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A food blog from NHPR news, digital, & programming staff, exploring food & food culture around the state & the New England region. On-air features air Thursdays on All Things Considered and Saturdays during Weekend Edition.

Need Help Carving Your Thanksgiving Turkey? Check Out These Video How-Tos

Rhett Sutphin via Flickr CC
So easy, right? (Just kidding.)

Your dad made it look easy...maybe. But carving a turkey is a bit more complicated than you might think. It's a big bird, after all, and not every knife is created equal. (Nor is every bird, thanks to the "spatchcock" craze!)

But never fear, humble home-chef, there's somewhere to turn if you're confounded by the prospect of carving: YouTube. 

Listed below are some of the most informative and easy-to-follow turkey carving how-to videos on the site.

Pro Tip: Watch them in advance of the family arriving and you'll look like a turkey carving ninja come dinner time.

The Butcher Carves a Turkey - via The New York Times, 2012

The first helpful tip in this video is to not carve the turkey in front of your family and friends. Sounds like a good idea, especially if you're turning to YouTube for this how-to.

You're Doing It All Wrong - How To Carve A Turkey by CHOW, 2008

Nothing like being reminded of why you needed to watch this video in the first place. Tips include warning against using a dull knife, and this, the greatest turkey-carving advice ever, maybe.

Do not hack at your bird willy-nilly.

How to Carve a Spatchcocked Turkey - BestMix

The Thanksgiving turkey usually takes hours to roast, but New York Times food writer Mark Bittman's 45-minute technique has changed the game. - The Atlantic

According to AP Food Editor J.M. Hirsch, 2014's Thanksgiving foodies insist that the "Spatchcock turkey" is the only way to go. But how do you carve one of these new-fangled things? Here you go:

How to Carve a Turkey with an Electric Knife - FloridaJoe3

Do you own an electric knife? Congratulations on your high-tech kitchen tool set!

If, however, you received your knife as a gift and don't know quite how to put it to it's best use, YouTuber FloridaJoe3 has created one of the more popular videos on carving turkey with the cutlery equivalent of a chainsaw. Check it out:

Do you have have a favorite Thanksgiving how-to video or YouTube food channel? We want to see it! You can post a link on our Facebook page.

Rebecca oversees the team that makes NHPR podcasts, including Outside/In and Civics 101. She has previously served as NHPR's Director of Audience & Engagement, Digital Director, and Senior Producer for Word of Mouth.
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