# What do you do with turkey giblets? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 13, 2010, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-turkey-giblets/553563 "2010-09-13T02:56:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-turkey-giblets/553563/1 "2010-09-13T02:56:52Z")
Mrs Piper and I roasted a turkey this weekend - no reason in particular, just that we felt like a turkey. As always, when I pulled the giblets out of its inner cavity, I thought to myself, “What do people do with giblets?” Piper Mom never used them for anything, as far as I can remember. So, turkey lovin’ Dopers, what do you do with giblets? I’ve heard that some use them for gravy? In the stuffing? If so, how? Or do you just toss them into the stock pot with the turkey carcass after the meal? Thanksgiving is in a month’s time (Canadian, that is), so any suggestions on how to expand my turkey cooking repertoire would be greatly appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-turkey-giblets/553563/2 "2010-09-13T03:00:51Z")
I used to simmer them, chop them up and put them in the stuffing, but now I give them to the cats and dog (the neck gets simmered and the meat pulled off for them, too.) ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-turkey-giblets/553563/3 "2010-09-13T03:08:00Z")
Generally speaking, giblets go in the freezer for later use. “Later use” generally happens when I get the parts from ten or more birds and involves one of three activities. 1 - seasoned cornmeal breading and deep frying for high calories snackage 2 - doggie treats when pet owning friends visit 3 - fish bait - leave the livers on your front porch for about three days before fishing and the catfish will jump into the boat to get them (almost) ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-turkey-giblets/553563/4 "2010-09-13T03:09:52Z")
My husband is crazy about liver, so I always fry up any livers that a turkey or chicken or duck might have, and give it to him. I simmer and chop up the giblets and neck, chop them up and the neck meat removed, and give them to the cats. I use the broth to make gravy, or, if I don’t make gravy and somehow survive the wrath of Bill, then I refrigerate the stock and use it when I boil up the bones for soup. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-turkey-giblets/553563/5 "2010-09-13T03:13:54Z")
My mom always uses them for the gravy. Take the giblets, along with a quartered onion and some chunks of carrots and celery, and simmer them in some water for a little while. Then add that to the drippings in the bottom of the pan. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-turkey-giblets/553563/6 "2010-09-13T03:24:53Z")
Put the neck and giblets in some water and simmer on the stove as the turkey cooks. When the turkey is near ready, chop up the giblets, and any meat that comes off the neck, and return to the stock, along with chopped onion, carrot, celery, and other seasonings you like. Toss the rest of the neck. There’s your base for gravy. I try to make the gravy in the turkey pan after draining the excess drippings, and deglazing with the stock. Or as Alpha Twit suggested, if you have enough, fry up a bucket of ‘lizards and gizzards’. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-turkey-giblets/553563/7 "2010-09-13T04:31:36Z")
Simmer them with veggies to make stock. Remove them, chop them and put them in the gravy roux. Use the stock for the gravy liquid. Or you could read the post above this one for the same information. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-turkey-giblets/553563/8 "2010-09-13T04:50:11Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Or you could read the post above this one for the same information. :smack: S’allright dude. As long the bag of giblets don’t turn up inside the turkey at carving time:D ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-turkey-giblets/553563/9 "2010-09-13T05:35:51Z")
I chop them up and add them to the stuffing. On the occasions when I fix turkey without stuffing, I add the giblets to soup, along with the carcass. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-turkey-giblets/553563/10 "2010-09-13T08:34:05Z")
You can add some celery, peppers, and onions and make dirty rice. ---
