Turkey Trouble? Call the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line

A lot can go wrong while trying to cook a 20lb bird in a home oven and that is why, since 1981, 57 food professionals give up their own Thanksgiving feast to man the phones at the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line from their headquarters in Naperville, Illinois. A rep from the center told ABC that, “We’re here to counsel people through what we call ‘turkey trauma.’

The hot line is open for 2 months every year, from November through December and gets approximately 12,000 calls each year on Thanksgiving Day alone. According to the center, the number one question they here is ‘How do I go about thawing my turkey?’ According to the center your best bet is to thaw the bird in your refrigerator as leaving it out on a countertop or in the sink is a great way to grow bacteria.

They’ve heard some strange stories at the center over the years. Operator Nicole Johnson tells of a caller who tried thawing his bird by wrapping it in an electric blanket, which she had to discourage. Another caller had to give his children a bath and thaw his turkey so decided to take a shortcut and throw the kids and the bird in the tub, also not a good idea.