From thanksgiving to any daily life occasion, turkey makes it joyful. But when it comes to processed turkey, we need to choose the best one. If your options are butterball and Kroger, you are going wisely.
Butterball and Kroger turkey both are good in quality. Some of the characteristics are also the same. But there are some differences which can get you in a dilemma. But we are here to help you the best between butterball and Kroger.
As Butterball vs Kroger both provide the best turkey, we need to compare their qualities. Let’s know.
Compare the brine ingredients, sizes, prices, and many more to come to a decision. Like butterball is higher in price than Kroger turkeys. But, butterball is a pro brand to process the turkey in various sizes. Kroger also has varieties of turkeys. But, butterball provides the big-sized turkeys.
Let’s get into a detailed comparison.
Butterball Vs Kroger: Differences
Both butterball and Kroger sell different sizes of turkeys and their parts. Also, butterball vs Kroger both are pre-based with some ingredients. But the ingredients and their percentages are not the same.
So, here we are providing a quick table where you will get to know the differences between Kroger and butterball turkeys.
| Features | Butterball | Kroger |
| Origin | 1940 | 1883 |
| Brined Or not | Yes | No |
| Pre Basted or not | Yes | Yes |
| Ingredients in pre basting | Water, salt, spices, natural flavor | Turkey broth, vinegar, salt, sugar, salt, sodium phosphate, pepper |
| Smallest size(whole turkey) | Approximately 10 lb | Approximately 6 lb |
| Biggest size(Whole turkey) | Approximately 32 lb | Approximately 22 lb |
| Price | Approximately 1.48 $/lb | Approximately 0.37$/lb |
Let’s know the characteristics of butterball vs Kroger in a brief discussion to pick the best one.
Origin
By knowing their origin, you will get to know their path. Also, you will get to know how people are choosing them over the years in the matter of buying turkeys.
Butterball
Butterball was founded in 1940 as a brand. Butterball provides many items but mainly turkey items like whole turkey, turkey cuts, etc.
Kroger
Kroger was founded in 1883 as a grocery store by Barney Kroger. Now Kroger is operating almost 2,757 stores over the world. So, Kroger not only sells their own packaged turkey but also other brands.
As butterball is mostly known for its packaged and fresh turkey, many people choose butterball turkey over Kroger. So, if the question is “what is the best brand of frozen turkey?”-Butterball will be the answer for many turkey lovers.
Brined or Not; Pre Basted Or Not
Brine makes the turkey moist and tender. But what if it is in a frozen turkey? Many people like pre-brined turkey and many want to brine it before cooking. You need to know which one is brined or not. Or they pre-basted.
Pre basted turkey means injected with brine or broth. Let’s know butterball vs Kroger which one is pre basted.
Butterball
Butterball turkeys are brined then frozen. So you do not need to brine it before cooking. From opening to putting it in your cooking pan or oven, no other steps are required.
As butterball turkeys are brined, we can easily say that it is pre basted also. The brine is injected from inside to outside to keep the turkey most full.
Kroger
Kroger turkeys are not brined but pre basted.
Kroger white turkeys are not brined or pre basted. So before cooking, you need to bring the Kroger white turkeys.
But the brown turkeys by Kroger are pre basted. So, you can step forward to cooking the Kroger brown turkeys without bringing them.
Pre Basting Ingredients
You know now that both butterball and Kroger are pre basted. Butterball is brined but Kroger is not. As both of them are pre basted, you need to know which ingredients make their pre-basting different.
Butterball
Butterball offers different pre-basting ingredients based on which type of turkey you are buying.
Generally, for the whole turkey, the pre basted ingredients are water, salt, spices, and natural flavor.
But for the boneless roast turkey, they use 20 solutions of water that contain salt, dextrose, natural flavor, modified food starch, and sodium phosphate.
So it depends on which type of turkey products you are buying.
Kroger
Kroger’s turkeys are pre basted with turkey broth, vinegar, salt, sugar, sodium phosphate, and pepper.