**Author:** ![Oly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oly/32/8255_2.png) [@Oly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oly)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-turkey-giblets/553563/11 "2010-09-13T12:51:52Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Put the neck and giblets in some water and simmer on the stove as the turkey cooks. When the turkey is near ready, chop up the giblets, and any meat that comes off the neck, and return to the stock, along with chopped onion, carrot, celery, and other seasonings you like. Toss the rest of the neck. There’s your base for gravy. I try to make the gravy in the turkey pan after draining the excess drippings, and deglazing with the stock. I do pretty much this, with the exception that I add the drippings, after deglazing the roasting pan, to the pot with the giblets, then blast it with my hand blender til smooth. If you get the proportions right (which I’ve never tried to figure out, but there seems to be a big margin of error as it almost always works), the gravy ends up at a really good consistency. No need to thicken with flour, etc. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-turkey-giblets/553563/12 "2010-09-13T13:04:11Z")
I throw them in a frying pan along with some butter, chopped celery, and chopped onion. Then I discard the giblets and turn the rest into stuffing. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-turkey-giblets/553563/13 "2010-09-13T13:06:01Z")
generally what everybody else does, neck, wing tips and innards get simmered into stock and used to boost gravy, and make an extra side casserole of stuffing [you can never have enough stuffing] Any body cavity fat gets pulled out and popped in the bottom of the roasting pan to render out so it gets into the basting and gravy liquid ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-turkey-giblets/553563/14 "2010-09-13T13:10:41Z")
Gravy. Neck and giblets (minus the kidneys) get tossed into a pot with spices and stuff to simmer while the turkey is cooking. Take them out at the end, add turkey juice from the pan, add some cream to make it smooooooth, and then pour all over everything. (I may be missing a step or two, I don’t have my recipe book handy) I am trying to muster up the courage to host Thanksgiving here for my in-laws. Canadian Thanksgiving at my place, then the American one at their place. Just because I’m in Maryland doesn’t mean I can’t have turkey in October! I’m nervous, though, because I’ve never done this before. I think I’ll need to get a hands free headset so I can have Mom talk me through it from Montreal! ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-turkey-giblets/553563/15 "2010-09-13T13:38:22Z")
I just visited the local turkey farm, as a matter of fact. I purchased 10 pounds of turkey livers for around eighty cents a pound. I bag up about three livers to a bag and freeze most of them. I toss a pound or so into boiling water and cook them. They are dog treats. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-turkey-giblets/553563/16 "2010-09-13T15:47:11Z")
> [@](#): > > Any body cavity fat gets pulled out and popped in the bottom of the roasting pan to render out so it gets into the basting and gravy liquid Dice that fat up with some herbs (especially rosemary and sage), loosen the skin on the breast, and slide the seasoned fat between the breast and the skin. This way, the breast is pretty much self basting, and it’s somewhat protected from overcooking. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-turkey-giblets/553563/17 "2010-09-13T15:59:53Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > Any body cavity fat gets pulled out and popped in the bottom of the roasting pan to render out so it gets into the basting and gravy liquid > > Dice that fat up with some herbs (especially rosemary and sage), loosen the skin on the breast, and slide the seasoned fat between the breast and the skin. This way, the breast is pretty much self basting, and it’s somewhat protected from overcooking. I usually saturate a piece of cheesecloth with oil and butter and lay over the breast, and tent it with foil, periodically basting it with drippings to keep it moist. Helps with the overcooking issue. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-turkey-giblets/553563/18 "2010-09-13T16:15:44Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > Any body cavity fat gets pulled out and popped in the bottom of the roasting pan to render out so it gets into the basting and gravy liquid > > Dice that fat up with some herbs (especially rosemary and sage), loosen the skin on the breast, and slide the seasoned fat between the breast and the skin. This way, the breast is pretty much self basting, and it’s somewhat protected from overcooking. Breast down first, then breast up, not an issue =) ---
**Author:** ![Surly\_Chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Surly\_Chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surly_Chick)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-turkey-giblets/553563/19 "2010-09-13T16:17:40Z")
Nuke 'em and feed them to the dog! ---
**Author:** ![redtail23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3e96dc/32.png) [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-turkey-giblets/553563/20 "2010-09-13T16:40:58Z")
Stock for the gravy, as above. I don’t add the giblets themselves to the gravy, although some do. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-do-with-turkey-giblets/553563.md?page=2)