Aloha CB Fam. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, for those who celebrate it. I enjoyed mine, which is truly saying something because I hate Thanksgiving. Someday we’ll sit down with some sugar-free hot cocoa and delve into all my food issues and my awful extended family members that went into molding those opinions but for now, I just want to mark this year down as a win. Cravings cookbook author Chrissy Teigen also had a win for her Thanksgiving by cooking the perfect turkey. She showed it off on Twitter by pointing out how perfect turkeys look plastic. But it was the last line of her tweet that divided the nation, which I can only imagine thrilled Chrissy to no end. Chrissy made the controversial comment that, “turkey sucks @$$ always.” Discuss:
our turkey looks like a fake ass turkey but it’s real and juicy. but still shit because turkey sucks ass always pic.twitter.com/iqYbkWlpGE
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) November 29, 2019
Reading Chrissy’s thoughts on this has me fascinated to know people’s opinion on turkey. I had no idea there was the faction of turkey haters (OMG, can we call them T-ators?!) The one excuse I got every year I tried to subvert the Thanksgiving celebration was “what about the turkey?” Personally, I can take or leave turkey, but if I’m eating it, I prefer it deli sliced. I do think a leftover T-Day stacked sandwich is a gift from above, but honestly, if someone forgot to add the turkey to my mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry and stuffing on sliced sourdough, I’d probably be just as happy. However, reading Chrissy’s comment section, she’s not alone. A lot of folks ditch the bird for fish (whaaat?) One person made sweet potato gnocchi for their main Thanksgiving dish, which I could get behind. My sister-in-law was traveling on Thanksgiving, so my brother made himself Beef Wellington instead of turkey. Although I am now truly invested in brainstorming ways to reinvent the Thanksgiving dinner, I need to know why people think turkey is trash. I understand if it’s cooked wrong, dry turkey should be used to line a walkway and nothing else, but if its cooked correctly, I’m curious. Let me hear your objections, I promise not use your real names when I use your reasoning in my argument to cancel next year’s Thanksgiving.
This wasn’t the only social media storm Chrissy weathered over the holiday week. Although, the other bit was a failed attempt to come for Chrissy. Chrissy didn’t even break a sweat clapping back. Chrissy posted this lovely IG photo in which she thanked her household teams that helps her raise her family. Even though it was the point of the post, a Katty Karen commented on the post, “AKA ‘thankful for my staff of chefs and nannies.’” Many rushed to Chrissy’s defense about how they, too, would hire household staff if they could, but they needn’t bother. Chrissy wrapped it up nicely by replying, “Literally just said that but you sure got me.” I generally don’t care if celebrities taking on stupid commenters but in this case, I’m glad Chrissy called it out. It was really cool of her to publicly acknowledge these folks, that so rarely happens, it’s a shame someone tried to take away from that.
And since we are on the subject of Chrissy’s chef, Paul Barbosa, jr., he was also featured in this photo of Chrissy et al supporting her husband’s Sexiest Man Alive win.
Thanks to Maria at Lainey Gossip for featuring this!
Photo credit: Twitter, WENN Photos and Getty Images
I don’t think turkey is “trash” but I never crave it or eat it except for thanksgiving, and even then, it’s just a tiny amount. I ate way too many turkey sandwiches at a time in my life when I thought they were healthy, and I just don’t want any more ever again
Same here…I don’t hate turkey (in my family it’s more of a Christmas thing) but it’s not my favorite. I do like making sandwiches with the leftovers, however – turkey and cranberry mayo always hits the spot.
Otherwise, give me chicken any day.
for me, thanksgiving is all about the sides and the desserts. Although I was thinking, and people will likely think this is crazy, but I do like a good turkey burger. A good one, and they can be hard to find
I don’t like Turkey meat too.
Turkey is wonderful if cooked well. America’s Test Kitchen has a great recipe
I agree. It can be delicious if cooked properly, but the size and thawing issues lead a lot of people to over cook it.
I think deli turkey is pretty awful compared to the real thing.
