Turkey SOS: How To Save The Turkey When Something Goes Wrong

Getting ready to host a big meal isn't a task to be taken lightly. It requires cunning, know-how, and a lot of patience. You have to be sure to wear several hats, and take on each role with a calming demeanor that makes your guests feel at ease and completely taken care of. But no matter how calm, cool, and collected you are, if something bad happens to your turkey on Thanksgiving, chances are you will panic.

For the Turkey SOS: How to Save the Turkey When Something Goes Wrong Slideshow, click here.

To prevent you from losing your cool, we spoke with several chefs from noted restaurants to get the inside scoop on how to save your Thanksgiving turkey, and also how to prevent a few bad things from happening from the get-go.

For instance, did you know that you shouldn't rinse the big bird?

"You don't have to rinse the bird. Stuff the cavity with stalks of celery, carrots, and onions and rub a thin coat of olive oil on the skin," says chef Elizabeth Karmel (founder of Girls at the Grill and Carolina Cue To Go.) "Just before putting in the oven, sprinkle the bird with kosher salt and pepper. You don't need a butter-soaked cheesecloth, or to put herb butter under the skin, or any other complicated recipe. I've tried it all and found a little oil and a little salt makes the best roasted turkey. Don't stuff the bird — it will take longer to cook, and the stuffing might not be cooked thoroughly."

This is just a sneak peak of some of the golden tips we have for you from our noted chefs. We asked them to weigh in on every type of turkey emergency — from dry turkey to frozen turkey — and rounded up their fabulous tips to help you to save your Thanksgiving dinner!

Lauren Gordon contributed to this roundup.