T U R K E Y R O A ST IN G GU ID E
Carve and Serve
CA RVIN G BASICS
Start with a sharp knife and a cutting board with a groove to capture juices.
BREAST
Steady the
bird with a carving fork and cut
horizontally into the breast just
above the wing. Remove the
entire breast by cutting from
the top of the bird down to the
horizontal cut, using the breast
bone as a guide for your knife.
FIN ISH IN G TOUCH
Put the breast on a cutting
board and slice meat in even
pieces. Carve the thigh and
drumstick in slices, if desired.
Arrange turkey slices on a
serving platter.
DRUM STICK
Hold end
of drumstick and cut through
meat between thigh and body.
Pull drumstick away from body,
and remove by cutting through
joint where thigh connects to
body. Separate thigh from
drumstick by cutting through
joints that hold them together.
198
NOVEMBER 2008 BETTER HOMES AfJD GARDEI
Neat rows of
sliced turkey,
artfully
arranged, sets
up your bird
as the luscious
star of the
table. Keep
the platter
decoration
simple; perch
a bowl of
roasted fruit
or herbs to
one side and
call it done.
T IPS FOR
BETTER
CARVING
■ Give it a rest
W h e n y o u take the
tu rke y out o f the
oven, tent it w ith
foil an d let it stand
fo r 15 to 2 0 m inutes
before carving. T h is
allow s the juices to
be a b so rb e d into
the m eat, m a kin g
fo r juicier turkey.
■ Stay safe
To keep y o u r cutting
board fro m slip p ing
w hile carving, place
a d am p e ne d paper
tow el o r thin
kitchen tow el
u n d e r th e board.
U se a cutting b oard
w ith g ro o v e s to
catch juices.
■ Sharpen
your knife
A sh a rp knife is a
m ust. You can tell if
y o u r knife is sh a rp
b y u sin g it to cut
paper. It sh o u ld
slice, not tear the
paper. If it’s not
sharp, use a
sh a rp e n e r to
p rod uce an edge
that’s better than
the alternative.
■ Saw, don’t rip
C arve w ith long,
light strokes.
B e arin g d o w n
w ill sh re d m eat
rather than
cutting it cleanly.
