How to carve a turkey
Cooking Turkey » How to carve a turkey
Phil Vickery's step by step carving guide shows you how to carve lovely neat slices of breast and leg meat, reducing any wastage. His top trick is to remove the wishbone before roasting. Watch the video here.
Before Cooking
Removing the wishbone makes the carving much easier as you can cut larger, neater slices from the breast.
If you lift the skin from the neck you should be able to see the meat underneath. Cut a little of the skin away if that helps you to see better.
Poke your finger into the cavity and feel around for the V-shaped wishbone. Use a small sharp knife to cut around the wishbone, then grasp it with your hand and pull it out firmly, taking care not to damage the meat.
After cooking and resting
With a sharp knife, cut the skin between leg and breast
Bend leg outwards and cut straight through the joint, removing the whole leg. Repeat on the other side. If the turkey is properly cooked, the legs will fall away easily. Do the same with each wing, leaving the breast meat intact.
With the legs removed, slice horizontally at the base of the breast until your knife reaches the carcass. Do this on both sides. Then, slice downwards in neat, even slices.
Slice the dark meat off the legs (hold the drumstick with a piece of kitchen paper if this makes it easier). Arrange round the edge of the serving platter. Pile the slices of white meat in the centre and carry into the dining room.