I LOVE America’s test kitchen, I have the cookbook with all the recipes from the entire series. And their turkey recipe is the bomb!
We substituted ground turkey for ground beef years ago. It’s so much better along with being healthier, turkey burgers, spaghetti sauce, meatballs. I could never stand the smell of beef burgers frying in a pan.
Turkey is traditional here at Xmas. I hate it, it is gamey and gross, particularly if it is free range. If I have a choice I have chicken instead.
Agreed, I find turkey very dry. I prefer chicken.
I don’t care at all for Turkey, and refuse to cook it for Christmas dinner. I’ll do goose, duck, chicken or even beef wellington.
Oh, I cannot stand this chick. She’s super annoying
I must be the only person to not know she has a chef. I thought she was a good cook who loved cooking. Hasn’t she written cookbooks?
Both can be true. She’s probably learned some pretty cool things from the relationship. He might even help with recipe development.
It’s not rude, it’s her opinion. I agree turkey is not great. I mean personally I prefer it to roast ham but turkey bland. I only eat it to justify all the sides
Deli sliced on a sandwich is acceptable. I skip the thanksgiving turkey in favor of ham.
If there was no turkey at Thanksgiving, I wouldn’t miss it.
But I had Thanksgiving with about 10 people, and most of them ate turkey.
I think I love you.
I’ve had to battle my family for Easter – they tried turning it into a turkey holiday. Easter is a ham holiday, damnit! And I love a pineapple ham. They eventually accepted this, and I don’t complain about turkey for any other family meals.
I do prefer my turkey in sandwich form, though.
Whaa? Easter is a lamb holiday!
I’m with @Erinn on ham! I really don’t like the taste of lamb…
I love turkey. Love love. I also really like that anyone can like whatever food they want.
It’s a lot of work to make a good turkey and a lot of clean up. Even with all that effort, good turkey still isn’t as good as most other things that are easier to make and clean up. If you are going to go to a lot of trouble then it should taste like you went to a lot of trouble.
I’m with you Ainsley.
People who don’t cook or don’t cook well don’t know what a pain making a good turkey is and I make a great turkey but at the end of the day, it’s still just turkey.
It takes me about a week to thaw, brine, rinse, pat dry, season, do the Martha thing with the cheesecloth soaked in white wine and butter, inject that stuff in there, rub herb butter under the skin and so on and I might have a small slice. I use foil pans more these days and that helps with clean up but still it’s a LOT.
This year was the first time in over 30 years that I didn’t make a turkey for Thanksgiving.
I made a prime rib roast and King crab legs and not as many sides and I’m tired of everyone’s dietary crap.
“I don’t eat meat. I don’t eat fish. Is there dairy in there? I’m trying to go gluten-free.”
I’ve gone along somewhat but people make my ass tired and no one brings anything or helps and it’s all, “You’re going to make this and this and this, right?” . Forget it.
For Christmas, I’ll make a shrimp and crab boil one day and my famous Southern glazed ham (foil pan) the next. Done.
..and I’ll bet that rib roast was wonderful! I’m tired of the dietary bullies, too. A few years ago, a younger family member requested that ALL the food for a huge holiday gathering be prepared without certain ingredients. No allergies, just personal preference. Some tried to adapt their recipes, others refused.
It’s just dry and a b**** to cook! I loved smoked turkey at the deli, but I just dont ever like homemade turkey.
I like turkey. I love sliced turkey on a wrap with bacon (that’s actually my lunch for today lol) and I love thanksgiving turkey too. I don’t love just plain roast turkey (like tgiving leftovers) the next day bc I do think often it dries out, but if you use it for a soup or something its still good. We fried our turkey this year and it was amazing, not dry at all. I usually follow Pioneer Woman’s recipe for turkey which involves lots of butter (bc duh) and that also usually turns out really well, not dry at all.
