A wing and a prayer: “Let’s talk turkey” is more than a catchy phrase to Highland Park home economist and nutritionist Mary Lou Joksimovic. Hers is one of 48 voices that respond to the desperate questions about turkey preparation on the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line, which runs from early November through Christmas Day. According to officials at the Butterball headquarters in Downers Grove, they get anywhere from about 2,000 people phoning on a slow day to about 8,000 rings on Thanksgiving. Now they are preparing for the Christmas rush.
The most often asked question, according to Joksimovic, is how to thaw. Her response? “In the refrigerator, NOT on the counter. I tell them that how long depends on how cold the refrigerator is and how large the turkey is. The problem is that people will call the night before. That’s when they realize they still have to thaw the turkey,” she said.
Joksimovic noted that a 20-pound turkey could take four days, and a 25-pound turkey could take a week. As to what to do if you have waited too long to thaw in the refrigerator, call the Talk-Line. Joksimovic said they have some suggestions. (Butterball Turkey Talk-Line is 800-323-4848).
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