Insider Finance - Business - Insider Today: Turkey hotline

November 23, 2023 • 3 min read

with Dan DeFrancesco

Happy Thanksgiving! For those who celebrate, here’s hoping you have a fantastic holiday filled with good people and better food.

Running out of room in your oven while making the big meal today? Here are some recipes for making popular Thanksgiving sides in your slow cooker or air fryer. 

The Insider Today team is off today, so it’s an abbreviated version of the newsletter. But we’re still covering the top stories, along with a fun look at the people who come to the rescue when cooking a turkey goes off the rails. 

Let’s get into it.

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Butterball Turkey

The big story

It's turkey time

If there’s smoke accumulating

In your oven hood

Who you gonna call?

Butterball Turkey Talk-Line!

Thanksgiving is a funny thing. For a holiday that’s all about food, the main dish is something we rarely cook. 

Thankfully — no pun intended — there’s a group waiting in the wings for all our turkey-related questions. The Butterball Talk-Line is a team of more than 50 experts who answer over 100,000 questions during the holiday season.

From the most common — “How do I thaw a frozen turkey?” — to the unique — “Is it safe to put an engagement ring inside the turkey?” — these turkey tutors have heard it all.

Phyllis Kramer, a retired home-economics teacher, is one such expert. She’s been talking turkey on the helpline for more than two decades.

Kramer walked us through what it takes to get a spot on the hotline — including attending Butterball University. 

She also detailed panicked calls she’s fielded over the years, like people inquiring about using an electric blanket or a hot tub to quickly thaw out their frozen turkeys. (Please don’t do that.)

In other news

Tom McCorkle/The Washington Post/Getty Images; John Lamparski/Getty Image

For your bookmarks

Get a head start on leftovers

Rachael Ray highlights 5 easy recipes for your Thanksgiving leftovers. Turn your turkey meat into a curry or chili, and your stuffing makes for a good base for a savory waffle. 

The Insider Today team

Dan DeFrancesco, senior editor and anchor, in New York City. Diamond Naga Siu, senior reporter, in San Diego. Hallam Bullock, editor, in London. Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York.

Get in touch

insidertoday@insider.com

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