Butterball Turkey Talk-Line open to answer your last-minute Thanksgiving cooking questions
NEW YORK -- Making Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings can challenge any cook.
But if you have turkey troubles, help is just a phone call away.
We spoke with the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line for all the answers.
The hotline is open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday and 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday.
To brine or not to brine?
Tyler Lorenger with the talk-line told us Butterball turkeys come pre-basted, so brining isn't necessary.
"If consumers choose to brine them though, we just recommend cutting down the salt by 50% in their recipe," she explained.
Cooking whole or cut up?
Lorenger said the goal is to roast your turkey whole, but it can be spatchcocked or cut into pieces for a faster cook.
"Sometimes, we have people that call and they haven't estimated the time correctly, and we need to rapidly cook that turkey," she said.
Breast side up or down?
It can actually be dangerous to cook your turkey breast side down, because once it's fully cooked, you'll have to flip it over -- while it's hot and heavy.
"It's also going to not give this nice roasted appearance at the end, if your breast is cooked upside down," said Lorenger. "So we always say breast side up."
Hot and fast or low and slow?
Lorenger said Butterball's "tried and true method" is 325 degrees in the oven, and the cook time will depend on the size of the bird.
"You don't have to adjust the cooking times in the oven, you just have to simply prep your turkey, brush a little oil on it, a little bit of salt and pepper. If you choose to stuff it, you can. We do not recommend stuffing the turkey the night before, you want to stuff the turkey right before you put it in the oven," she said. "You do not need to open the oven to baste it. It's very simple."
How to achieve extra crispy skin?
While some may say butter, she had another suggestion.
"Butter does have milk fats in it, so if you do put it underneath the skin, it can be very flavorful, but it might cause some blistering and burning to the skin," said Lorenger. "So we normally recommend avocado oil or vegetable oil, because those are neutral oils with a relatively high smoke point. So you're going to get this nice golden brown coloring without the blistering of the skin or the burning."
Finally, how to know when it's done
Lorenger said a meat thermometer is going to be your best friend in the kitchen.
"It's the only true and safe way to check if your turkey is done. So you want to check the temperature in a few different areas," she said. "The breast, you want that to get to 170. The thigh meat you want to get to 180. And if you do stuff it, you need to make sure the stuffing in the center of the stuffing gets to 165."
You can reach the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line by calling 1-800-BUTTERBALL or texting 844-877-3456.
