What is your favorite part of Thanksgiving? Someone at our hair salon in Strongsville said it’s the turkey. An unofficial poll at our Parma hair salon put pumpkin pie at the top of the list. Some of the stylists at our Cleveland hair salons look forward to seeing their families. Others look forward to not seeing them. And of course we have some folks who are looking forward to the football.
There are a lot of things associated with Thanksgiving that we all look forward to every year – cooking isn’t usually one of them.
Sure, there are lots of people who enjoy cooking, but cooking Thanksgiving dinner is different. There are so many expectations! You may not like sweet potatoes, but you’re probably going to have to serve them anyway. Most people prefer apple pie, but that doesn’t mean you can skip the pumpkin pie. And the green bean casserole has to be just the way your Aunt Jeannie always made it or you’ll never hear the end of it.
A Trusted Thanksgiving Tradition
Fortunately, when it comes to the centerpiece of your meal – the turkey – there is someone you can call for help. For more than 30 years, Butterball has been providing its Turkey Talk-Line, staffed by professionally trained turkey experts who are ready to answer just about any turkey-related question you might have.
It started in 1981 with six home economists who answered about 11,000 questions. These days, the hotline is staffed by more than 50 experts who will answer more than 100,000 questions by the time the holidays wrap up at the end of the year.
If you want to talk turkey, you can call 1-800-BUTTERBALL (1-800-288-8372), but you have options now. You can text your question to 844-877-3456, if you prefer. You can also connect to the Turkey Talk-Line via social media, live chat or Amazon Alexa!
Chill Out!
The volume of questions usually picks up around Nov. 17, which Butterball refers to as Thaw Day, because that’s when we should start thawing our frozen turkeys. But just because that’s when we should start, it doesn’t mean it’s when we do start. In fact, questions on how to thaw a turkey light up many of phone lines at Butterball, every year.
If you’re not sure how to thaw your bird, here are tips from their website:
How To Thaw a Turkey
Safely thawing your frozen turkey is one of the most important steps in your meal prep. Refrigerator thawing is preferred and the least labor-intensive but requires more time. Cold water thawing takes less time but requires more attention.
Regardless of which method you choose, never thaw a turkey at room temperature. If you’re running low on time, try a Fresh Whole Turkey—they’re just as delicious and require little prep.
Refrigerator Thawing
- Thaw breast side up, in an unopened wrapper on a tray in the fridge (40 degrees F or below).
- Allow at least 1 day of thawing for every 4 lbs.
- Keep turkey in original wrapper and place on tray.
- Use within 4 days after thawing.
Cold Water Thawing
- Thaw breast side down, in an unopened wrapper, with enough cold water to cover your turkey completely.
- Change water every 30 minutes and if turkey cannot be completely covered, rotate every 30 minutes to keep the turkey chilled.
- Estimate a minimum thawing time of 30 minutes per lb.
If you have more questions, call the Turkey Talk-Line at 1-800-BUTTERBALL.
Happy Thanksgiving from your friends at Illusion Unlimited’s hair salons in Parma, Broadview Heights and Strongsville, Ohio!