Butterball Turkey Talk-Line Archives | The Saturday Evening Post

Butterball Turkey Talk-Line Memorable Calls

Throughout its 34 years, Butterball has had many memorable moments (and nearly 3 million calls) — from a woman who set her stove on fire to the men who put fires out for a living. The following are a few favorites from the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line:

Although most calls come from people needing help, the Talk-Line operators get several callbacks from people simply thanking the staff for their help on previous calls; even ones that took place years earlier. (Courtesy of Butterball)

Hot Turkey… A New Jersey fireman called the Talk-Line while cooking dinner for his entire firehouse to ask where he should insert the meat thermometer into his turkey. After the home economist explained the proper technique, she suggested he log on to Butterball.com to get free Butterball recipes as well. He was interested in trying the recipes, but was worried that should any of his co-workers find out, he might lose his “macho” image. After all, what would his fellow firefighters think if they discovered he now knew as much about roasting Butterballs as he did fighting fires?
Turkey Treasure… After discovering a turkey from 1969 in his dad’s freezer, an Alabama man called the Talk-Line to ask about the best way to cook the 30+ year-old bird. Although the Talk-Line staffer recommended the open roasting pan method to cook most turkeys, this time she suggested that the first step was to purchase a fresher fowl! This same gentleman also had in his freezer: the top of his wedding cake and a snowball from every snowstorm he’d experienced in Alabama.
Third Times a Charm…One caller was well versed at walking down the aisle, but not so versed when it came to cooking her Thanksgiving turkey. The caller explained to Carol Miller, 20+ year Talk-Line veteran, Thanksgiving with her first husband was a bust since she forgot to thaw the turkey. She blundered Thanksgiving with her second husband when the foil pan she was using bent and slipped out of her hands leaving the feast on the floor. She was hoping the third time would be the charm so she called the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line to make sure she was doing everything right!
(Courtesy of Butterball)
State Bird…When a Talk-Line staffer asked a caller what state her turkey was in – meaning how thawed was it, the caller responded with “Florida.”
All in the Family… A woman in her seventies, cooking Thanksgiving dinner for the first time, called for help because her mother said she was tired of cooking and it was time her daughter learned how to prepare the Thanksgiving meal.
Cat’s Got the Turkey?…A newlywed’s parents arrived for their first Thanksgiving meal. One of the dads noticed the turkey thawing in the sink in cold water with a dish drainer and a rubber mat on top of it all. Her dad inquired why she was thawing the turkey that way. She said – that was the way her mom thawed the bird. The mother said – well, yes, but we HAD a cat!