One Thing to Never Do When Carving a Turkey
I have a very strange, recurring nightmare in which I cut up a steak, take pictures of the slices and post a photo on a blog only to realize that I have cut the meat and grains. Then everyone – in the comments and on Twitter – makes fun of me for breaking this basic rule of eating meat, and I never work in this city again.
This is a strange disturbing dream, but perhaps not unfounded. The way you cut your meat has a huge impact on tenderness. You can watch a video explaining the science behind this here , but as a result, chewing the long strands of muscle fibers requires much more force than chewing slices made up of many cross-sections of short muscle fibers. This is true for both steaks and turkey, which is why stock photos like the one above are, in my opinion, a culinary hazard.
It is a bad idea to slice the breast straight away from the bird, making cuts parallel to the sternum. This is called slicing grains, and as a result, you will end up with chewy bundles of muscle fibers rather than tender slices. (And turkey is a meat that usually needs any help.)
Fortunately, in this regard, it is easy to give the turkey wings and make it as tender as possible in the mouth. Begin by removing both sides of the breast by running a knife across the breastbone on both sides. Continue monitoring the bone until you can remove each lobe entirely. Transfer to a cutting board, then cut perpendicular to the grain. If you’re not sure what that means, just flip it over and see which way the meat strands go – your goal is to keep them as short as possible. The thinner your slices are, the easier it will be to chew on the turkey and the happier you (and your guests) will be.