Because I want to spread this word far and wide – a friend of mine recommended this for leftovers this year and I did it and it was amazing. Leftover turkey, shredded, with stuffing (in small pieces) and mashed potatoes. Mix it all together, and then form little balls out of it. My friend dips it in a beer batter and then breadcrumbs, I just did the breadcrumbs and they still stuck to the potatoes. Then I fried it up in some oil (not deep fry, but I guess that would work, or that air frying could work too) and had them with gravy.
Celebitchies. These were amazing.
Ooh, that sounds amazing
Turkey done poorly is dry and bland. Turkey done well is still pretty bland. It’s not that I hate turkey as much as it just doesn’t impress me.
I don’t eat turkey and everyone acts all offended and shocked on Thanksgiving when I only eat sides. I just don’t like it, especially when it’s all moist and juicy….yuck! I used to eat it if it was over cooked and dry as hell, but I don’t even like that anymore.
I don’t understand why it’s so offensive if I don’t eat it, yet another reason I hate the holidays!
I’m not a big meat eater in general. I was a vegetarian for 6 years, but now I only eat it when my body craves it, which is usually only once a month during my period and I crave steak. I’m trying to get my husband to eat less meat, we don’t need it at every single meal, that’s a marketing lie!
I love turkey, I cook one every month. If it’s dry and bland it isn’t cooked properly.
Yes, I was just going to say…. obviously Chrissy doesn’t know how to cook turkey. Roasted or deep-fried and it is delish.
I like turkey. Well seasoned and cooked until the breast meat is done. Then dismantle the bird and toss the dark meat back in the oven for a bit. I’m a dark meat girl, and I can wait until that comes to temp. But I only eat it on Thanksgiving unless it’s deli sliced on a sandwich.
This is exactly the fussy, pain in the ass technique that turkey requires. That and brining & herb butter under the breast skin… I told my family that next year I am paring down the ridiculous number of sides, and sous vide-ing two bound breast halves.
To hell with it.
I usually do a roast tenderloin of beef for Xmas, with a gorgonzola sauce, and rosemary polenta, courtesy of Ina Garten. Delish.
My family has made turkey every year for Thanksgiving & Christmas. It was just how things were done for a long time.
We have come to realize, however, that it was everything else on the plate that we loved. The turkey is just sort of…there. So now we load up on all the other stuff and don’t bother with the bird at all.
Turkey is okay but at Thanksgiving it is essential because cornbread dressing needs gravy and cornbread dressing is the real star of a Thanksgiving meal.
Turkey is just ok…I prefer ham at Thanksgiving, though I know I’m in the minority. I make both so everyone is happy.
Hecate, if you ever want to have a post discussing Thanksgiving dysfunction, I’m in….love the day and my hubby and kids, hate most everyone else.
I cook the turkey for all Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings, but it has been brought to my attention everyone loves it except the granddaughters, they only eat the stuffing. I put at least a pound of butter with an assortment of spices including a dash of curry under the skin and in cavities, add turkey stock, slow cook on a low temperature and watch it carefully. It may be the only meal I can cook without constant supervision by my beloved one and only.
She is 100% correct. Turkey tastes like ass smothered in dirt. Once I took over the family holidays, I banned turkey. Well, not ban…but I let everyone know that I sure as shit wasn’t cooking a turkey. They were pissed…but mind you, nobody took up turkey-cooking duties. Now, they’re happy with Lasagna, oysters, ribs, etc.
When I ask my family what they’d like for a holiday meal, the word “turkey” does not come up. It’s prime rib or pizza or a decadent mac and cheese.
I love turkey, but this year for Canadian thanksgiving (we live in Austin) we threw a potluck and had a bunch of Indian dishes as well as kabobs and salads – nobody complained. Since we don’t have family here for American thanksgiving we usually get a turducken roll that’s precooked but this year we didn’t order it in time so my husband made short ribs. It was amazing and I didn’t miss turkey. Around Christmas I can always find a restaurant that will serve a traditional turkey and mashed potato meal with cranberry meal to satisfy my craving.
I only recently heard the word turducken and didn’t know what it was until I just looked it up! Sounds good.
