Turkey shapes

[Barmaid]

My step son has a fairly limited diet (despite my best efforts at disguising various foods). His current favourite is "Turkey dinosaurs". Unfortunately, I read on the back what was in these things and won't give them freezer space in future.

So how do I make my own? I've managed to make myself some bright orange breadcrumbs. I've stripped a couple of turkey legs and am about to mince the meat (also making sausages). How do I get the turkey meat firm enough to use my dinosaur cutters? Should I add anything to it? Should I freeze them before I coat them in the breadcrumbs? Ideas, please.

[mccfluffy]

Maybe same as meatballs use egg and breadcrums then chill it to firm it up a bit before you cut it

[maggiebee]

Haven't made anything like this but maybe try breadcrumbs and beaten egg to bind the lot together. I would coat before freezing. Good luck.

[LoftyLottie]

I commend you for your efforts barmaid. I don't blame you for giving up on the ones you buy. My OH worked at Bernard Matthews for a short time. Noone would buy any processed turkey products if they had ever witnessed what goes on.

All I can suggest is that you mix the minced turkey with white breadcrumbs and a little egg until it gets stiff enough to cut into the shapes. I would also season and add minced onion, if that would go down OK with the boy.

(I suppose you could also mix with oats or cooked rice or mashed potato)

I absolutely hate turkey!!!

[tonyav]

I never eat turkey, exept on Christmas day and then it has to be from the breast can't stand the Red turkey meat.

[pastafreak]

Could you treat the cutters as if they were moulds...
oil lightly-then press the mixture in,tap to release onto baking parchment-then dust with the breadcrumbs.
I've found that a bit of cornflour added to mince seems to help to bind-and the meat is not so 'bitty'-for want of a better word.

[TheOtherHalf]

I make my own turkey burgers with fresh turkey mince, a little bit of onion and bind with an egg and shape. I dont coat them in breadcrumbs but just grill them as they are. Delicious.

[Barmaid]

SOme good ideas there, thanks. Definitely a beaten egg will go in (I have a truck load of eggs!). I'll never get away with onions though. Hadn't thought of oats or mash (rice, for some reason doesn't agree with him) so that might be an idea. Hadn't tried the cornflour trick so thats an option too. I am going to go and get mucky in the kitchen now!!!!!

I'm dead chuffed with my orange breadcrumbs though. I think it was Woofgang who suggested I put the colouring in the bread dough. Worked a treat.

[rockyracoon]

I did this a few years ago for my kids, I tried to mimic chicken nuggets, easier than dinosaurs! They were absolutely delicious, kids wouldn't eat them mind but I did, mine obviously didn't contain the required E numbers to feed the kids addiction. I take my hat off to you, dying bread and all. Good luck.

[woofgang]

I am glad that the bread dough worked. My next suggestion is pretty disgusting but it works. You need a food processor or the lind of stick blender that will process stuff. What you do is what the commercial folk do and process the meat down to a pulp. It goes very puttyish and if you chill it, you can roll it out in oiled cling film and cut it with an oiled cutter. treat it gently and chill again before egg and crumbing.
This has the additional benefit of giving you that genuine MRM pulp texture (yuck lol)