Ground Turkey

Our All Natural Coarse Ground Turkey is the perfect alternative to ground beef. It’s a low-fat, high-protein ingredient for all over your menu. But when it comes to burgers, ground turkey might be better suited for fast casual or family dining. It offers operators the ability to customize and innovate with additional ingredients and can lead to amazing signature burgers customers will crave.

White Meat Turkey Burgers

White meat turkey burgers are made primarily from wing meat and breast trim. They start out light tan, and become golden when grilled. They’re available in a variety of flavors from Savory to Mediterranean (pepper/garlic) and 4 or 5.33oz sizes. They have a basic clean flavor that will adapt to any recipe you’ve got ready. Best of all, they have an added benefit to operators of not needing much training to prepare, making them great for QSR and mobile food segments.

Dark Meat Turkey Burgers

Dark meat turkey burgers are made from drum or thigh meat. Prior to cooking, they’re a light pink color, but turn “beef” brown when grilled for a traditional burger appearance. Butterball features an All American Grill Turkey Burger that has a natural grill flavor. In fast casual and QSR, these are perfect for basic burgers or unique builds.

Premium Turkey Burgers

With our Premium Turkey Burgers, you’ll notice a hint of beef flavor, making it great for operations that traditionally menu beef burgers but want to add healthy offers. Butterball’s All Natural Burger has a hand-pattied appearance, making it great for high-end burger recipes or more upscale operations.

Want to see these burgers in action? Check out our Video Inspirations section and take a tour or view a recipe build.
]]> http://www.butterballfoodservice.com/finding-the-right-turkey-burger/feed/ 0 http://www.butterballfoodservice.com/turkey-on-the-apps-menu/ http://www.butterballfoodservice.com/turkey-on-the-apps-menu/#comments Tue, 09 Apr 2013 17:41:25 +0000 admin http://www.butterballfoodservice.com/?p=1142 With turkey burgers trending up, there’s room for more ground turkey all over your menu. At Butterball Foodservice, we’ve found that turkey burgers aren’t just for burgers in the center-of-plate, they can work hard on your appetizer menus, too.

Get Down with Ground
Ground turkey is perfect for designing your own flavor profile or making signature appetizer dishes. I’ve found turkey makes exotic flavors more accessible for the average consumer. Try making a “flight” of turkey burgers to menu as an appetizer, like our Three Philosophers Sliders that focus on bold flavors to get customers drooling.

Embrace the Patty
Turkey burger patties are an excellent way to save time back of house while offering differentiating appetizers. Lately, I’ve loved brioche buns to set apart distinctive flavors. Make sliders with cut turkey burger patties and special, on-trend ingredients. You can even crumble patties to use them in Korean tacos, lettuce wraps or egg rolls.

Want to see more ways we’ve designed to let your customers love more turkey? Check out our Recipes, E-Z Menu Ideas and Inspirations sections.

After I had been cooking for a couple years, I looked for opportunities to cook by myself. My mother was sick one year around her birthday, so I took on the task of baking her cake. From there I tackled cookies and other baked goods. Shortly after, I was making meatloaf, experimenting with my lunch sandwiches and itching to get into a kitchen, anywhere.

Growing up in Cincinnati, I had some behind-the-scenes access to the foodservice world selling sausages to restaurants. I got to meet a lot of industry professionals who confirmed my passion. While in college, I worked weekends for free in any restaurant that would give me a chance.

I eventually ended up at the Culinary Institute of America, where I studied for two years, as well as worked summers cooking with instructors. I gained a teaching fellowship, where I really found my culinary mission: to think, create and taste for the rest of my life.

Turkey now appears on 18 percent of all breakfast menus, up 8 percent from four years ago.* Midscale restaurants are leading the way when it comes to menuing turkey, where it is found on 30 percent of all breakfast menus.*

Though turkey has a broad appeal to a wide range of consumers, menu watchers say the big driver behind the recent growth is consumers’ increasing demand for healthier breakfasts. Nearly a third of all consumers are health conscious and want better-for-you breakfast foods that don’t skimp on flavor.** Many consumers are finding that turkey meat, which is naturally low in fat and a good source of folic acid, vitamins B, B1, B6 and potassium, is both good for them and good tasting.

