BUTTERBALL TURKEY TALK -LINE
It all began in 1981 when six home economists worked the phones that holiday season to answer 11,000 turkey-cooking questions. Since then, the Turkey Talk-Line has grown in both the number of calls answered and experts responding.
The Butterball Turkey Talk-Line staff have had their share of memorable calls – inquiries that stand out from the crowd because they’re heart-warming or amusing. We asked some of the veteran staff members to tell us their favorites; plus, we rounded up a bunch of our own personal favorites from the Talk -Line archives. it’s hard to beat the call from a trucker who planned to cook his Thanksgiving turkey on the engine of his truck: “Will it cook faster if I drive faster?”.
Below, some of these interesting questions.
– Home alone, a Kentucky woman was in the house when she called the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line. While preparing the turkey, her Chihuahua jumped into the bird’s body cavity and couldn’t get out. She tried pulling the dog and shaking the bird, but nothing worked. She and the dog became more and more distraught. After calming the woman down, the Talk-Line home economist suggested carefully cutting the opening in the cavity of the turkey wider. It worked and Fido was freed!
– Taking turkey preparation an extra step, a Virginian wondered, “How do you thaw a fresh turkey?”. The Talk-Line staffer explained that fresh turkeys aren’t frozen and don’t need to be thawed.
– Don’t wait until the last minute! On Thanksgiving Day, a Georgian woman took the “Be prepared” motto to heart. She had just agreed to host Thanksgiving Dinner and called the Talk-Line a year ahead of time for turkey tips.
– Thanksgiving Dinner on the run. A woman called 1-800… to find out how long it would take to roast her turkey. To answer the question, the Talk-Line home economist asked how much the bird weighed. The woman responded, “l don’t know, it’s still running around outside.”
– Tofu turkey? No matter how you slice it, Thanksgiving just isn’t Thanksgiving without turkey. A restaurant owner in California wanted to know how to roast a turkey for a vegetarian menu.
– White meat, anyone? A West Coast woman took turkey preparation to extremes by scrubbing her bird with bleach. Afterward, she called the Talk-Line to find out how to clean of the bleach. To her dismay, she was advised to dispose of the turkey.
– A young girl called on behalf of her mother who needed roasting advice. To provide approximate roasting times, the home economist asked what size the turkey was. Without asking her mother the little girl paused, then replied, “Medium.”
– A novice turkey-cooking chef wanted to know if the yellow netting and wrapper around the turkey should be removed before roasting. Envisioning a melted plastic turkey blob, the home economist responded, “Yes,” then offered complete roasting directions.
For turkey-related questions call 1-800-BUTTERBALL (1-800-288-8372) or text 844-877-3456.
