BONING RAW TURKEY

Sharpen your knife, put on an apron, and within 30-45 minutes you can produce a boned turkey that will provide a stunning table presentation fro a special meal. Along with skillful fingers and the heel of your hand, the only special utensils needed are a sharp boning knife and metal or bamboo skewers to stitch the skin together in the closing steps. Four-inch trussing skewers and cotton kitchen twine may also be used to close the bird.

The advantages of boning a turkey for a special meal include:

1. The difficulty of carving the turkey at the table is eliminated.
2. The additional bones from the carcass yield a full-flavored turkey stock.
3. The thighs may be filled with a rich savory stuffing, fresh herbs mixture or a sautéed mixture of chopped mushrooms and shallots for the ultimate taste experience for dark meat turkey lovers.
4. The roasting time for a whole turkey will be shortened with the reduction of turkey weight.

Boning a whole bird can also assist in lowering the grocery bill. When whole turkeys are on sale at the supermarket, you can take advantage of excellent prices, bone the turkey, cut it into separate parts, freeze the various cuts and have a variety of turkey parts that will yield convenient, tasty, versatile and healthy meals.