The biggest growth in this breakfast protein has come from turkey bacon and turkey sausage, which increased menu penetration by 60 percent and 30 percent, respectively, compared to just four years ago.* In addition, turkey sausage and smoked turkey are among the fastest growing ingredients at the morning meal.*

For operators, turkey has a strong appeal because of its versatility. Turkey goes well in a variety of sandwiches and egg dishes, or all by itself as a side dish. Adding turkey is a simple way to appeal to those who want better-for-you fare. Turkey can be easily used as a substitute for traditional breakfast meats. And, new flavored turkey breakfast meats, such as smoked and maple, are creating more menuing options, making it easy for operators to add uniqueness to their morning menu.

Attract diners with a variety of breakfast offerings that incorporate turkey using these menu suggestions and inspiration from operators with successful breakfast menus:

• Add healthy options. Expand the menu to include better-for-you ingredients, such as turkey sausage or egg white options. Many chains are adding entire menus dedicated to better-for-you foods that prominently feature turkey. IHOP’s Simple & Fit menu features a Turkey Bacon Omelet, and Denny’s new Fit Fare Omelet, made with egg whites, spinach, mushrooms, pico de gallo and Cheddar cheese, is served with two slices of turkey bacon. Use terms such as “fresh,” “organic” or “local” to call attention to healthier dishes.
• Elevate eggs. Add sliced turkey for a twist on everyday breakfast sandwiches. Café Brazil in Dallas, Texas offers its Not Just Another Egg Sandwich, which features thinly sliced smoked turkey, egg, Cheddar and Jack cheese on an English muffin, served with fried sweet potatoes and a jalapeño pepper.
• Offer something new, with a side of familiar. Appeal to consumers’ need for what they know and their desire for something new by incorporating popular breakfast meats, such as turkey, ham or bacon, into non-traditional, less familiar dishes. For example, First Watch, a Florida-based breakfast and lunch concept, recently began offering a Turkey Chive Crepegg; a thin crepe layered with eggs, turkey, spinach, house-roasted onions and Monterey Jack, topped with diced tomatoes, chives and hollandaise and served with an English muffin. Consider adding familiar meats to other less-menued morning items, such as egg casseroles, savory pies or breakfast pizzas.

Great tasting, low in fat, high in vitamins and nutrients and extremely versatile, turkey isn’t just for Thanksgiving or lunchtime anymore. Turkey is the new breakfast meat.

* According to Datassential MenuTrends, which tracks items at more than 7,000 chain and independent restaurants.
** According to foodservice research and consulting firm Technomic.

Adjusting your menu based on the wants and needs of your students can pay off in profits. It’s easy to swap out a few popular items for healthier ones. Take your sandwich menu, for example. By replacing high-sodium lunchmeats with delicious, lower-sodium options from Butterball^®, you give students a better selection without much work or menu development.

Try substituting less healthy lunchmeats with one of these Butterball^® Foodservice Low Sodium products that don’t sacrifice taste or flavor.

• Roast & Serve, Petite Turkey Breast: Fully cooked skin-on turkey breast ready for the oven. Simply “Roast & Serve” in 45 minutes for perfectly seasoned, juicy, flavorful roasted turkey.
• Browned in Oil Low Sodium Turkey Breast: This “petite” roast delivers great turkey taste with less sodium. Its oil-browned appearance makes an impression in any application.
• Ready to Cook Turkey Breast Roast: Ready to cook, skin-on turkey breast roast. Perfect for adding sauces or rubs to create a signature offering.

We’ve taken our great-tasting breakfast sausage products that customers already love, and added a twist of maple to make them even better! The traditional sage and spices are enhanced with a sweet note that will make a great addition to your breakfast menu—or an easy way to expand it.

Sweeten up your customers’ day by swapping a traditional sausage link for a maple syrup one! And don’t stop there. Use new Maple Turkey Sausage Links and Patties in all kinds of great menu offers:

• Sweet Turkey Breakfast Sausage Omelet: Three-egg omelet stuffed with diced Maple Turkey Sausage Links, crisp hash browns and shredded cheddar cheese.
• Turkey In A Sleeping Bag: Grilled Maple Sausage Links wrapped in a large pancake, served with maple syrup.
• Breakfast Turkey Sausage Croissant: A warm croissant packed with orange chutney, Asiago cheese and Grilled Maple Breakfast Sausage.

Get full product information or other E-Z Menu Ideas.

Traditional items, including eggs, turkey bacon, breakfast sandwiches and omelets, are still morning menu favorites; however, ethnic items and flavors are a top trend on breakfast menus according to Datassential MenuTrends, which tracks more than one million items on menus at chains and independent restaurants.

