By EMILY BRYSON YORK
Chicago Tribune

The bottom line from my eight hours attending Butterball University: It’s pretty hard to foul up one of their turkeys.

Of course many cooks have managed to do just that, and some will accomplish that feat this holiday.

But the secret I learned at the university in Naperville, Ill., is this: Because Butterball injects its birds with a brining solution (mostly water and salt), the meat is likely to be juicier and more tender. Occasionally, the meat may taste saltier, but the brine also contributes to the distinct taste of Butterball’s turkeys.

About two weeks ago I attended Butterball University 101 for "freshmen," the prelude to Butterball’s mandatory annual refresher seminar for its Talk-Line experts, including its bloggers and those people who will work the phones and have less than three years’ experience. More-seasoned experts join in on day two, and then participate in the "advanced training session" on day three.

I attended the first day, run by two Talk-Line supervisors, and learned 11 ways to cook a turkey, including oven roasting, grilling, smoking and microwaving, which is the least popular method. Butterball teaches a microwaved preparation not just because it was the rage in the 1980s, but because it’s popular among college students and sometimes necessary if an oven breaks on Thanksgiving Day. It’s edible, I found out, thanks in large part to a browning solution.

Butterball’s preferred method is an oven-roasted turkey done in an open pan. The two turkeys prepared that way were the most camera-ready, but one was very salty.

DID YOU KNOW

Your turkey’s neck, giblets and heart didn’t belong to your turkey? They did, of course, belong to a turkey, and one of similar size. It would be too expensive and time-consuming to keep all the parts in the original birds, said Carol Miller, of Butterball University.

It doesn’t matter if you leave one or both giblet bags in your turkey before cooking? They’re oven-safe. The resulting overcooked parts may not be ideal for gravy, but they won’t affect your bird’s taste.

With a little effort, you have three hours to serve your turkey after it’s finished cooking? Cover it loosely with foil, and place it in a cooler that’s been lined with newspaper. Layer towels over the wrapped turkey and close. Now your oven can be used to bake casseroles or pies.

You don’t need to wash a Butterball turkey? In fact, Miller said, doing so could spread bacteria around the kitchen. Open your packaged turkey in a clean sink, prepare it for cooking, and then clean your sink.

- Emily Bryson York

FOCUS ON EATING AND LEAVE THE HOLIDAY MATH TO US

The Associated Press

Thanksgiving is stressful enough without also having to break out the calculator and suffer through math class flashbacks. So leave the calculating to us and use this holiday cheat sheet to make your life – and cooking – a little easier.

All serving estimates are generous to allow for plenty of seconds and leftovers.

How big?

For turkeys under 16 pounds, estimate 1 pound per serving (this accounts for bone weight). For larger birds, a bit less is fine; they have a higher meat-to-bone ratio. But if your goal is to have ample leftovers, aim for 11⁄2 pounds per person whatever the turkey’s size.

• For 8 people, buy a 12-pound turkey
• For 10 people, buy a 15-pound turkey
• For 12 people, buy an 18-pound turkey
• For 14 people, buy a 20-pound turkey

The brine

Never brine a turkey for more than about 8 to 10 hours. Much longer and the meat will be too salty. Always keep the bird refrigerated during brining. If the turkey is too big, an ice-filled cooler stored outside works, too.

The rest

The turkey should never go directly from the oven to the table. Like most meat, it needs to rest at least 20 minutes for the juices to redistribute.

The sides

• Carrots: A 1-pound bag makes 4 to 5 servings
• Cranberry sauce: A 12-ounce package of fresh cranberries makes about 2 1⁄4 cups of sauce; a 16-ounce can has 6 servings
• Green beans: 11⁄2 pounds makes 6 to 8 servings
• Mashed potatoes: A 5-pound bag of potatoes makes 10 to 12 servings
• Stuffing: A 14-ounce bag of stuffing makes about 11 servings

IN THE DIGITAL AGE, KITCHEN HELP JUST A TWEET AWAY

By MICHELLE LOCKE

The Associated Press

Need to talk turkey? Baffled by Brussels sprouts? Sure, you could go old school and call a 1-800 holiday helpline. But these days, cooks are finding inspiration, or salvation as the case may be, online.

