If the notion of carving a holiday turkey fills you with trepidation, sharpen your carving knife and follow these easy steps.

 

Turkey carving 101–Someone’s going to have to carve the turkey in your house. It’s either a job you love and look forward to or try to pass on to someone else. For those of you who think you can’t carve a turkey, we’ve put together this primer on turkey carving.

 

It’s important to have a very sharp knife on hand for carving. Keep a sharpening steel close at hand in case you find that you have to give your knife a quick pass on the sharpening steel in between cuts. Make sure you also keep a warm platter that’s ready to accept the carved meat.

 

 

 

1. When the turkey is roasted, remove it from the oven and allow it to rest for about 20 minutes before carving. Roasting allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, preventing a sudden gush of juices upon carving.

2. Using two large serving forks, carefully transfer the turkey to a carving board. Remove the trussing string by untying the bow or cutting through the string with a pair of scissors.

3. Using the tip of a carving knife, find the drumstick joint and cut through the joint. Transfer the drumstick to the serving platter. Repeat with the other drumstick. Remove stuffing from the neck cavity of the turkey, if it has been stuffed.

4. Slice the breast meat thinly from one side of the breast, starting from the neck end, trying to retain some of the skin on each slice. Then slice the meat from the other side of the breast. Depending on how large your party is, it’s a good idea not to carve off more white meat than you will be using. The white meat has a tendency to dry out, but it will remain moist if it is left uncarved on the turkey.

5. Using the point of the carving knife to cut through the joint, remove both thighs from the turkey, keeping the skin in place. Remove each wing from the turkey using the same method and transfer the wings to the platter.

6. Transfer any remaining stuffing from the body cavity of the turkey to a serving bowl or a heated platter.

 

Remember to promptly refrigerate any leftovers. Leftover turkey meat is great when used in sandwiches or in homemade turkey salad the day after Thanksgiving. Sliced meat can also be packed, in resealable freezer bags, and frozen for up to one month.

 

With these carving steps at your fingertips, you’ll be the carving master in your household.