Skip to main content

Amazon Alexa added a skill for Butterball’s annual Turkey Talk-Line

Introducing the Butterball Skill for Alexa (60 Second)

If you’re concerned about cooking a Thanksgiving turkey, Amazon and Butterball have your back.  A new Amazon Alexa Butterball skill lets cooks with questions ask Butterball’s Turkey Talk-Line experts for help.

Recommended Videos

Enable the Butterball skill for your Alexa device and then you can say, “Alexa, open Butterball” or “Alexa, ask Butterball” to connect with Beth, Marge, or Christopher, Butterball Talk-Line experts.

You don’t actually talk with the experts, but the Alexa Butterball uses the voices of these actual experts. The voices are assigned randomly which adds to the skill’s versimilitude – just as when calling a helpline, you never know who will answer.

When Digital Trends called up the Butterball skill seven times, the voices that responded were, in order: Beth, Christopher, Christopher, Marge, Marge, Christopher, and Marge.

The Alexa Butterball Skill uses the voices of Turkey Talk-Line experts Christopher, Marge, and Beth (left to right). Image used with permission by copyright holder

You can ask questions such as:

  • “How many pounds of turkey should I buy?”
  • “How long do I need to thaw my turkey?”
  • “At what temperature should I roast my turkey?”
  • “How do I know when my turkey’s done?”
  • “Where should I put the meat thermometer?”

The skill uses interactive chat rather than responding to one question per session. When you ‘talk’ with the experts, you can use scripted questions like the above or just ask what you want to know in your words.

For example, instead of using the first question in the list above, I asked, “How big a turkey do I need?”

Turkey Talk-Line expert Beth’s voice asked, “To calculate how large a turkey you’ll need, how many people will you serve?”

When I answered, “Two adults and one large dog,” ‘Beth’ responded, “To feed two people, including enough for leftovers, you’ll need three pounds of Turkey.” The expert stuck to Butterball’s lane of expertise and didn’t mention that turkey isn’t good for dogs.

The Butterball chat feature doesn’t cover all topics. When asked what kind of wine to serve at Thanksgiving, for example, the expert responded with information about freezing turkey.

If you call up the Butterball Alexa Skill with an Echo Show, Echo Spot, or Amazon Fire TV you can also view how-to-videos about cooking a turkey.

The Turkey Talk-Line debuted in 1981 and was one of the first toll-free help lines, according to Butterball. Since that time more almost 50 million consumers have called the Talk-Line. Overall, each year more than four million cooks connect with Butterball for help via the Turkey Talk-Line, email, live chat, social media, and the Butterball website.

More than 50 people work on the Turkey Talk-Line, fielding calls in English and Spanish. Starting in 2016 the Talk-Line began accepting questions in text messages.

The most frequently asked question is, “How do I thaw a turkey?” That question is asked often among the 10,000 calls that come in on Thanksgiving Day.

Bruce Brown
Digital Trends Contributing Editor Bruce Brown is a member of the Smart Homes and Commerce teams. Bruce uses smart devices…
Amazon Alexa aims to streamline the EV charging experience
Amazon Alexa lists EV charging station locations on a vehicle touchscreen.

While the number of EV charging stations continues to grow, finding a station and paying for charging can still be a hassle. But soon you'll be able to simply ask Alexa.

At CES 2023, Amazon announced Alexa-enabled charging services that will let EV drivers find a charging station via Alexa, as well as pay for charging at certain stations when they become available to drivers in the U.S. later in 2023. You'll need a car with Alexa integration or an accessory like one of Amazon's Echo Auto devices, however.

Read more
How to find ghosts with Alexa (and other scary skills)
Some scary teens in The Midnight Club.

Do you wish you could use your amazing Alexa ecosystem to deliver some horrific thrills and chills to your peaceful home? Wish no more, dear scarer, for Alexa has taken a lesson or two from the formidable likes of Dracula and The Wolf Man, and the result is a nice little Pandora's box of ghoulish capabilities.

If you're interested in experiencing some life-beyond-the-grave entertainment with your favorite Alexa devices, we've put together this list of our favorite spooky Alexa skills you can try in the lead-up to Halloween. And hey, no one said you couldn't freak the family out during the Christmas season, or around the 4th of July, for that matter.
Count down the days in vile style
Have you ever seen Halloween III: Season of the Witch? Infamously, it's the only Halloween movie to not feature the elusive Michael Myers, but it is the only Halloween entry that features one heck of an ear worm tune in the form of this little jingle.

Read more
Why can’t Alexa reach Amazon Music?
Amazon Echo Dot (4th Gen, 2020 release)on a table with a yoga matt and water bottle.

Among the voice assistant’s talents, Alexa is a master at whipping up a playlist to accompany anything from your afternoon workout to a serious cooking session in your kitchen. Connections to services like Amazon Music allow you to stream your favorite artist, album, or genre with a quick voice command. Since Alexa is available in app form, you can have that same capability on your phone or computer.

But what happens when Alexa drops the ball and can’t connect to Amazon Music? Here’s what may be going on, and tips on how to fix it fast so you can go back to listening to your favorite tunes.
How do I get Alexa to play my Amazon Music?

Read more