For special occasions such as holidays, hand carving hams or roast meats on the serving line is preferred to slicing by machine in the galley.

Rules for Carving Meat

Meats carve more easily if allowed to set (cool off after cooking). The AFRS recipes specify a 20-minute period. The following rules for carving meat should be used:

Always use clean, sanitized equipment.

Use the proper knives for the job.

Keep the knives sharp.

Use a meat fork.

Always cut across the grain of the meat and away from the body.

Arrange meat portions in a serving pan so that you can easily remove slices without breaking them.

You should be able to carve meat portions of equal size. Meat, fish, and poultry recipes indicate the size of the serving portions.

Carving Roast Turkey

Roast whole turkey is usually carved in the galley. Let the turkey stand for about 30 minutes after it is removed from the oven before carving. This will allow the juices to be absorbed, the flesh to become firm, and the turkey can then be sliced with greater ease and efficiency. The carving techniques described as follows are the procedures that should be followed for carving turkey in the galley and will provide generous, accurate portions.

1. Use a sharp, long-bladed knife. Place the legs to your right if you are right-handed, to the left if you are left-handed.

2. Remove the leg by holding the drumstick firmly with the thumb and forefinger. Cut through the skin by drawing the knife back and forth and sever the joint. Press the leg away from the body with the flat side of the knife. Cut the remaining skin on the back. Remove the oyster (choice dark meat in spoon-shaped bone on back) with the leg.

3. Disjoint the drumstick and the thigh by holding the leg at a right angle to the board. Cut through the meat to the bone; then, hold the thigh with the knife and press down with the other hand until the joint snaps.

4. Slice the leg meat by holding the drumstick at a right angle to the board, cutting down; turn the leg to get uniform slices. To slice the thigh, straddle the bone with a fork and cut into lengthwise strips.

5. Remove the wing by placing the knife at a right angle to the breast, about 1 1/2 inches above the wing, and cut straight through the skin and the wing joint.

6. To remove the breast from the back, insert the knife along the top and cut slowly, guide the knife along the curve of the rib section. Remove the breast in one piece. Place the breast on the slicing board and slice pieces one-fourth inch thick. You may slice the breast meat directly from the bird. Hold the bird with a fork straddling the breastbone or insert the fork in the ribs opposite the side being carved. Start the first slice just above the place where the wing was removed and with the knife parallel to the breast; use a sawing motion and cut the slices about onefourth inch thick.

7. Arrange the sliced turkey in shallow pans; fill one-half of the pan with white meat and the other half with dark meat. Cover the pan to keep the meat moist and appetizing. A small amount of broth may be added, if desired.

8. Place the sliced turkey in the steam table inserts. Do not permit the steam table temperature to go above 200F as the meat will become dry and continue cooking.

9. To complete the trimming of the bird, cut all remnants off' the carcass. This meat can be used for sandwiches, soups, or creamed dishes.

There are two advantages to this method of carving. It ensures portion control and makes it possible to use all meat on the carcass and avoid waste.

On special occasions roasted whole turkey may be carved on the serving line. This allows everyone to see and share in the festivity that a holiday bird symbolizes.

Be sure to store all unused portions of the bird properly. Place the sliced meat on a tray and cover it loosely with waxed paper before it is placed in the refrigerator. Place trimmings and other edible parts in the refrigerator if they are not to be used immediately.

Carving Boneless Turkey Roll

Boneless turkey roll may be roasted in the frozen state. If cooked while frozen, allow 1 to 2 hours additional cooking time. If the turkey starts to become too brown, place a piece of foil loosely over the bird for the last hour of cooking. After the turkey is roasted, let it stand for at least 30 minutes, preferably 1 hour, before it is served, so that the juices can be absorbed and the turkey can be sliced more easily and effectively.

If feasible, machine slicing of boneless turkey is preferable to hand slicing. However, regardless of what method is used, the following slicing procedures are recommended:

Remove the netting and skin.

Cut in slices about one-fourth inch thick.

Place the slices in a shallow insert pan and cover with aluminum foil.

Deboning Meat and Poultry

The current availability of frozen boneless meat has practically eliminated the need for foodservice operations to do in-house butchering or deboning of meat. This has increased the capacity of total available storage area.