutes.
TURKEY EMERGENCY? CALL STEW'S!
Stew Leonard's is open on Thanksgiving Day, November 24, and our chefs are here to help with any turkey emergencies that day! But, if you don't feel like cooking, our catering team can help design the perfect Thanksgiving meal - soup to nuts - for any size party. We even deliver!
Stew's catering team offers two turkey options for Thanksgiving Dinner. For our Marinated Oven-Ready Turkey (medium: $50; large: $70), our chefs created the perfect marinade with fresh onions, shallots, apples, parsley, freshly cracked black pepper, orange peel, sage, bay leaf, whole garlic, Marsala wine and olive oil. Easy roasting instructions are included so that delicious, home cooked smell will fill your kitchen - without the prep work! Stew's Marinated, Fully-Cooked Turkey (medium: $75; large: $95) is marinated and slow roasted at the store; customers just need to reheat and serve at home. For smaller Thanksgiving parties, Stew's Roasted Sliced Turkey Breast is available for $60.00 and is all white meat.
About Stew Leonard's
Stew Leonard's, a family-owned and operated fresh food store founded in 1969, has four stores in Norwalk, Danbury, and Newington, Conn. and Yonkers, N.Y. Stew's earned its nickname, the "Disneyland of Dairy Stores" because of its country-fair atmosphere, with costumed characters and animated entertainment throughout the store that keep children entertained while parents shop. Stew Leonard's legion of loyal shoppers is largely due to the stores' passionate approach to customer service: "Rule #1 -- The Customer is Always Right"; Rule #2 - If the Customer is Ever Wrong, Re-Read Rule #1." This principle is so essential to the foundation of the company that it is etched in a three-ton granite rock at each store's entrance. The company's culture is built around an acronym for S.T.E.W.: Satisfy the customer; Teamwork gets it done; Excellence makes it better; WOW makes it fun. For more information, visit Stew Leonard's website at www.stewleonards.com.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Meghan Bell, 203.750.6107, mbell@stewleonards.com
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