Carving A Turkey

Cooking a Turkey on Thanksgiving is a very old tradition and around 95% of the population of United States and Canada follow this tradition every year. The sight of a roasted bird on a platter is surely amazing but it can be ruined if a Turkey is not carved properly.

If you don’t want your turkey to be ripped into pieces by your guests then it is better to carve it and arrange the carved pieces on a platter.

Carving a Turkey is an art, which can be mastered by anyone if they carefully follow, the below mentioned steps:

1.Make sure that the Turkey is neither undercooked nor overcooked

You need to cook the turkey properly as it is very difficult to carve an undercooked turkey while overcooked turkey crumbles while carving. After the turkey is cooked properly, take it out of the oven and wait for about 25-30 minutes before you start carving the bird.

2.Take a 10 inch long sharp knife and start with the legs

Tools are as important as the skill when it comes to Carving a Turkey. If you have a stuffed turkey then make sure, you remove the stuffing before carving. Use a long knife to locate a joint, which connects to the leg, and then slice firmly through the joint in order to remove the leg. Separate the thigh from the drumsticks. Many people prefer to have the drumsticks as it is and some prefer to carve them. If you wish to carve the drumsticks, then don’t cut very thin slices out of them. Now take the thigh and slice the pieces parallel to the bone.

3.Cut the wings before you reach for the breast

Before cutting the breast, you should carefully remove the wings. Removing wings is quite easy; just locate the joint that connects wings to the turkey and then cut through that joint.

4.Carve the Breast

There are several ways to carve the breast but traditional method and professional method are the ones that are most widely used.

Carving a Turkey Breast

The Traditional method is quite simply where you can cut only one piece at a time while the Professional method requires perfection as you need to cut the entire breast from the turkey first, and then you can slice it as per your guest requirements.

The problem with the traditional method is that the meat can dry out quickly but the juiciness of the meat is not affected in professional method.

In Traditional method, you need to hold the turkey with a fork and then start slicing the meat using a knife. While slicing the meat just make sure that slices are even on both the ends.

If you want to use the professional method, then make a cut on any side of the breast; then start peeling the meat from the bone while cutting. Once you have peeled the meat from one breast follow the same procedure for the other one. Once the breast has been seperated from the rest of the turkey simply cut the breast into fine slices and arrange them neatly on the platter.

Just follow these steps properly when carving a turkey to be the best Turkey carver in your family.