The Butterball hotline
Every year in November and December, Butterball mans its phone lines at 1-800-BUTTERBALL with culinary experts ready to handle your turkey dilemmas. The operation became so popular that today it consists of 50 college-trained nutritionists and home economists. Butterball’s website also has basic turkey cooking videos.
Ocean Spray
Ocean Spray’s website is overflowing with information from answers to detailed questions about common cooking problems and tips on planning large meals to featured tools to make cooking for large parties easier. It also has a hotline open Monday to Friday throughout the year. And, of course, they’re experts on cranberry sauce. The number to the hotline is 1-800-662-3263.
Honeysuckle White Help Line
Honeysuckle prepares pre-recorded answers to just about any turkey preparation question you can think of including buying the right turkey size, accurate thawing times, proper cleaning and preparation methods, how to roast an entire turkey and even leftover ideas. The hotline is very user friendly and detailed. The number is 1-800-810-6325.
Libby’s Consumer Hotline
Pie is the most important item after turkey, if not as important. Diners with a sweet tooth are just eating the main course to be polite but their noses are paying attention to that pie in the oven. If making a pumpkin pie from scratch seems daunting when you’re already exhausted from the turkey, don’t worry. The experts at Libby are there to answer any pie question you might have. The number is 1-800-854-0374.
Food52 Hotline
Food52 is an online forum of cooks working from their home kitchens, just like you. They regularly check the forums to get back to you quick and the company’s editorial staff, including Amanda Hesser and Merril Stubbs, often man the forum as well. The site is full of seasonal cooking articles and tips, so it’s worth reading in the days leading up to Thanksgiving.
National Turkey Federation
It doesn’t get more comprehensive than this when it comes to turkey questions. This website offers dozens of unique recipes, like roasted boned turkey with sausage stuffing, turkey cooking videos, Top Chef turkey prep tips and much more. The federation will also answer questions via email at info@turkeyfed.org.
Crisco Pie Hotline
The Crisco Pie hotline has pie professionals available with extended hours during the holidays (8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EDT) Nov. 14-23. The number is 1-877-367-7438.
The Splendid Table
Each year, The Splendid Table puts on a live two-hour call-in radio show, but the group is also available for live chat and answering questions on its website. The Splendid Table showcases its own favorite recipes and encourages viewers to post their own pictures onsite.
Land O’Lakes Holiday Bake Line
Admit it: you don’t really watch your butter usage around Thanksgiving. It’s no time for dieting. The people at Land O’Lakes offer plenty of recipes online, along with a comprehensive Thanksgiving countdown schedule to make sure you’re on track with your preparation and to help you avoid common Thanksgiving meal disasters.
USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline
When you cook for yourself and you see a little pink left in your chicken on the very last bite, you say, “Eh. I’ll be fine.” But if that happens when you’re cooking for a dozen or more people, at best you’ll experience a lot of anxiety, and at worst you’ll be paying for food poisoning medical costs. Don’t take any chances. Use the USDA hotline to make sure your Thanksgiving Day doesn’t involve the emergency room. The number is 1-888-674-6854.
