A freshly roasted turkey may be the perfect choice for a simple and tasty home-cooked meal, but carving it isn’t an easy task. For a nicely sliced bird, follow these simple steps:

Once the turkey is cooked, place it on a cutting board with a juice groove, cover with aluminum foil, and let rest for 30 minutes. Next, choose a sharp, thin-bladed carving knife.

For the breast and wings:

Use your knife to find where the wings and body are attached.

Place the knife into the joint to separate wings from body on each side.

Cut breast meat on an angle against the grain.

Repeat on other side.

For the legs and thighs:

Run the knife along the bottom of the turkey to find where the thighbones meet the body.

Place the knife into the joint to separate thigh from body on each side.

Separate the drumstick from the thigh by doing the same thing (cut through the joint instead of the bone; wiggle the drumstick to find the joint).

Cut thigh and leg meat into thin slices.

Nestpert: Chef Shelley Young is the owner of Chopping Block, a recreational cooking school and gourmet retail store in Chicago. To learn more, check out TheChoppingBlock.net.

-- The Nest Editors

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