Thanksgiving cooking help: Butterball Turkey Talk-Line opens for 2021 season

Dangers of frying a turkey

Ahead of Thanksgiving, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (USCPSC) warned of the dangers of deep-frying turkey. (Credit: @USCPSC via Storyful)

GARNER, N.C. - The Butterball Turkey "Talk-Line" is officially open for the holiday season, celebrating its 40th year of helping people prepare their Thanksgiving Day meals safely and deliciously.

"The Butterball Turkey Talk-Line has become a Thanksgiving institution, and we’re back in our 40th year to help new and seasoned hosts take the guesswork out of cooking turkey," Nicole Johnson, director and 21-year veteran of the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line, said in a statement. "This year we are focused on helping new and returning hosts, so they have more time to spend enjoying special moments with friends and family,"

The turkey hotline, which officially opened on Monday, allows holiday cooks to call and receive advice from experts. Hosts can also text, chat online, use social media or get tips through their Alexa device.

The hotline was started in 1981 and has since helped hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. and Canada, according to the Butterball website.

"It all began in 1981 when six home economists worked the phones that holiday season to answer 11,000 turkey-cooking questions. Since then the Turkey Talk-Line has grown in both the number of calls answered and experts responding," the website states, adding that it now has more than 50 experts on hand.

New this year, the Turkey Talk-Line has also launched a "Taste Kitchen" on TikTok in an effort to reach first-time Thanksgiving hosts and those hoping to try out recent food trends.

The company cited a recent survey, which found that millennials are stepping up to host. Half (50%) of millennials surveyed on behalf of Butterball Turkey said they intend to host this year (traditionally 42%).

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FILE- A roasted turkey is pictured on a Thanksgiving-style dinner table on Nov. 2, 2007. (Photo by Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

The survey also found that 99% of consumers surveyed are planning to celebrate with a Thanksgiving meal, and 85% are planning to do so with turkey at the table.

And the holiday hosts are planning ahead, according to the survey. A large majority (84%) of hosts said they are planning the amount of food they will serve a week or more in advance of Thanksgiving.

Butterball, headquartered in Garner, N.C., is the largest producer of turkey products in the U.S. It operates six processing plants located in North Carolina, Arkansas and Missouri.

How to call the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line for Thanksgiving tips:

Call 1-800-BUTTERBALL (800-288-8372)
Text (844) 877-3456
Go to butterball.com and enter a live chat or email an expert
Reach out to or check out special Butterball tutorials on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest channels.

Those with an Alexa-enabled device can simply say, "Alexa, ask Butterball…" to enable the skill and hear trusted Talk-Line experts share answers to pressing turkey questions.

This story was reported from Cincinnati.