What do I do with the body parts?

NoMoreBlameGame

Hi!

I do cook, but I've always cooked easy. Hamburger Helper...Chicken Helper...that kind of thing (yeh I know, I don't cook those anymore), and the crock pot is my best bud. After listening to advice from some MFP members, I decided to buy various lean meats to help with the protein intake. I bought steak, tilapia, and turkey...a medium sized one (it was on sale). Turkey in this house has been "deli meat"...turkey loaf..."processed stuff"; this isn't. It's a real turkey.

Sooo...there were a bunch of really nasty-gross looking "thingy-ma-jigs" inside Mr. or Mrs. Turkey, here. I'm just going to call them body parts because I don't know what they are *exactly* by appearance alone (not sure I want to know specifics). They were still sort of "attached" to the turkey (it looked like the bird was killed, feathered and frozen as-is, minus the head). I've seen this before...but...yeh, it's on my kitchen counter and I'd like it.....not...on my kitchen counter.

Is there something I can cook out of them or do I just throw them away?

...can I just cook them up plain and use them as doggy snacks?

I put on a pair of gloves and ripped them out of the inside of the turkey (good thing, because there was a gravy package in there I wouldn't have seen, too...not sure if I'll use that, but I don't think melted plastic would taste good).

I'm rambling again, I apologize. Anyway...the turkey is in the oven (minus the innards).

What do I do with these body parts, please?

Thank you!

ETA: No, I'm not stupid, I'm simply ignorant when it comes to knowing what to do with real food, so please don't give me a hard time.

Forty6and2

Dissolve them in acid?

QueenBishOTUniverse

Those are called the giblets. I've never used them, but a quick search and these sound like decent ideas:

Can never go wrong with an Alton Brown recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/turkey-giblet-gravy-recipe.html

Or if you like the dog treat idea:
http://pets.thenest.com/cook-turkey-giblets-dogs-8987.html

lizpitts

I think you're talking about the neck, heart and liver. I give them to my dog (not a fan of organ meats). Some people use the heart and liver to make giblet gravy. I say give the dog a treat.

Tresiel

I have never done anything except throw them away, if you remove them carefully you can try to identify different body parts like lungs/gallbaldder etc etc

sympha01

Yeah, if you don't habitually cook, you're not going to like working something up to do with the giblets. Many people like to use them to make gravy or to make the stuffing more interesting, which is why the turkey company doesn't throw them out / sell them as animal feed themselves.

Definitely throw out the turkey neck -- you don't want your dog choking on the neckbones. But the other bits would be appropriate for dog food.

NoMoreBlameGame

Thank you, at least now I know what to put in Mr. Google. That is a rather whimsical word, I think I like it..."giblets".

With regard to inspecting them carefully to identify them...mmm...no. lol I had a tough enough time with the frog in biology class 20 years ago...*shudders at the memory*

bjshields

Well, I'm relieved to see this is not going in a Walter White direction . . .:noway:

Calliope610

Giblet gravy FTW

Definitely throw out the turkey neck -- you don't want your dog choking on the neckbones. But the other bits would be appropriate for dog food.

Cook/stew the neck with the giblets (add onion, celery, bay leaf, etc and enough water to cover the giblets), simmer for about 30-45min or until the meat comes off the neck.

The neck bones are fine for dogs, they are mostly marrow and are soft/chewy when cooked.

kmash32

Our family would cook them in the roaster with the turkey (not inside the turkey) and then feed them to the dogs. It adds some flavour to the turkey juice if you are going to make gravy.

Maryam2014mfp

I throw all that away. I know my parents cook the parts, as my dad eats them. They cook faster than the rest of the bird if you decide to cook them. They put them on the roasting pan (don't leave them in the bird). Personally I think they are yucky. Lol

peleroja

I don't have pets so I throw them out, but my mother always cooks them well and gives them to the dog, who goes spastic with glee. Warning, though, they are very rich and if your dog is small or has a sensitive stomach, it's better just to give him or her a couple bites at a time to avoid any intestinal distress, if you get my drift.

stackhsc

green bin

randomtai

I save these kind of questions for the google machine. :laugh:

NoMoreBlameGame

I save these kind of questions for the google machine. :laugh:

LOL! Plbbb!! Yes, true...but the only thing I could find was information about a turkey's anatomy. I did find a few info sites about the actual innards, but it was saying to take them out of their respective bags, etc...these weren't in any bags, they were literally attached to the bird, so I thought they were different innards than whatever innards are supposed to be in bags. *wrinkles nose and sticks tongue out*:laugh:

ETA: Judging from what everyone is saying, they're the same body parts as the ones in the bags that site was referring to. The only bag I had was the gravy one....ah well, at least now I know they're "giblets". lol

AglaeaC

If you search marthastewart.com you can find some fantastic turkey tutorials with great photos for instance in the Thanksgiving section, holidays or such. There's recipes and how-tos for the whole process of defrosting, brining, and cooking. I made stock of it with various veggies; really good.

JG762

In reading the title of the thread my first advice was going to be "The 3 S's".
Shoot - Shovel - Shut up

It really doesn't apply now though, sigh...

sunburntgalaxy

I have always been grossed out by the gibblets, which is why I usually just get turkey breast now that I am an adult (plus I don't really like the dark meat, and neither do any of my relatives so we just do two full turkey breasts - on the bone - instead of one turkey) but when I was a kid my mom would have them boiling on the stove - I think she added some of that water to the gravy if needed, and the rest she gave to the cats thank goodness. My friends parents would add the to the stuffing or into the gravy (to make it chunky I guess - never understood that one) and I know that other people use them for various things but can't recall what. I just remember being happy my mom wasn't like my friends moms with that one.

caracrawford1

I thought maybe the police would need to be called here....phew...

bwogilvie

Cook/stew the neck with the giblets (add onion, celery, bay leaf, etc and enough water to cover the giblets), simmer for about 30-45min or until the meat comes off the neck.

Definitely do this. Homemade turkey stock is so easy, and so delicious. I usually put the neck and giblets in the fridge until after I've carved the turkey, and then I add the cut-up carcass to the stock pot too. It means that you have to skim off more fat before you parcel out the stock into containers to be frozen (because who is going to want a whole gallon of turkey stock at once?), but it does add more flavor.

Megabot

I chuck 'em too. bye bye heart, liver, kidneys, whatever the hell.