Suggested Carving Tools: Challenger Cook’s Knife 8”, Challenger Slicer Knife 12”

First, and most important, let the turkey rest when you bring it out of the oven. On average, 30-45 minutes should do, depending on the size of the bird. Remember, too, that the temperature of the turkey will continue to rise once removed from the oven, so plan accordingly—take the bird out when a thermometer reads approximately 165°. Cover loosely with foil and allow to sit. Resting allows the juices to redistribute, resulting in a moist, easy-to-carve turkey.

After the bird has rested, place it on a large cutting board. Remove the legs and thighs by pulling them away from the breast, making small, rapid cuts into the skin with your cook’s knife to expose the joint. This will enable you to pull the entire leg/thigh portion away from the bird (although you will have to use some force in order to break the joint).

Separate the drumsticks from the thighs. You can slice the meat from the drumstick, but I like to leave them whole—they are a great visual showcase for your dinner! Use the cook’s knife to slice the thigh meat.

Again using your cook’s knife, make one long lateral cut along the breast of the bird until you reach the rib cage. Then cut down along the rib cage until you reach the area you first cut. Now you should be able to remove the entire breast—place this piece on the cutting board. Then, switching to your slicer, slice the breast as thin as you prefer, leaving the skin attached.

Did you know?

Our Challenger Cutlery line has knives to fit all your Thanksgiving cooking and food preparation needs. Use the 3 ¼” paring knife to peel potatoes and yams, or the 6” utility knife for slicing, dicing, and chopping. If you enjoy food as decoration, use the peeling knife to whittle rosettes from your carrots or tomatoes.  After carving up your turkey finish off your meal by slicing fresh pieces of bread with the 9” or 10” bread knife. And don’t forget dessert—you can use the slicer or even the Santoku for cutting through the delicate deliciousness of pumpkin pie! No job is too big or too small for Challenger!

The post Let Our Knives Take the Challenge Out of Turkey Carving appeared first on Houston's Blog.

Photo Credit: Courtney Stroup

Houston’s is pleased to announce a new partnership with Mundial, and is further pleased to introduce to you the new Challenger by Mundial cutlery line. Joining forces with Mundial allows us to offer you an extensive line of knives that are stylish yet durable, sleek yet strong, and with ergonomic, antimicrobial black handles, a definite plus among the younger generations of cooks. All this at competitive prices and with fabulous point of sale packaging.

Challenger knives are constructed from stain-free, high-carbon steel—the steel gives the knife the strength it needs to hold up to the toughest of cutting jobs, and the carbon allows for the necessary softness to maintain a sharp edge. Their soft, ergonomic handles help to alleviate carpel tunnel syndrome, and also help to limit slips when hands are wet.

With three different types of edges, Challenger knives can meet your kitchen needs: a straight edge, for all-purpose use; a scalloped edge to cut through anything with a skin or to cut bread; and a granton edge, to cut through foods which have density, such as a roast or ham (granton edges also work well when cutting high-moisture vegetables such as tomatoes or cucumbers.) The type of knife you need depends on what you are going to cut. Please contact Inside Sales and they will help you determine your needs.

Caring for your knives is easy as one, two, three—simply wash them in a three-compartment sink and then dry immediately. Often busy cooks will opt to run their knives through the dishwasher, and that is okay. But be aware that dishwashers can discolor your knives, can dull them, and eventually may ruin them. Use the dishwasher cleaning method only when absolutely necessary, if at all.

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