
I do not recommend a serrated knife, or an electric carving knife, which tends to shred the meat. Ten inches is preferable. Whatever knife you pick, the sharper the better and you'll also want one that isn’t too thin or too thick. You can either use a carving knife or a chef’s knife that's at least 8 inches long. We’ve all seen the Norman Rockwell-esque images of a whole turkey being presented at the table, carved right in front of the seated guests. If you're not in a hurry, you have a lot of turkey carving confidence and loving family and friends, go for it.īecause it usually takes a lot of space, I prefer to carve in the kitchen. As the turkey is cut into smaller pieces, I usually move larger slices from the main cutting board to a smaller cutting board or platter, then return them to the larger cutting board for the final slicing after wiping down the board. After that, the turkey gets arranged on the clean serving platter with garnishes.Īll of this takes time and space and can be somewhat messy, so my advice is to take care of this in the kitchen while others carry other dishes to the table or the buffet.
#Smoked turkey rest time skin#
Otherwise, those juices would run out on the cutting board, leaving you with dry turkey. Turkey breast in particular loses its moisture when sliced too quickly.ĭon’t tent the turkey with foil as it rests, which can make the skin soggy. Letting the turkey sit uncovered preserves the crispness of the skin. Resting allows the turkey to re-absorb its juices before you slice it. Let it rest on the rack in the pan, or on a cutting board with a moat to catch the juices.


When you're planning your cooking and serving time, remember to account for at least a half-hour, and up to one hour, for the turkey to rest after you remove it from the oven. See more turkey recipes at How long to rest turkey before carving This turkey tutorial, edited for clarity, comes courtesy of the National Turkey Federation. Her advice? Don’t be intimidated, don’t rush and take it one step at a time. Katie Workman, the creator behind The Mom 100, put together a guide to walk you through this important job. Whether you’re Googling “how to carve a turkey” or need a quick refresher, we have the simple steps you need to know to make carving turkey easy work.
