On Sat, 19 Nov 2005, alan wrote:

> Waldbaums, our supermarket, has turkeys in sale if you spend $25. The
> Toms are 29 cents a pound and the Hens are 39 cents. Price wars are
> great!.
>
> We had the Tom last week and it's still on sale. It was pretty good
> after a short 1 hour brining. I used Alton Brown's 500% for the first
> 1/2 hour and the rest at 350.
>
> What is the difference in taste between a Tom and a Hen and is there
> any difference in the size of the breast in the Hen?
>
>
> Also, the same supermarket is selling choice Rib Roast (Middle Cut)
> for $3.99 a pound. We were going to make brisket and turkey for
> thanksgiving but we now we're thinking about Turkey and Rib Roast,
> although brisket can be made the day before.
>
> Anyway, what is the middle cut like?
>


Most of the Thanksgiving turkeys are young Toms. The reason being that
female turkeys are kept for breeding. One Tom can service a flock of
hens, so Toms get the axe. The same is true for most of the meats we eat.

If the turkeys are the same age, then there should not be a lot of
difference. The Toms will probably be bigger for their age and have more
meat on their bones. Hens, generally, have a higher fat ratio. If there is
an age difference (young tom, old hen) the hen will be tougher and
more stringy.

There are less hens available, so, often, they are priced higher.
When hens are on the market, it can be because there was a bumper crop of
hens or older, non-laying, or no-longer-laying hens are being culled from
the crop.

Elaine, too