Before the big holiday feast, make sure the slicing knife is sharp for carving duty. To hone the blade, hold the knife against a sharpening steel at an angle of about 20 degrees. Draw the blade from handle to tip in a rapid motion; repeat the same action on the other side of the blade. Repeat a dozen times or more until the blade feels keen against the flat of your thumb.
Carving the bird
You can take two approaches when presenting a whole roast turkey — either carve in the kitchen or at the table. Carving in the kitchen is less stressful and certainly less messy.
*Carve on a board, not on the serving platter; a board is less likely to slip.
*Position the turkey legs away from the hand holding the knife, and hold the bird steady with a carving fork.
*Insert the knife between breast and leg, bend leg outward with flat of the knife until joint gives way.
*Setting the knife blade on the diagonal above the wing joint, cut through and remove the wing.
*At the base of the breast, make a horizontal cut through to the breastbone.
*Carve the breast in slanting slices parallel to the rib cage, starting at the leg end and working toward the cavity.
*To remove the leg, find the joint with the knife and cut through it. Cut the leg in half through the joint using the white line of fat as a guide.
*Carve the leg meat off the thighbones and drumsticks, working parallel to the bone.