My problem with turducken is that “turd” is in the name.
Turkey is 1000000 times better than ham, which is the typical other contender. Ham is a gross huge pink slab of nasty.
No! 😉
Here is how you make a delicious, glazed ham:
Get a bone-in shank ham and a heavy duty foil pan.
Trim the extra fat and score the top, you know, diamond pattern.
Put about 8 whole cloves in the diamonds.
Mix (trust me) 16 ounces light brown sugar, 1 cup of spicy brown mustard, 1 cup of Coke, 1/4 cup of Bourbon.
Pour that on the ham and bake at 350 about 2 and a half hours.
Baste a couple of times.
That’s it and after you’ve had ham sandwiches and ham and eggs and ham salad, etc., you can make Southwest ham and beans with cornbread.
omgawd yes! raised pigs and they literally love to sit in their own poop…they’re like smelly dogs and to eat them is like eating your dog….they have the goofiest personalities….that is why I dont eat pork…it’s like eating a dog….
I like turkey if, and only if, it’s seasoned AND cooked properly……and in my over 30 years I have had two good turkeys! No joke!!! They are just hard to cook the right way and even when they are cooked perfectly….they lack!
We never has turkey for our Thanksgiving when we cooked (we now go out to eat – it’s marvelous). We always had duck and Cornish hens. Turkey isn’t even historically accurate. Turkeys were not indigenous to the area during the first Thanksgiving. But duck was!
Dark Turkey meat is the only Turkey that’s edible… I always have the leg reserved for me. It’s the not dry part. Also, baste your Turkey in a butter, maple syrup and brown sugar mix…put some of it in a gravy bowl as a second gravy if folks want to rebaste.
I bought an extra pack of legs this year. My turkey looked like a spider, but everyone was happy to have a leg to gnaw on.
I think Turkey only belongs on sandwiches. I cooked a turkey for Thanksgiving and I’ve never tended to something in the oven so much–nor fretted about the juiciness. It made me so anxious! I found myself asking my guests, “Is it moist? Is it moist?” And eyeing how much gravy they used as a scale of my success.
I don’t like any of the “Thanksgiving” foods. Somebody said “all the food at Thanksgiving dinner is brown,” and now that’s all I can see! I don’t know why everybody won’t just admit they’d rather have tacos or spaghetti.
I don’t like thanksgiving food either. The turkey is alright if it’s deep fried. But all the sides of mushy food mixed together is disgusting.
I eat turkey once a year, maybe twice. I’m no a big fan but will tolerate it for Thanksgiving. Besides it has that weird smell and funny taste. I have to covered the meat with lots of gravy!
I wrestled the Turkey cooking out of my mom’s hands this year. Her Turkey is always dry AF. So I told her I wanted to try making a Turkey using a receipe on emeals. Combined butter and spices, rubbed it over the Turkey under the skin, cooked at 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Came out nice and juicy. Yes I’m tooting my own horn 😊
Ha ha Joanna – well done !!!
Thanks 🤗
It’s Oysters, Goose, side of Beef and Chicken with occasionally wild game in my house at Christmas. I agree with Chrissy, Turkey sucks ass.
For years hardly anyone ate the Turkey so me stopped making it.
For me turkey is so tied up with memory at Christmas time that I must have it and do enjoy it. I rarely eat it any other time but prefer it to what I truly consider abominable which is boneless skinless chicken breast.
Turkey can be gamey. But sliced pepper turkey is great. And non gamey turkey can be good. That saying, I did not even try our turkey this year. Though I heard it was good.
Turkey is not worth the amount of work involved to get it to turn out well, IMHO. Plus, everyone in my family only likes the dark meat.
I made crab cakes this year with all the usual thanksgiving sides and it was honestly the best thanksgiving dinner I’ve had. Plus, so much less stressful!
wow that sounds awesome!
For anyone who hasn’t had a great experience with eating turkey, I highly recommend the roasted sliced turkey breast from Honey Baked Ham. It’s seriously the BEST thing ever.
