Tech Talk: Turkey Day Tech | Video

Jerame Novak | 11/21/2012

Making a Thanksgiving meal can be tough at times. In the past, if you ran into a problem, you would either call a turkey hotline or make a panicked long distance call to Grandma. Now there are a variety of kitchen gadgets to help make things easier and your cooking answers are just a click away.

The process of cooking a turkey and a Thanksgiving meal hasn`t changed much over the years. But there now are several tools that make the job easier.

"Things that can combine different types of devices. If you have to set down the spoon and go get a thermometer to check. You have a thermometer built right into the spoon so you don`t have to use two devices," said Jeff Hinz with Ace Hardware.

And if you have any questions about cooking or if you need to find a recipe, you can find your answers online.

"Lots of people are using the internet to prepare for Thanksgiving. To find cooking suggestions and they`re helpful resources to prepare for their Thanksgiving holiday," said NDSU Extension Agent Megan Myrdal.

Websites to answer your cooking questions or to get recipes.

"Well, depending on what you`re looking for, there are tons of great resources online. If at the last minute you`re looking for a recipe.
href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/">The Food Network or allrecipes.com have hundreds of recipes to choose from," Myrdal said.

Now all these high tech cooking options might not turn you into the next Julia Child overnight, but they can free up some time for you to enjoy the holiday.

"The issue with Thanksgiving is that it`s such a traditional meal. That it`s the same thing over and over: it`s turkey and potatoes and everything. But people are starting to look at things that are healthier. So they`re looking at things that save them time so they can spend more time with their family," Hinz said.

Social media sites like Facebook and Pinterest are other places to get information and after the meal is finished, you can share your cooking accomplishments with others.

All week, the Burleigh County Extension Service has been posting Thanksgiving information to its Facebook page.
href="http://www.facebook.com/BurleighCountyExtension">its Facebook page.

Some additional links for the Burleigh County Extension Service

University of Nebraska Lincoln Extension Service

Thanksgiving Food Preparation Tips 2012 - Helpful Links

food.unl.edu/web/safety/thanksgiving-food-prep

Food Network

25+ Turkey Recipes + Sides & Desserts

www.foodnetwork.com/topics/thanksgiving-turkey/index.html

Butterball

Short instructional videos to thaw, roast, carve a turkey plus a portion calculator to determine how much turkey to buy based on your number of guests and their appetite.

www.butterball.com

All Recipes

Hundreds of recipes, short instructional videos and a menu planner.

allrecipes.com/recipes/holidays-and-events/thanksgiving

Let`s Talk Turkey - USDA Fact Sheet

A consumer`s guide to safely roasting a turkey.

www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Lets_Talk_Turkey/index.asp

Good Housekeeping

A two week countdown to Thanksgiving with checklists, recipes and short videos to make sure you have everything for the big day.

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/thanksgiving-ideas/thanksgiving-countdown/

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Where to Call on Thanksgiving Day with questions? - USDA Meat & Poultry Hotline

Food safety specialists will be available from 8am-2pm EST on Thanksgiving Day.

1-888-MPHotline

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