Around 68 million turkeys are eaten during the holiday season. But when it comes to cooking them…some folks may turn chicken. Never fear, the experts from the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line here in Naperville are ready to help. For over 40 years, Butterball has been on call to answer questions that Americans have about cooking turkey.
Panicked Callers And Providing Support
“As the season moves on, you can tell that the calls get more panicked,” said Butterball Turkey Talk-Line Supervisor Andrea Balitewicz. As it gets a little more stressful for the holiday and that’s one of the things we do here. We provide that emotional support throughout every call, every season.”
Finding Joy In Helping Others
Balitewicz joined Butterball seven years ago after holding several positions at Kraft Foods. She finds joy in her job by solving callers’ problems and making sure their turkey does indeed make the table.
“When I found out about the Butterball opportunity, it was a perfect fit for me,” said Balitewicz. “I love to cook, I love talking about food and I really enjoy helping people through the holidays and answering their questions about how to prepare food as well.”
Balitewicz along with the other 50-plus Turkey Experts, go through Butterball University. Once graduated, they’re clear to answer hundreds of calls during the two-month period the hotline is open.
Don’t Forget To Thaw Your Turkey!
“So our number one question at the Butterball Turkey-Talk Line is how long to thaw your turkey? And people don’t realize a large turkey takes a long time to thaw,” said Balitewicz. “So you need to plan one full day for every four pounds of turkey. So a 20-pound turkey is going to take five days to thaw in your refrigerator.”
But what if you forgot to thaw your turkey? The experts have that covered.
“We do get those calls a couple of days before Thanksgiving, and people say, well, I forgot to thaw my turkey. What do I do now? There’s another method that is food safe and you can submerge the turkey in cold tap water. You can do that in a sink or in a cooler or a tub. Keep refreshing that cold water that’s going to speed up the thawing process for every 30 minutes it’s in the water, it will thaw one pound.”
Help from the experts can be found via text at 844-877-3456 or by calling 1-800-BUTTERBALL.
Naperville News 17’s Joe Kennedy reports.
Have a story idea? Send us a tip!
