1. Let the turkey rest for at least 30 minutes before carving. This allows the hot juices to be drawn back into the meat, keeping the turkey moist.

2. Remove any kitchen twine used to truss the turkey.

3. Using a very sharp knife, slice the skin between the meat of the breast and the thigh. The secret to easy carving is to follow the contours of the bird.

4. Continue cutting down, pulling the thigh away from the turkey with the fork, until you reach the joint where the thigh meets the breast.

5. Place the leg on the cutting board.

6. Cut apart the thigh and drumstick. Turkeys have almost twice as much white meat as dark.

7. Slice the "second joint" dark meat off the thigh.

8. Transfer it to a platter. This meat is juicer than the "first joint" meat on the drumstick.

9. Make a shallow incision along the entire length of the breast bone.

10. Using the tip of your knife, cut and scrape down one side of the rib cage, pulling gently on the breast to free it.

11. Follow the bone down until you reach the wing joint.

12. Insert the knife into the joint and cut through to keep the wing attached to the breast.

13. Continue cutting down along the carcass until the breast comes free.

14. Lay the breast skin-side up on the cutting board. Steady the wing with your fork and make a slanting cut to remove the wing.

15. Starting from the small tip of the breast, begin slicing 1/4-inch-thick slices, holding the knife at an angle and using the carving fork to aid slicing. Slicing the breast across the grain on the cutting surface reduces the appearance of stringiness.