Could you help settle this turkey question?

[Diddlysquatty]

My sister is avoiding dairy completely because of her 6mo having a suspected allergy.

I always smear the turkey in butter before cooking and obviously baste in the juices

I’d rather not do it with oil or margarine instead, if possible.

I think I could leave a bit free of butter and when you baste with the juices, it doesn’t actually go through to the breast.
So if she had a bit of turkey breast under the skin, it wouldn’t actually have any traces of butter in it because the skin protects it.
She thinks the juices during basting do soak through the skin and permeate the meat.

What do you think?

For the veg, do it without but put the butter out separately so that those who can have it can help themselves. For the turkey, don’t use butter, as mentioned above try goose/duck fat if you can get it, margarine would be horrible and butter’s just not worth the effect it would have on the little one.

Look up alternatives online, I found this one: www.ehow.com/how_2323674_baste-turkey-butter.html

Even traces via breast milk can cause a reaction in a baby with milk protein allergy (which is what you have described). It can take days for it to clear their system and it's quite unpleasant. I'd adjust what I was making or prepare something extra to be nice OP.

Goose fat as others have mentioned, or you can use Flora (but check the ingredients as some of them now contain buttermilk).

Ok thank you for the info everyone, I don’t mind making the adjustments if it is necessary just wasn’t sure.
I think she feels wrong having chicken but found all the single turkey portions to be basted with butter.
Doubt our big one is as it’s direct from a farm but will check
Not sure if portioning off a bit of breast would work, it’s a crown. Will google about using goose fat perhaps or if not go with the chicken breast idea

Just had a quick Google after pp suggested goose or duck fat. There's plenty of roast turkey recipes using them. (Very interested as I can't eat dairy either and usually just use oil). Looks like goose fat is v traditional for Christmas and there's Thanksgiving recipes with duck fat so either should be fine.

Use bacon if needed and no butter - a lattice of bacon on it will effectively lard the bird. I have to say I don't bother with butter on my turkey; just bacon if needed.

Another vote for goose fat, if you can lay your hands on it.

As a mother to a DS with a severe dairy allergy (he is Anaphylactic) it's posts like this -and the replies they get- that make me shudder.
If her DC has a dairy allergy, they should not be exposed to even the smallest trace of dairy.
Do you really need your turkey buttered that much that you would risk causing your nephew to be ill?!
If I had even a small amount of dairy by mistake when breastfeeding my poor son would be violently sick, have diarrhoea, blood in his stool and an eczema flare.

Think of it this way: If you were told he had a peanut allergy and was reacting through breastmilk, would you put peanuts in the dessert?

Your poor sister probably has enough to deal with if her baby hasn't been that well; let her enjoy her Xmas dinner without worrying she is going to make her baby sick. Even suggesting to her you use the butter is probably causing her to feel like an inconvenience and making her anxious.

Yes, my reply is perhaps a bit overboard but I am sick to death of the texts and calls I've had in the last few days from family asking if they can bring 'this' or 'that' dairy containing product to our dairy free home for the Christmas meal. Guess what, we go without dairy 365 days a year, you can manage one!

Ah, just read some of the later replies and the OP's update.
All sensible advice!

Hope your turkey is delish OP; we are doing goose this year. Yum!

The bacon idea is a good one. At one time I only used bacon, didn't put butter on at all. Plus all the lovely crispy bits of bacon as a perk.

Erm bacon all the way, it’s the law. No butter required.

Sorry, slight derail - multiple allergy parents - did you find people failed to grasp that you can be allergic to more than one thing? Ds was dairy, egg, soya, gluten. One time someone proudly bought along a custard tart and proudly told me it was gluten free so ok to eat. firstly, DS didn't react to gluten in breast milk due to it's catabolism. And secondly... Eggs? Dairy? She was really upset and confused when I said he still couldn't eat the eggy, milky, gluten free tart. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Take the bacon off for the last half hour to allow turkey to brown.

@DreamingInColours

Are you always this helpful to people asking valid questions?

Your reply was definitely overboard to a question asked in the spirit of doing the right thing by her sister. Perhaps you should step away before giving any more ‘helpful’ advice.

@Diddlysquatty

I think the prob with vegan butter is that lots of it has soya in which is also a problem

Well, that and it’s made with loads of junk ingredients!

Def use bacon. I criss cross my whole bird in bacon before i start roasting it. It turns it into a self basting bird. Then you whip it off 30 mins before the end and the skin browns up beautifully

@saltinesandcoffeecups

Just trying to emphasise that it isn't something that should be taken lightly.
The view that many hold is 'a little probably won't hurt' and that can actually be a dangerous view when it comes to food allergies.
I did openly admit my reply was OTT.
I'll continue to voice my opinion on threads how I see fit, just like everyone else here, ta very much.

You could baste the bird with dairy free stock to keep the meat moist, no need for your Sis to have a separate chicken portion then.

Cumberland curl instead?

@AdaColeman

You could baste the bird with dairy free stock to keep the meat moist, no need for your Sis to have a separate chicken portion then.

Yep, this! Allergen-free stock for basting throughout cooking and you can also use goose fat where you would use butter on the turkey (don't recommend using it on the veg though )

You could also try brining your turkey before cooking! Another nice way to add flavour and keep it moist without using butter.

I’d definitely go with fat instead of butter. And am now staring at the turkey crown we have thinking about slathering it in goose fat...

With the veg maybe put the butter on the table and people can help themselves. That said veg is never steaming hot by the time it gets on plates but if anyone complains I would give them a big eye roll especially when you have gravy with a meal.

The butter will soak through, that's why it makes the Turkey delicious! If it didn't change the meat, there wouldn't be much point in adding it!
Could you cover it in bacon instead? That would do the same job as butter (providing a source of fat to make the meat lovely and not-dry). And a nice flavour too.

As someone who has food allergies, please don't lie to her and pretend there's no butter on it if there is.
People like you are my nightmare.....

I don’t know if you use them but gravy granules can also have dairy in them

My brother is allergic to dairy, when he was little (under 1) I cooked a chicken and accidentally roasted it sat in gravy that had milk in it.

Within minutes of eating it his face was bright red and he was rubbing like crazy at his eyes.

Goose fat, melted together with maple syrup to baste.