The most important part about cooking thanksgiving dinner is not to panic. It’s about bringing family and friends together. Here’s my top 10 list for a successful and great thanksgiving:
1. Organize a few days ahead
a. Make a list of what you want to make.
b. Create a time chart of when you can do things like grocery shop and food prep.
2. Find good recipes
a. Make sure you try them ahead of time, use test kitchen recipes from trusted sources.
3. Set the table the day before
4. Find appropriate cooking dishes ahead of time for each item being cooked that day.
a. Don’t wait until the last minute to find out you don’t have a roasting pan for the turkey.
5. Make sure you allow plenty of time for the turkey to cook. Check in advance to see if the oven is collaborated. And make sure the turkey will fit in your oven!
6. Ask your butcher with the amount of time your turkey will need to cook depending on the weight of the bird (this is not something you want to guess about). A stuffed bird will take longer!
7. Have people bring things, or have them help you cook.
8. Use pre-made things as-is, or dress them up a bit on your own to make it easier.
9. Serving each person can be too much, so go for buffet style. It’s ok if the turkey is room temperature. It’s nearly impossible to keep such a bird piping hot after cooking it.
10. Remember, don’t panic! Open up a bottle of Champagne and toast yourself for doing an excellent job – no matter what the end product looks like!
Happy Thanksgiving!
