Let's talk turkey: The craziest calls to Butterball Turkey Hotline

Shelley Terry, Star Beacon, Ashtabula, Ohio
·2 min read

Nov. 24—Since Butterball first started its Turkey Talk Line in 1981, experts have taken more than 3 million calls from frantic cooks. Here are some of the craziest, hilarious and memorable calls the operators have answered:

"A caller once confessed to me, 'I'm just letting you know that the cold water-thaw method doesn't really work.'" He said, "I put it in the pool and when I came back, it was missing."- Andrea Balitewicz, Butterball Turkey Talk-Line supervisor.

"Some chefs like to get a bit creative with their turkey's holiday attire. One caller who was entertaining guests from the Bahamas asked how she could make her turkey more tropical, and emailed me a picture of one wearing a bikini for us to reference. This inspired us to suggest dressing the turkey in a bikini made from aluminum foil — major sun-kissed vibes." — Mary Alice Coffey, Butterball Turkey Talk-Line supervisor.

"A flustered first-time dad called the Talk-Line a few hours after his wife gave birth to their child. He was concerned their turkey had been thawing in the fridge for too long while he was at the hospital. When I asked the man how much it weighed, he replied, "The turkey or the baby?" After determining the turkey's weight and thawing time, she assured him he would deliver a safe, delicious Thanksgiving dinner by the time mom and the new baby returned home." — Barbara Robinson, Butterball Turkey Talk-Line supervisor.

"A lady from Colorado called asking how to thaw her frozen Butterball turkey, and proudly shared that she stored her turkey in a snowbank outside. It had snowed the night before, and it suddenly dawned on her that she didn't remember which snowbank she kept her turkey. At that point, the conversation was really over because the turkey was truly lost." — Nicole Johnson, Butterball Turkey Talk-Line director.

"A mother called from Kentucky saying she had carefully followed Butterball's instructions for roasting a turkey to a tee. It looked beautiful and golden-brown outside, but when she went in to carve it, she noticed something small and bright red inside. After a closer look, she realized that before the turkey went into the oven, while her back was turned, her young son had helped her season the turkey with his Legos. Her question: 'Is this thing safe to eat?'" — Bill Nolan, Butterball Turkey Talk-Line supervisor.

If you have questions about preparing your turkey, call 1-800-BUTTERBALL, where experts can help you make Thanksgiving happen.