With All of these ingredients, a solution is made which contains 34 % turkey broth. This makes your turkey more flavorful.
So, you can see both Kroger and Butterball contain sodium phosphate. This is used for making your turkey more soft and tender.
Also, both have all the ingredients which make the turkey flavorful.
Now, which ingredients you like in pre-basting will help you to choose between butterball vs Kroger.
Variety in Sizes
Both butterball and Kroger turkeys come in various sizes. You will get Whole ground turkeys in butterball and Kroger both. We will try to tell you the variations of turkey sizes they provide.
Butterball
Mostly butterball sells the bigger size whole turkeys than other brands.
In the smallest turkey size in the butterball brand, you will get approximately 10 lb. Whereas the biggest size can be up to 32 lb.
Fresh vs frozen turkey whichever you like will get in the Butterball brand.
Also for snacks or main meals, Butterball sells various frozen items made with turkey meat.
They are
- Turkey roast and whole breasts
- Turkey cuts
- Ground turkey
- Turkey burgers and meatballs
- Turkey bacon
- Turkey sausages
- Turkey jerky
Kroger
Kroger also packages turkeys in various sizes.
The size of Kroger’s whole turkey remains approximately 6-22 lbs.
Besides the whole turkey, Kroger also sells some frozen turkey items like:
- Fresh ground turkey patties
- Smokey barbecue seasoned turkey breast fillet
- 85% lean fresh ground turkey
- Lean fresh ground turkey
- Fat free ground turkey breast
So, you know now both Kroger and butterball turkeys come in various sizes and ways.
But if you want the biggest size go for butterball turkeys.
Price
Here price is a notable difference.
Butterballs cost more than Kroger, so you need to think of your budget also.
So if the budget is slightly low then go to Kroger, otherwise, butterball is fine to buy.
Butterball
Butterball turkey cost 1.48$ per pound.
As butterball doesn’t compromise with the quality of turkey the price is also higher than many brands. Butterball serves you steroid free turkeys.
Kroger
Kroger is reasonable in price. The price of Kroger turkeys is not as high as a butterball.
Kroger demands 0.37$ approximately $0.37 per pound of turkey.
So, if your budget is not very much high then Kroger turkey will be the best for you. Also, their quality is quite good.
If budget is not an issue for you then butterball is fine to buy as they are traditionally selling turkeys.
Wrapping Up
You already know all the differences between butterball and Kroger turkeys.Also, know the difference in the size of turkeys they sell. And the price also.
So, if you want to buy a bigger turkey then butterball will be the best option.
On the other hand, if the price is an issue then go for Kroger.
Both Kroger and butterball sell the best quality turkeys.
But, Butterball sells turkey from the Butterball turkey farm. So, the price of the butterball turkeys is high compared to others.
FAQs
How Did Butterball Get Its Name?
Butterball provides turkeys that are big, broad breasts, plump, round in shape, and golden colored. So, they name their company ‘Butterball’ from the characteristics of the turkey they provide. Many people think there is butter in butterball’s turkey. But this is not true.
Who Owns The Butterball Turkey Company?
Maxwell farms and seaboard corporation own the Butterball turkey company. In Canada, the Butterball brand is owned by Exceldor Foods Ltd.Butterball is well known for selling the best quality of turkeys. They sell billions of turkeys over a year. Almost 5500 employees work here.
What Brand of Frozen Turkey is Best?
Butterball’s frozen turkey is the best. According to the Mashed poll result, butterball was the winner for selling the best quality frozen turkeys. Butterball turkeys are steroid-free. So, many people consider butterball as the best brand for a frozen turkey.
Conclusion
So, now it’s time to make a decision between Butterball vs Kroger turkey.
As you know all the facts about butterball and Kroger, it is easy to make a decision. If you want the bigger sized turkey then butterball is a good choice. But the price per pound will be high.
Whereas Kroger sells turkey at a lower price. If price is an issue then Kroger will be better for you.
