Toll-free telephone services and Web sites are available to help answer cooking queries during holiday preparation times. Here are some of them.
-- U.S. Department of Agriculture Meat and Poultry Hotline: 1-800-535-4555. Personal assistance with all meat and poultry preparation and cooking questions, year-round Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST; Nov. 25, Thanksgiving Day 8 a.m.-2 p.m. EST. Automated service available 24 hours a day.-- Butterball Turkey Talk-Line:1-800-323-4848. Around-the-clock bilingual (English and Spanish) assistance available from home economists and nutritionists, for all turkey questions (automated after hours).
Nov. 1-24, weekdays, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. CST.
Nov. 20-21 weekend, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. CST.
Nov. 25, Thanksgiving Day, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. CST.
Nov. 26-Dec. 23, weekdays, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. CST.
1-800-TDD-3848, hearing- and speech-impaired assistance.
Web site at (www.butterball.com).
-- Foster Farms Turkey Helpline: 1-800-255-7227.
From Nov. 18-Nov. 29. Representatives answer 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with consumer tips on turkey cooking, carving, food safety tips, recipes and free brochures. Before Nov. 18, and after Nov. 29, the Helpline is available between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. PST.
The Farm Online is at (www.fosterfarms.com).
-- Empire Kosher poultry customer hotline: 1-800-367-4734.
Hotline is available Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST, Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. EST. Representatives available. Program offers recipes, newsletter, video, tips on defrosting and cooking poultry. Closed Jewish and secular holidays. Mailing address is R.R.5, Box 228, River Road, Mifflintown, PA 17059.
Web site at (www.empirekosher.com).
-- Land O'Lakes Holiday Bakeline: 1-800-782-9606. Bakeline is available seven days a week, through Dec. 24, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. CST. Consumers may speak with a trained home economist and baking expert, to ask questions, request a free brochure or order a cookbook.
Web site at (www.landolakes.com).
-- Ocean Spray consumer helpline: 1-800-662-3263. Year-round, weekdays (except Christmas Day, New Year's Day and major holidays) 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST. Consumer department staff field questions on cranberries, offer recipes, cooking tips, nutritional information, menu-planning worksheets, product information.
Year-round Web site: (www.oceanspray.com).
-- Perdue 1-800-473-7383. Consumer relations representative on hand weekdays year-round (except Christmas Day) 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST to help consumers solve cooking dilemmas and answer questions about poultry products. Also offers a free booklet with tips on safe handling of poultry.
Year-round Web site: (www.perdue.com).
-- Shady Brook Farms Dial-a Chef Holiday Hotline: 1-888-723-4468. Through Dec. 31, 24-hours, 7 days a week, chefs offer recorded turkey-cooking and meal-planning advice, ideas and recipes.
Web site: (www.dialachef.com).
-- Reynolds Turkey Tips Line:1-800-745-4000. A year-round 24-hour automated hotline; through Dec. 31 offers advice on turkey defrosting, preparation and cooking options, free brochure and recipes.
Year-round Web site: (www.reynoldskitchens.com).
Other Web sites:
-- (www.eatturkey.com), run by the National Turkey Federation has a "pilgrim" icon on which to click for its Thanksgiving cooking pages, with lots about the birds, cooking safety, carving, chefs' advice and 500 recipes including regional and ethnic flavors.
-- (www.starchefs.com) has a Turkey Tips area where professional chefs and cookbook authors offer suggestions for turkey-cooking methods, stuffings, gravies, side dishes and desserts for holiday feasting.
-- (www.southernfood.about.com) offers Thanksgiving recipes and turkey information and hints.
-- (www.turkeyhelp.com) is run by Cook's Illustrated magazine, offering guidance and recipes, for turkey and all the trimmings, including apple and pumpkin pies (step-by-step illustrations for making pie crusts).