If you were to hold a turky carving contest between a food service professional and a home cook, we'd wager a pumpkin pie the food service pro would win. But it's not necessarily because pros have better knife skills. It's because they're trained to get the most out of everything they cook, and that includes getting the maximum amount of meat off a carcass.

Eberhard Werthmann has been teaching food professionals and home cooks alike for 30-plus years. Here, he shares his method for carving a turkey. Before you begin, be sure to let the turkey rest at least 20 minutes after you take it out of the oven. Use long strokes with the knife for the most efficient cuts. And Eberhard's favorite carving knife? It's a slicing knife with a hollow ground blade.

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	1. Pull the drumstick and thigh off the carcass in one motion. Use rubber gloves or a towel so you don't burn your hands.
	2. Separate the drumstick from the thigh by cutting them apart, through the joint.
	3. Remove the thigh meat from the bone by cutting along both sides of the bone. Then push the two pieces of meat back togehter and slice through both, cutting across the grain.
	4. To cut the meat from the drumstick, hold the small end of the drumstick in one hand and rest the other end on the cutting board. Starting at the top, slice in a downward motion, next to the bone. There are tough tendons attached to the bone that you can avoid cutting into with this method. Then slice the meat as desired.
	5. It's easier to slice the breast meat if you remove it from the carcass in one large piece. First, make a horizontal cut into the breast meat just above the wing. Use the wing as a guide for the knife, letting it glide along the top of the wing until you hit the carcass.
	6. Next, cut the breast meat from the carcass. Follow the contour of the cavity, keeping the knife at the bone and tilting the blade slightly to adjust to the contour as you go. Cut until you reach the horizontal cut previously made.
	7. Cut the breast meat into slices, cutting across the grain and angling the knife to keep the slices equal in size.
	8. Leave the wings for last; they help stabilize the turkey as you carve. To remove the wings, bend them with your hand at the joint until they release. If necessary, use a knife to cut through the cartilage of the joint. Cut meat off the wing the same way it's cut off the drumstick.