Mexican cuisine has the most prevalent influence on a.m. menus, followed by Mediterranean. Breakfast burritos are the most popular and appear on a quarter of all breakfast menus. Burritos, huevos rancheros, chilaquiles and tacos have been the fastest growing breakfast items in the last four years. Chorizo, a Mexican sausage, is a fast growing ingredient, appearing on 10 percent more breakfast menus than just four years ago. Top Mediterranean items menued at breakfast include crêpes, quiche and frittatas.

While consumers want ethnic flavors, they don’t want Americanized ethnic fare. Research reveals that when buying ethnic fare, the majority of consumers say authentic or traditional flavors are important to them.

The growth in popularity of ethnic flavors and foods is largely due to Americans’ increased exposure to diverse cultures over the last two decades. Ethnic foods and ingredients—everything from chorizo to feta cheese to sushi—that were once exotic are now more mainstream. Mexican items are popular because the cuisine is so familiar to consumers. Mediterranean items are also growing in popularity due to their perceived health halo. Menu watchers predict that as consumers continue to be exposed to more diverse cultures, additional ethnic cuisines will begin to migrate to morning menus.

With the demand for ethnic fare on restaurant menus expected to continue to increase, operators who want to capitalize on the trend will need to spice up their morning menus. Some chains have seen success by offering consumers global good mornings:

• Go with tradition. An easy way to infuse ethnic flare is to menu an already popular authentic dish, like a Mexican-influenced breakfast burrito or taco. Among the chains currently menuing these items are Texas-based Steak n’ Shake, which recently started offering sausage, egg and cheese breakfast tacos; and coffee and donut giant Dunkin’ Donuts, which in late spring added a Southwest steak burrito and a Southwest veggie burrito to its menu. Burritos and tacos are great vehicles for ingredients that are already on the menu, such as eggs, turkey bacon, sliced pork and veggies.
• Spice up menu favorites. Some chains are swapping American cheese in their breakfast dishes for authentic ethnic varieties, such as feta, mozzarella or queso fresco; or topping their egg favorites with ethnic sauces such as pesto, salsa or pico de gallo. Mimi’s Café, a California-based bistro chain, offers a quatre fromages quiche with swiss, Brie, feta and Parmesan cheese; and the Daily Grill offers an egg white omelet with mushrooms and scallions, served with an avocado-tomato salsa. Give traditional proteins, such as turkey or ham, an ethnic twist by rubbing or marinating them with exotic spices, like chipotle or cumin.
• Explore up-and-coming cuisines. Mama Fu’s, a Pan-Asian fast casual chain, recently added a Vietnamese Banh Mi to its menu that has been a huge hit at lunch and dinner. The hero-style sandwich features pork, sausage, tofu, chicken or fried egg and is topped with cucumber slices, pickled, shredded carrots and daikon along with cilantro. Easily adapt this for a breakfast menu by using traditional breakfast proteins, such as bacon or sausage, and topping with a fried egg.
• Offer healthier options. Other operators are infusing better-for-you favorites, like turkey burgers, with Mediterranean flavors as a way to appeal to consumers looking for healthy, good-tasting fare. Newt’s Burger’s in South Carolina, for example, offers a Greek turkey burger with tzaziki sauce, lettuce, tomato and feta cheese served on a warm pita. Consumers’ desire for healthier fare can also be fulfilled by swapping pork and beef products in ethnic dishes with leaner meats, such as turkey bacon and sausage.

The opportunity here is clear: operators who menu the ethnic flavors consumers crave will find more and more consumers waking up to global good eats at their restaurants.

Try Butterball’s Sliced Turkey Medallions. These fully cooked, boneless, skinless, individually sliced turkey tenderloin medallions are full of roasted turkey flavor and whole muscle texture. They come ready-to-serve; so you get more time to create signature menu items while decreasing prep time, labor costs and waste.

Butterball’s Sliced Turkey Medallions are individually quick-frozen for better portion control. They’re conveniently packed in 2/5-pound bags. Plus, they were designed with you in mind—to be operator friendly and easy to use while creating inspired recipes.

