Let's Talk Turkey: Got a Poultry Emergency? Call the Butterball Talk-Line

It’s November. Halloween is over and stores have Christmas decorations out in full force. Sandwiched in between those holidays is Thanksgiving, the day turkeys and many home cooks across America fear.

Roasting a turkey to succulent perfection can be daunting.

Enter the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line.

In its first year of operation back in 1981, the Turkey Talk-Line's six home economists fielded 11,000 phone calls. Last year, a team of 50 experts in Naperville, Ill., provided answers to more than 100,000 questions in November and December. According to Butterball.com, they've handled calls regarding everything from "how to cook for a whole firehouse, how to impress the in-laws, and how to serve international students their first American Thanksgiving dinner."

Here is a sampling of some of the more colorful calls the Hotline has received over the years:

Turkey Treasure … After discovering a turkey from 1969 in his dad’s freezer, an Alabama man called the Talk-Line to ask about the best way to cook the 30+-year-old bird.  Although the Talk-Line staffer recommended the open roasting-pan method to cook most turkeys, this time  she suggested that the first step was to purchase a fresher fowl!  This  same gentleman also had the top of his wedding cake and  a snowball from every snowstorm he'd experienced in Alabama in his freezer.

Third Time's a Charm … One caller was well versed at walking down  the aisle, but not so versed when it came to cooking her  Thanksgiving turkey.  The caller explained to Carol Miller, 20+-year  Talk-Line veteran, that Thanksgiving with her first husband was a bust since  she forgot to thaw the turkey.  She blundered Thanksgiving with her  second husband when the foil pan she was using bent and slipped out of  her hands, leaving the feast on the floor.  She was hoping the third time  would be the charm, so she called the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line to  make sure she was doing everything right.

Sun-Kissed Feast … Some holiday chefs take extreme measures to  please all guests.  A caller was e-mailed a photo featuring  a turkey with a “bikini look.”  As she was entertaining guests from the  Bahamas, she asked Mary Clingman, 20+-year veteran, how she could create  a tropical turkey.  Believe it or not, by using aluminum foil, Mary suggested a way to make theturkey look like a sun goddess!

State Bird … When a Talk-Line staffer asked a caller what state  her turkey was in – meaning how thawed was it – the caller responded with  “Florida.”

According to the company, the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line helps more than a million cooks in November alone through Butterball.com, Facebook,  Twitter and 1-800-BUTTERBALL.

Turkey Talk-Line: 1-800-BUTTERBALL (1-800-288-8372)
E-mail: talkline@butterball.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Butterball
Twitter: http://www.facebook.com/Butterball

Other lessons learned from the Talk-Line experts?

• It may sound like a good idea, but leaving your turkey outside  to keep it cold, even if it's below freezing, may not be the best idea. Neighborhood critters might be a planning a party of their own and  your turkey could be their guest of honor.
• Cleaning the turkey is easy: simply rinse it with cold water and  pat it dry with paper towels. Bad news for the caller who thought  cleaning the turkey with bleach would be safe and do the job, and to the  woman who scrubbed her turkey with a wire brush and was left with  shards of metal embedded in her turkey.
• More cooking fires occur on Thanksgiving than on any other day of  the year, and more and more fires can be attributed to deep frying  turkeys. Oil and water don't mix, so remember to thoroughly dry the  turkey inside and out to avoid any hot oil spattering when lowering it  into the oil. Placing a frozen or partially frozen turkey into the fryer  can cause a spillover and may result in a fire. Reduce this risk by  temporarily turning off the gas flame right before you lower the turkey  into the oil. Once the turkey is safely in the fryer, turn the flame back on.