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Holiday Essential Tip: How to Carve the Perfect Turkey

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For folks hosting their first-ever holiday dinner, often no kitchen task can be more daunting than having to carve the meal's must-have: Turkey!

To help alleviate home cooks' fears, Us Weekly asked Mario Batali — who currently offers his tips daily as a cohost on ABC's The Chew — to provide a quick and easy five-step guide.

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STEP 1 – Remove legs by slicing through the skin between the breast and the leg and using your hands, pull legs down until the joint is exposed. Remove leg by cutting between the joint and attached skin.

STEP 2 – Separate thighs from the drumsticks by cutting between the joint that connects the two. Leave drumsticks whole and slice the thigh meat off the bone.

STEP 3 – Remove the breast meat from the turkey by running the tip of your knife along the breastbone.

STEP 4 – Use your other hand to hold and take the meat from the bone as you cut.

STEP 5 – Slice the breast meat crosswise into slices, straight down, instead of on an angle. Repeat with the other breast.

For more of Batali's tips and recipes, tune in to The Chew weekdays at 1 p.m. (EST) on ABC.

WIN IT! To help you plan ahead for holiday dinner gatherings, Us is gifting one lucky reader with an autographed copy of Mario Batali's new cookbook, Molto Batali: Simple Family Meals from My Home to Yours. To enter, email your name, address, daytime phone number and age (must be over 21) to Giveaways@usmagazine.com. You must put 'Holiday Turkey Essentials' in the subject line of your email in order to be eligible. All entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. (EST) on Tuesday, December 6. Click here for official rules.

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