How to Properly Carve a Turkey
December 7, 2012
•Emily Murray
•Chicago
• 0 Comments
How to Properly Carve a Turkey
There are few things in life that bring as much pressure as getting handed the knife at Thanksgiving and carving the turkey. It’s like a crossing over into adulthood – it’s a rite of passage. The whole meal is riding on a perfectly carved turkey. So, how do you do it? With these four simple tips your carving will be the talk of the table.
Step 1: Tackle the Drumstick
To start, you’ll want to separate the legs from each other. With your knife cut the small band of skin or string that is holding them together. Next, grab the drumstick and place your knife between the thigh and the body of your turkey, cut through the skin to the joint. Remove the entire drumstick by pulling out and back; use your knife to disjoint the drumstick. Proceed to take off the leg. Repeat this step for the other leg. You can set that legs aside and cut later.
Step 2: Cutting the Wings
Stick a fork in the upper wing to steady the Turkey. Next, you’ll want to cut a long horizontal cut just above the wing joint. Then proceed to disjoint the wing. This cut will serve as a nice guide and make cutting the breast much easier.
Step 3: Carving the Breast
Beginning halfway up the breast, make a nice long even stroke straight down with your knife. When your knife reaches your previous cut above the wing bone, the slice of breast meat should just fall off.
Step 4: Finishing the Carving
Now that your initial cut has been made you can finish off cutting the breast meat. Use your own judgment (or your audiences’) on how thick to each slice should be, then proceed to move up the breast and slice each piece with a long smooth stroke straight down.
It’s really not rocket science, but in some families carving the turkey at Thanksgiving is an honor. Stories are told and passed down from generation to generation about magnificent comparisons. With the steps above you’ll be able to grow into the legendary turkey carvers of your family.
This article is presented by Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Chicago. Le Cordon Bleu College of
Culinary Arts in Chicago offers culinary arts and pâtisserie and baking training. To
learn more about the class offerings, please visit Chefs.edu/Chicago for more information.
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