Thanksgiving: The Turkey as a stress factor

A dry turkey: This is the nightmare of many Americans for Thanksgiving. A tough bird in the pipe, the mother at the door: what now? A clear case for the Turkey Hotline: Who's calling on Thanksgiving Day here (this year on 24 November), gets a first portion of reassurance. "Breathe Deep", a telephone consultant Alice Coffey advises the poultry producer Butterball. And then save what can be saved. "From a dry turkey can be done for instance another casserole or chili," says the 62-year-old.

Thanksgiving is one of the most important holidays in the United States. The Americans commemorate the first harvest of immigrants from Plymouth in New England in the year 1621. The turkey is one occasion on the table. According to National turkey company in the past year, nine out of ten Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving - that's estimated about 46 million birds.

About 100,000 Americans each year to call before Thanksgiving at the free Butterball hotline, to get some tips on poultry preparation. "The festival is very emotionally charged. On this day, everyone wants to enjoy a wonderful meal," says Coffey.

If advance in the mother country of "fast food" family and friends to the feast, which means just pure for inexperienced cooks stress. "Many do not learn to cook from their parents, some are not even used to cook an elaborate meal for many people "said Coffey. An average turkey weighs a little over seven pounds. The first challenge is often already, get the animal into the oven.

Thanksgiving Planner
Support for Turkey's adventure is not just on the phone, but also of modern technology. The Smartphone application (app) "Thanksgiving Planner" lists more than 160 points in preparation for the big feast on - from the invitations to the bird pre-order until serving. On a tablet PC, can watch chefs in the kitchen how-to videos.

Who in the video portal YouTube, "Cook Turkey" enters receives over 8,000 hits. Expert Amanda Haas brings to its viewers around to cover the breast of the turkey with aluminum foil first. Every step she commented entranced with "Wonderful" or "perfect". This is reminiscent of the American craftsman Shipments to the slogan "Let's fix it" (Let's do it).

The turkey in the pipe, the app helps "iGrill". Here, a thermometer, which costs around $ 100 (73 €), pushed to the poultry in the oven. Via the wireless connection gets cooking the meat temperature on his smartphone. Thus, hosts living in the mother talk, but technically remain in the kitchen. The bird is cooked, the chef of the modern cell phone rings with turkey calls that were downloaded from the Internet.

Even if something goes wrong, there's almost always a solution. Consultant Coffey has rescued over the past 16 years tens of feasts. Stewing during a power outage on the east coast at the very time when thousands of Thanksgiving roast in the oven, she advised: "Out with the turkey out of the pipe, climb up the grill."

Sometimes, but also the expert powerless, like a young caller from New York, whose turkey was caught in the oven. The cook was stressed pressed the button that starts a cleaning. The oven door closed and the tube heated to above 250 degrees. The result was a charred bird. Since no app helps the world and expert Coffey could only guess, quickly buy another ready cooked turkey.