"Oh that's such a beautiful bird!" That's what my Great Grandmother Alice would say as Grandpa Bob would prepare to slice it for us at The Appleby's Thanksgivings many years ago. The credit goes to Grandma Peg for cooking the turkey. And I'm fairly certain that she never needed to call a toll-free helpline for advice even if there had been one to call in the 1970's.
Grandma had her routine as I'm sure many of you do. Kelly and I still read the instructions, use the plastic roasting bag so the turkey retains moisture and we have a good meat thermometer to make sure it gets cooked to the proper temp. Oh we've had our mishaps and depending on who you ask, Kelly or I, we may or may not have forgotten to take the giblets bag or the neck out , before cooking. I seem to recall a time or two we had to accelerate the thawing process by running water over the turkey. But we survived and so did our guests
First time cooking a turkey or fiftieth time , the bottom line is don't stress. It's always good to know that there's someone on the other end of the line who can give you some good advice. Butterball has you covered. Butterball has a turkey talk line. Just call 1-800-BUTTERBALL (288-8372) -- where you can get answers to all your turkey cooking questions. Experts are noticing that smaller size gatherings this year are leading to more first-time cooks. Nicole Johnson, an expert who has been taking calls for Butterball for almost 20 years says she's getting a lot more questions about "what size [turkey] should I purchase, and should I buy fresh or frozen.” Johnson suggests you should allow for two pounds per person. That may sound like a lot but that makes for a decent supply of leftovers.