How to Carve a Turkey by Marianne Lumb

How to Carve a Turkey by Marianne Lumb

Before you start...

1: Knives -
Ideally have a carving knife and fork. The knife should be perfectly sharp - sharpen regularly with a steel.

View our Carving Knives here >>
View our Sharpening Steels here >>

If you don’t own these, your longest and skinniest knife is best along with the largest fork you have.

2: Allow the Turkey to Rest -
Drain off the juices and make gravy with extra stock and/or chicken wings.

View our Gravy & Sauceboats here >>

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Classical Carving

Have a warmed serving plate ready to hand.

Step 1: White Meat:
Start with slicing the breast meat.
The skin can be quite slippery, try to keep it intact as much as possible.

Have your knife horizontally in line with the breast and gradually, using sweeping motions, carve backwards and forwards aiming for a consistent slice.
Continue until you meet the bone.

Step 2: Brown Meat:
Leave the legs intact.
Start from the outside of the leg and start slicing downwards.

When you come against the bone, you can adjust the angle of the knife.

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Easy Carving

Step 1: White Meat:
Take the whole turkey breast off the bone in one piece.

Do this by starting at the middle of the turkey with your knife close to the breast bone.

Keeping the tip of the knife close to the breast bone, make long incisions, until all the breast is removed.

Then, slice the breast into pieces approx 5mm thick, with your knife at a right angle to the breast.

Brown Meat:
Take the legs off in one piece.

Joint through the point where the legs and thighs meet (your knife shouldn’t go through any bone).

Don't be afraid to use your hands to rotate the leg away from the body to help locate the joint.

Then slice the meat off the bone, across the grain where possible.