Need help? Call or click

By Times staff and wire reports
© St. Petersburg Times
published November 24, 2002

[Times files]

With the possible exception of its parentage, we daresay there's nothing you could possibly want to know about a turkey that you can't find on the Internet. Roasting, frying, smoking, deboning, stuffing and carving, as well as accompaniments, leftovers, safety tips and much more, are covered extensively by innumerable cooking and culinary Web sites that do the big bird up in style.

If you are a turkey novice, you can find lots of tips and advice, and if you are an old hand, there are plenty of new ideas and inspirations to peruse.

Cook's Illustrated (www.turkeyhelp.com): Easily accessible info, including such things as how to brine, truss and baste; the importance of letting the turkey "rest" after roasting; how to keep the breast meat from drying out; and lots more.

National Turkey Federation (www.eatturkey.com): For this group, it's Thanksgiving year-round.

Butterball (www.butterball.com): Get the answers to the 10 most frequently asked questions about turkey.

About.com (www.southernfood.about.com/library/
holiday/blthanks.htm): The Southern foods area on About.com offers all the traditional recipes you could want for a Thanksgiving feast, plus important safety information about defrosting, handling, stuffing, meat thermometers and how to feed a crowd.

National Potato Promotion Board (www.potatohelp.com): Who better to tell you how to prepare creamy, fluffy and buttery mashed potatoes?

Ocean Spray (www.oceanspray.com): Recipes for Tex Mex Cranberry Salsa and Cranberry Pumpkin Cheesecake With Cranberry Caramel Topping, plus traditional sauce.

Land O'Lakes (www.landolakes.com): A complete resource for holiday baking: live help, tips, recipes.

Human help

Call these toll-free numbers for one-on-one advice from experts.

Butterball Turkey Talk-Line: 1-800-288-8372. Home economists and nutritionists answer questions. Staffed 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Meat and Poultry Hotline: 1-800-535-4555. Food safety specialists answer calls about meat and poultry preparation and cooking questions. Staffed 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

Perdue Consumer Helpline: 1-800-473-7383. Consumer relations representatives answer cooking, storage and other questions about poultry products weekdays year-round from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The phones will be staffed from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thanksgiving Day.

Automated help

For the next best thing to a live person, try these automated hotlines:

Reynolds Turkey Tips Line: 1-800-745-4000. An automated hotline offering advice on turkey defrosting, preparation and cooking options.

Shady Brook Farms Holiday Hotline: 1-888-723-4468. A 24-hour, seven-day-a-week automated culinary guidance line that provides turkey cooking and carving tips and suggestions for leftovers. Web site: www.shadybrookfarms.com.

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