Carving turkey

Firstly, don't feel obligated to carve tableside. Though it's an admirable tradition in many families, it's perfectly fine to carve the turkey in the kitchen and bring the arranged platter to the table. This especially holds true if you're a novice at carving.

The Tools

Use a carving knife or a chef's knife. The longer the knife, the better it will work, as a long, smooth slicing motion will make for better slices. We used a long carving knife with oval indentations along the blade to reduce friction.

Remove the drumsticks and thighs. Start by pulling a drumstick away from the turkey and using the knife to disconnect the thigh bone from the body. Set it aside to carve later, and remove the second drumstick.

Remove the wings in the same fashion to fully expose the breast for carving. The wings on farmed turkeys can contain very little meat, so they're often used mainly for presentation on the platter. You can also save them to make stock later.

To carve the turkey, make sure it's lying on its back, breast-side up. Begin with a long horizontal cut at the base of the breast. You might be able to feel where the breast meat ends and the bone begins - cut as close to that area as you can.

Begin slicing the breast from the top down, working at a slight angle to cut away from the carcass. The horizontal cut at the bottom provides a convenient stopping point, making it easy to finish each cut. Transfer slices to a warmed serving platter.

To carve a drumstick, hold one end and slice off one side. Lay it flat on the cutting board and continue carving. Slice each side, turning the drumstick a quarter turn until you've removed all the meat.

Place the thigh on the cutting board and begin slicing parallel to the thigh bone. Cut into even strips.

Arrange the rest of the turkey meat onto the warmed platter and serve.

More resources
Check out our Roast turkey collection for fantastic and foolproof roast turkey recipes, and read our Cooking turkey article for more tips and techniques.