Botched the Turkey This Thanksgiving? Whole Foods Will Give You a Gift Card

Every year, a new class of rookies tackles one of the highest-stakes culinary endeavors of the year: Thanksgiving dinner. Ruining a side dish or two might not make for disaster (especially if it’s cranberry sauce), but botching the bird is another story. Luckily, there’s an insurance plan for that.

As Business Insider reports, Whole Foods and Progressive Insurance are collaborating on a “Thanksgiving Turkey Protection Plan” that encourages amateur chefs to take on the turkey without fear of failure. Basically, anybody who buys a whole uncooked turkey from Whole Foods between now and November 22 is eligible to apply for a free $35 Whole Foods gift card if the cooking process doesn’t go so well. It doesn’t necessarily have to end with sooty poultry and a smoke-filled kitchen—your turkey could simply be so dry that even gravy can’t save it, or so undercooked that your family members are forced to take turns microwaving their slices.

To apply for it, you have to provide three pieces of information: your Whole Foods receipt, a photo of the offending turkey, and a description of why it counts as a cooking fail. Whole Foods will accept submissions here on November 26 (Thanksgiving) and November 27, and then award gift cards to the first 1000 qualifying participants.

Since many people are opting not to travel for Thanksgiving due to the coronavirus pandemic, those of us who usually leave the turkey to the seasoned veterans may end up trying to roast (or fry) it on our own this year. Whole Foods hopes the Turkey Protection Plan can help ease the pressure.

“As we anticipate more smaller Thanksgiving gatherings and first-time cooks tackling turkey preparation this year, the Thanksgiving Turkey Protection Plan allows customers the freedom of culinary exploration, knowing all is not lost should their cooking go astray,” Theo Weening, Whole Foods’ vice president of meat and poultry, said in a press release. “We want to help customers rise to the occasion and take on that turkey with confidence for less-stressed Thanksgiving meal preparation.”

In an ideal world, of course, your turkey would turn out glistening, crispy, and absolutely perfect. Here are some expert tips to help make that happen.

[h/t Business Insider]