Turkey Medallions can be used in a variety of applications including salads, wraps, subs, casseroles and pizza. For simple, back-of-house prep with front-of-house success, try Butterball’s Sliced Turkey Medallions in:

• Southwest Turkey Benedict: Grilled cheese quesadilla topped with grilled Turkey Medallions, poached eggs and topped with chipotle hollandaise.
• Spring Blossom Turkey Salad: Turkey Medallions served over fresh spinach topped with pears, candied walnuts, bleu cheese crumbles and drizzled with spiced apple vinaigrette.
• Sesame Turkey Kabob: Skewered Turkey Medallion slices layered with zucchini rounds, cherry tomato halves, red pepper squares and artichoke hearts, then marinated and grilled. Serve with rice pilaf and Tzatziki Sauce.

Learn more about our Sliced Turkey Medallions and other great products designed to leave your patrons loving turkey at butterballfoodservice.com.

According to market research firm Technomic’s 2011 Breakfast Trend Report, more than two-fifths of consumers surveyed strongly agree that they would be likely to purchase breakfast foods instead of lunch or dinner foods if full-service restaurants offered breakfast all day.

Though some full-service restaurant menus do feature breakfast items at lunch and dinner, there has been little growth in this area in recent years, according to Datassential, a supplier of foodservice insights.

The most common breakfast items that are also currently available on all-day, lunch and dinner menus are pancakes, omelets and chicken fried steak, according to Datassential MenuTrends, which tracks 1 million menu items at more than 7,000 chains and independents. Pancakes are offered on 8 percent of all-day, lunch and dinner menus. Omelets are offered on 7 percent, and chicken fried steak on 6 percent. Other common breakfast items offered on menus at non-breakfast times include crepes, ham and eggs, French toast, Huevos Rancheros, waffles and quiche.

Despite the lack of growth of breakfast items on restaurant menus at lunch and dinner, a few items are trending up, Datassential found. Breakfast burritos, chicken and waffles, and oatmeal all have been showing up more on menus during the last year, both at the morning meal and beyond.

Consumers’ interest in breakfast at lunch and dinner is likely tied to a growing interest in the morning meal, as well as a desire for comfort foods they are familiar with.

There is little data on exactly which consumers would order breakfast post-morning meals. However, adults over 50 have been the top contributors to growth of the morning meal in recent years; therefore, they may be more likely than most to order items such as egg sandwiches, pancakes and waffles at other dayparts.

Full-service operators can easily take advantage of consumers’ interest in breakfast fare by offering existing breakfast items all day or by adding new breakfast items and ingredients associated with the morning meal to lunch or dinner menus. Here are a few ways some successful operators have started to menu breakfast after noon:

• Put breakfast on pizza. Easily transform pizzas into breakfast pizzas by swapping traditional toppings for breakfast ingredients, such as eggs, ham or turkey sausage. One of the many brick-oven pizzas available for dinner at Dock Street Brewing Co., Philadelphia, PA, is A La Cocca, topped with crème fraiche, fontina, spinach and a fried egg. A Domino’s pizza franchise in Dayton, Ohio, offers a breakfast pizza, with scrambled eggs, cheese and a choice of any three additional toppings, all day.
• Serve a breakfast pairing. Take a popular dinner dish and pair it with a breakfast food—for example, the nostalgic pairing of chicken and waffles. Last November, Cheddar’s Casual Café began offering Cheddar’s Chicken & Waffles, Belgium waffles topped with a serving of hand-battered chicken tenders; IHOP recently added chicken and waffles to its all-day menu.
• Add a.m. flavors. Evoke the idea of breakfast by using classic ingredients that diners associate with the morning meal, such as maple syrup. For example, at Red Lobster, maple syrup makes an appearance, not drizzled on pancakes or waffles, but as a glaze atop proteins such as chicken, salmon and shrimp.
• Baconize dessert. Add pork or turkey bacon to dessert. For several years now, chefs at high-end restaurants have been experimenting with bacon desserts, including bacon-laced chocolates, cakes and brownies; diners have found it to be the perfect marriage of salty and sweet. Last year, Denny’s offered a bacon-filled promotional menu that featured the Maple Bacon Sundae, a concoction made of vanilla ice cream, maple-flavored syrup and diced hickory-smoked bacon.

Though the trend to all-day breakfast is in its infancy, it represents a huge opportunity—with limitless menu possibilities—for operators. With consumers saying they would order breakfast all day if offered, it’s clear that restaurants that do offer quality, unique breakfast foods and ingredients on their lunch and dinner menus will reap the benefits.