LOS ANGELES — The National Turkey Federation estimates Americans will gobble down an estimated 46 million turkeys during the Thanksgiving holiday, and Chef Nicolas Furnari has more than a few of those in his freezer.

“Six hundred and fifty Shelton turkeys,” he said, pointing to boxes piled high to the ceiling. “Juicy. Tender. Delicious.” 

His gourmet birds, however, which sell for $5 a pound, will not be juicy, tender or delicious if someone does not know to cook them the proper way. Chef Nico, as he is known around Howie’s Market in San Gabriel, knows how not to foul up the fowl.

“Oh, I think I know how to cook a couple of turkeys,” said Chef Nico with a wan smile as he stands in the kitchen of Alexander’s Meats, which is a butcher shop inside Howie’s.

His confidence is justified. Chef Nico was classically trained at the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu. The chef knows the tricks of the trade. For example, he cooks the bird “breast-side-down.”

That, he said, keeps the breast from drying out. Then, after roasting it for two hours, he flips the turkey back over and puts it back into the oven.

In internet chat rooms and on cooking websites there are many references to “turkey anxiety.” People can undercook it (and maybe even get sick) or, they could commit the unpardonable poultry sin.

“The worst thing is having a dry turkey at your dinner table,” Chef Nico said.

However, if you do not have master like Chef Nico in your kitchen, who you going to call?

This Thanksgiving marks the 40th anniversary of the Butterball Turkey Talk Line.

The poultry company opened in 1981 with just six experts. Today, there are 50 so-called “turkey-talkers,” experts who anyone can call for help on how to cook a turkey — be it a Butterball brand or not.

Carol Miller is one of those experts. With a degree in home economics, she has been on the line for 37 years. Standing in the Butterball test kitchens near Chicago, she goes through a quick laundry list of Turkey travails.

“You forget to thaw it.  You don’t have a pan that’s the right size,” she says. “Or, you just don’t know how to cook it.”

“But you know what?” Miller adds, “We can make it right.”

Miller told the story about one caller who was nervous about using a meat thermometer.

“She actually had four in the turkey,” said Miller, pointing to a roasted turkey in front of her. “She had one in each breast and one in each thigh. We calmed her nerves and we talked a little bit about thermometers and where they were placed.”

Other callers thawed their turkey with a hairdryer.

“No! No! No!” said Miller as she shook her head.

This Holiday season, according to Butterball, their experts will help approximately four million inquiring cooks thanks to technology. If a chef does not want to pick up their phone, they can tweet, Facebook, Instagram or even ask Alexa to connect you.

“Here it is 2021,” Miller said. “And, we’re on TikTok!”

And that’s a good thing.

Butterball research said younger and younger people are calling the talk line. Fifty percent of millennials will host Thanksgiving dinner this year, up from 42%, and those newbie chefs may not have the confidence needed to cook a turkey.

“That’s our mission,” Miller said. “We’re trying to make everyone a turkey expert in their kitchen.”