The Kitchen Novice

How to Carve a Turkey

Posted on Oct 14, 2009 under How to Cook

With the holidays coming up many of you have asked how to carve a turkey. The first thing you should know is the internal structure of the bird. It is really not too difficult to carve a solid mass of lean meat.

It is the bones, tough gristle, and tendons, that interfere with the
easy progress of the knife. To expect any one to carve well without any
conception of the internal structure of what may be placed before him is
ridiculous.

Some idea of the relative position of bones, joints, fat, and muscles, is the first requirement to good carving. After that it is simply a matter of practice to become thoroughly skilled at carving a turkey. The best way to learn about carving poultry is practice before the big day. Get a turkey and chop it up as if you were making a stew. In this way you will learn the different parts and know the easiest areas to cut before hand.

Strength is not required, so much as
neatness and care. A firm, steady hand, a cool, collected manner, and
confidence in one’s ability will help greatly.

One must learn first of all to carve neatly, without scattering crumbs
or splashing gravy over the cloth or platter; also to cut straight,
uniform slices. Be careful to
divide the material in such a manner that each person may be served
equally well.

Lay each portion on the plate with the browned or best
side up. Keep it compact, not mussy; and serve a good portion of meat,
not a bone with hardly any meat on it. After all are served, the portion
on the platter should not be left jagged, rough, and sprawling, but
should look inviting enough to tempt one to desire a second portion.

Do not make your first attempt in the art of carving at a family dinner. As I said, practice is required. You want it to look flawless and easy when you are carving the bird in front of guests.

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