WiseLifter Hook-n-Lift, The Prefect Turkey Lifter Featured in Cook’s Illustrated Magazine

Most of us are often faced with an awkward and heavy dilemma. After cooking a large turkey we face the task of lifting it from the oven to a platter or cutting board, which until now was never an easy task. Transporting an extremely hot pan with a heavy bird with juices in the bottom of the pan leaves a lot of room for error and always makes for an exciting few moments. If the bird was dropped, it would result in the loss of the main course as well as cause injuries and burns to those standing nearby.

Well Terry Markwardt has solved the problem. “I knew there had to be a better way to get the turkey from the oven to the carving board,” he explained, “and existing turkey lifters require two hands, are bulky and expensive. Until now the most common method is using either a large rack or using two large forks with long tines which put holes in the bird loosing juices and sometimes tears the bird apart, and they both require two hands. I wanted a tool that required only one hand to lift the bird leaving the other hand free to stabilize an unsteady pan so the pan could cool, and be removed at a later time. I also wanted the tool to be able to tilt he bird so the internal juices could be easily drained for making gravy and I wanted it to be small and compact so it would fit in my kitchen utensil drawer.

With that in mind, Terry designed the WiseLifter Hook-n-Lift. The Hook-n-Lift is an s-shaped (or zig zag) tool designed to be inserted into the bird’s cavity. Once inserted, the sharp turned up end hooks onto the breastbone preventing it from rotating or slipping off, and the bird can then be tilted upwards to drain off excess juices before its easy transfer to the carving board. The instrument itself is made from surgical grade stainless steel, which is both attractive and very easy to clean. The s-shaped design and wooden handle protects the user’s hands from the hot bird and from the steel rod being inserted into the hot turkey, and the handle is attractively crafted from Ash hardwood and is dishwasher safe. It is crafted to be easily grasped to carry a turkey up to thirty pounds with ease. The tool can be used on any type of poultry, both stuffed and unstuffed, as well for large cuts of meat like hams and roasts. It works well removing whole poultry and large cuts of meat from the oven, roaster, grill, smoker or deep fat fryer with ease.

The WiseLifter Hook-n-Lift takes the panic out of transporting not just the Thanksgiving masterpiece from oven to board, but can be used year round on multiple occasions and speeds the process of moving the bird or meat from board to the table by allowing it to cool on a surface that it was not baked in. Featured in Cook’s Illustrated Magazine’s November-December 2013 issue, it was commended for its design and ease of use. “The wooden handle was comfortable to hold, and the steel hook felt sturdy and solidly constructed”, as well as praises of “this tool makes transferring turkeys a snap!”

The WiseLifter Hook-n-Lift is modestly priced at $14.95 on grillwise.com, and can be used on many cuts of meat, and both stuffed and unstuffed poultry. By removing the chance of dropping the cut of meat, it takes the worry and panic out of ruining an otherwise gorgeous meal.

Information for purchasing the WiseLifter Hook-n-Lift can be found at http://www.grillwise.com.