MUNDANE MYSTERIES: We Eat Chicken Eggs…Why Not Turkey Eggs?

MUNDANE MYSTERIES: We Eat Chicken Eggs…Why Not Turkey Eggs?

When you think Thanksgiving, you usually think…turkey. Turkey is the 4th favorite meat in America, while chicken is #1. We eat both chicken meat AND chicken eggs, right? So why don’t we eat Turkey eggs? Why are turkey eggs never available at grocery stores or specialty markets? It really doesn’t have anything to do with…

MUNDANE MYSTERIES: Does Turkey Really Make You Sleepy?

MUNDANE MYSTERIES: Does Turkey Really Make You Sleepy?

Hopefully you had a big, delicious Thanksgiving this year! But did you have a hard time staying awake after lunch? Most people did, and almost everyone blames tryptophan. But is tryptophan really the main culprit? What even is tryptophan, anyway? Tryptophan is an amino acid that our bodies use to help make both vitamin B3…

MUNDANE MYSTERIES: Talkin’ Turkey

MUNDANE MYSTERIES: Talkin’ Turkey

With Thanksgiving less than a week away, I felt it would be helpful to answer a few “Mundane Mysteries” about preparing your turkey for the big day. With a little help from the good folks at Butterball, who handle tens of thousands of calls to its Thanksgiving hotline every year, here are the answers to…

MUNDANE MYSTERIES: Does Turkey Really Make You Sleepy?

MUNDANE MYSTERIES: Does Turkey Really Make You Sleepy?

You’ve probably wondered, as you struggled to keep your eyes open amidst all the Thanksgiving Day football & family chatter, “is it the turkey that’s making me sleepy”? Here’s the chemistry involved: turkey contains L-Tryptophan, an amino acid involved in sleep; your body uses that to produce a B vitamin called niacin, which generates the…

MUNDANE MYSTERIES: Why Put Paper Chef’s Hats On Turkey Legs?

MUNDANE MYSTERIES: Why Put Paper Chef’s Hats On Turkey Legs?

Sometimes, you feel like wearing a chef’s hat while you cook Thanksgiving dinner, and that’s okay. But placing a tiny chef’s hat on the end of each turkey leg could be considered taking the holiday cheer a bit too far. Why do we always see that, though, especially in movies & cartoons? Over the years,…

MUNDANE MYSTERIES: Is There A Difference Between Stuffing & Dressing?

MUNDANE MYSTERIES: Is There A Difference Between Stuffing & Dressing?

If you’re a carb lover like me, nothing completes a Thanksgiving meal quite like dressing…boatloads of bread, celery, and other ingredients & spices to complement that beautiful bird protein. Some people don’t call it dressing, though…they say stuffing. In these unprecedented times, knowing how to properly refer to that magnificent mound of moist bread seems…