From smart phone apps that put together your grocery lists to Twitter sessions that answer your pressing pumpkin questions, traditional sources of holiday help are transforming to meet the demands of a digital age.

"People are just going online more and more to get their Thanksgiving questions answered," says Angela Moore, vice president of FoodNetwork.com.

Food Network’s app

Traffic to that site’s Thanksgiving section has been growing annually and this month marked the launch of Food Network’s In The Kitchen app, which features 45,000 recipes from the network’s chefs, including monthly seasonal menus, which for November, naturally, will be Thanksgiving-centric.

The $1.99 app, available for iPhones, iPods and iPads, (www.foodnetwork.com/mobile) includes shopping lists that can be shared via e-mail, Facebook and Twitter, a unit converter for accurate measurements and timers that can be set in-recipe.

"Basically, it’s Thanksgiving at your fingertips," says Moore.

At Food & Wine magazine, editors are holding chats on Twitter and Facebook to give readers real-time help.

A Twitter session in early November was "the fastest two hours we have ever spent," says Dana Cowin, the magazine’s editor in chief.

Grace Parisi of the Food & Wine test kitchen will be sharing her tips on Thanksgiving prep, from recipes to managing crisis, each Monday on Twitter and Tuesdays on Facebook through Tuesday, Nov. 23. Wine editor, Megan Krigbaum, will discuss tips and strategies for the holidays on Nov. 17, via Twitter and Nov. 18 on Facebook.

Meanwhile, hot line stalwarts like Butterball, which has been saving cooks from making turkeys of themselves for 30 years, also are moving online.

Butterball experts are answering questions from now through the holidays on Facebook (facebook.com/butterball) and Twitter (twitter.com/butterball).

Martha Stewart’s hot line

Another twist on the holiday hot line comes from Martha Stewart, who has signed up 30 chefs and entertaining experts for shows that will run 30 hours over a three-day period, Nov. 22, 23 and 24 on Martha Stewart Living Radio, SIRIUS channel 112 and XM channel 157. The show airs 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET and replays beginning at 7 p.m. Listeners can call the hot line at (866) 675-6675 or e-mail questions to radio@marthastewart.com.

At the Food Network, Moore likes the idea of connecting to experts you know and trust, noting that FoodNetwork.com has solutions for last-minute disasters along with videos of chefs sharing personal stories of kitchen catastrophes.

"If you have a problem on Thanksgiving Day, you’re going to trust Paula Deen to fix that problem," says Moore.

We’re guessing the answer may very well include butter.

DON’T LET COOKING ACCIDENT SEND THANKSGIVING UP IN SMOKE

By BECKY YERAK

Chicago Tribune

Setting your house on fire is one sure way for your Thanksgiving to end up a turkey.

The State Farm insurance company says that in the past five years it has received more than 160 damage claims related to Thanksgiving cooking accidents. State Farm says more cooking fires occur on Thanksgiving than any other day and are more than double that of the average November day.

Frying, deep frying in particular, is more dangerous than other types of cooking, adds the National Fire Protection Association. State Farm lists common mistakes of using turkey fryers:

• Too much oil. When the turkey is lowered into an overfilled pot, the oil may spill, hit the burner and ignite. The owner’s manual lists the proper amount of oil to use.
• Fryer is too close to structures. Cook outdoors, away from flammables; maintain a safe distance from buildings and keep the fryer off anything wooden.
• Oil and water don’t mix. When ice comes into contact with hot oil, the water vaporizes, causing steam bubbles to pop and spray hot oil.

So don’t fry a frozen turkey or use ice or water to cool oil or extinguish an oil fire. Use an extinguisher approved for cooking or grease fires and call 911.