Totally agree😊
She’s right. Turkey is trash. Bland nothingness. Gravy is gross. And stuffing sucks too. And canned green beans. And canned cranberry sauce. Obviously just my opinion, but the upside is I never overeat on Thanksgiving because I just hate it all.
We actually decided while we were eating T-day dinner that the best turkey is still, well, turkey. Next year we will be doing ribs and a lasagna. Whootwhoot!
Turkey with all the sides is fine once a year
But Christmas we eat. Tamales!
Beech, tamales are our Christmas eve dinner tradition, all hell would break loose if I tossed that tradition.
Tamales sound great. I’d love to skip turkey at Christmas since we just had Thanksgiving, but my Irish husband won’t let me. Has to be turkey. Can’t break that tradition. Will throw in Dungeness crab on the side to mix it up. Would love to do a beautiful filet.
I dont eat Turkey for Thanksgiving . ..we eat appetizers and pie. I eat roasted turkey all year round, bc I don’t do deli meat, so it’s helpful to have roasted turkey. I bbq it during the summer and when seasoned correctly and NOT accompanied with green bean casserole or sweet potatoes– it’s very pleasant. We also have a smoker. chicken is the rat of the poultry world imo…
Turkey isn’t great. I’ll take chicken over it any day. But once you pair it with a bunch of gravy or cranberry sauce, it sort of blends in and works.
I like turkey, but my Mom is known as the best cook among her group of friends, so I know turkey can be bad.
I work at a college and one of the professors told me how terrible Thanksgiving is for the international students and faculty. Everyone wants them to come and experience the American holiday, but Thanksgiving dinner is a huge dose of everything people who grew up anywhere else in the world hate about English derived cuisine. This is doubly true for Asian students, who are honored to be invited to someone’s home, but then dismayed when they don’t like the food but have to pretend they do. I’d always tell students it’s OK not to like the food, after all Americans only eat it once a year. They are usually very relieved.
I like turkey. I dry brine it with lots of seasoning and turns out very tasty. It’s a blank bland canvas for the sides. Sometimes Chrissy is so annoying. That post just seems like she was trying to say something witty and original and it just came across as tasteless ( like her turkey 🦃 ha ha😐). Sometimes she just seems needy for attention and clicks, but I love the fact that she gets under Trumps skin.
Thanksgiving was the one holiday I ditched after moving overseas. I have absolutely no use for turkey. It’s boring. I’m still holding on to Halloween for my son in a country that doesn’t acknowledge it but Thanksgiving is all but a memory.
I used to love turkey in years past but I’m kind of burnt out. I DO love me some ground turkey burger but after a little turkey I’m like – MEH. We went to a really nice restaurant this year that had prime rib and turkey and all the sides, appetizers, cheeses, meats, fruits, desserts that you could imagine. I ate prime rib with horseradish cream sauce – ate a small bite of turkey, Great- now I’m hungry. Prime rib is the shit.
I love turkey…I make curried turkey, pulled turkey, I use ground turkey in pasta sauces, and because we don’t eat beef, pork or lamb, it’s a great and healthy alternative. It isn’t just roast turkey for Thanksgiving and Christmas, it’s a really versatile meat source.
Turkey sucks.
Turkey is good only if it’s not dry, and it’s almost always dry. That’s the problem with it. Wild turkey is so much better than commercial turkey. Even better is wild quail.
Turkey is made of sadness. It’s definitively awful. The best cooked turkey is still too dry. It’s utterly bland and it’s size means all the marinating or brining or dry rubbing in the world will not create a flavor that sinks down beyond the outside layer. It can look nice, yes, but as a food to eat it is a worthless substance suitable only for people with nonfunctional tastebuds. There’s nothing festive about it.
I keep cooking a turkey simple. I buy one about 12 lbs, rub oil on it and sprinkle seasonings and cook in a Reynolds bag. So easy and comes out browned and juicy. My family and I love it. Leftovers make wonderful sandwiches and soup. Of course the sides are kinda the big deal on Thanksgiving day.