Make sure your carving knife is sharp. Sharpen with a steel or electric sharpener, whetstone or other sharpening gadget. You are more likely to cut yourself using a dull knife than a sharp one.

Turkey Tip: Use a long-two pronged carving fork to hold the bird steady as you cut.

Basic Carving steps:

• Step 1: Removing the thigh, drumstick & wings
  • hold the drumstick and pull it away from the body;
  • slice through the skin to the joint where the leg meets the backbone
  • cut through the joint, pressing the leg away from the body with the side of the knife
  • when the leg is freed, cut through the drumstick-thigh joint
  • if desired, cut these pieces into slices, running the knife parallel to the bone.
  • to cut the wings off, follow the same type of procedures, always cutting through the joint

• Step 2: Carving the breast
  • make a long slit across the base of the breast, parallel to the wing, all the way to the rib cage
  • cut thin slices vertically across the beast; if done properly, the horizontal cut you made at the base will allow these slices to fall off gently as you progress through the breast.