Thanksgiving tips

Cafe Society
1

It is time for the fourth annual Thanksgiving tips thread.

It is largely copy pasted and edited year to year so no real reason to read up on the past threads.

I have been a professional cook for about 25 years. I have owned several restaurants and I have hosted Thanksgiving on a number of occasions in many locations from nice large kitchens to my small cabin with no running water a small propane oven and only a wood stove for heat. I rarely post about food and cooking on the boards but I decided that every year I would share a few tips on Thanksgiving day entertaining.

Criticism is welcome as well as other tips.

  1. When your guests ask about what to bring do not forget about appetizers. This is very important. For one you can still control The Dinner. Second you avoid guests asking to heat things up in your already over packed oven. And the apps arrive as the people arrive. Perfect really. The social eating and filled app table create a festive atmosphere and keep the pressure off the kitchen if in fact the turkey or whatever is taking a bit longer than expected or some other calamity is arising.

  2. Drinks are always an issue. Not that there are not enough but with 5 kinds of beer and wine and sodas egg nog all packed in your already packed fridge your workspace (kitchen) will have way to much traffic People all jammed in trying to get things and asking questions and looking for cups and trash recepticals and all sorts of stuff. Have a drink table set up and some coolers. This will help immensely. Have a guest or two bring a cooler or a mini fridge or something with ice and a small trash can nearby. This will keep the kitchen traffic way down. Another thing guests can help with.

** Have a trashcan that is not under the sink. Leave one out by the drink table. Make that two a small box Do recycling. People will ask and you probably don’t wanna seem like an ass even though you don’t. Recycle. Just a small box for recyclables. Guest job

  1. Be ready for spills. They will happen. Have a wet washcloth and some paper towels handy. Keep it by the drink table/area . That is were they will happen. Something for the guest to do. And make sure you hve your entire supply washed and on the ready. buy new and put them on the shopping list if you need to.

  2. Let the guests help. 80% of the female guests will offer to help in some way or another. Have ready a few simple jobs. The want to help in order to do something and get socializing. Make it small and easy. Fill the ice cooler, put out some napkins. whatever. Just simple and easy and something you already had planned out for a guest to help with. You really don’t want a bunch of people all rummaging about your kitchen.

Some of the reasons guests wanna help is because they don’t want to watch the football game or get stuck figuring out why the Trasnformers 3 DVD isn’t working for the kids or talking to someone they are board with. It makes them comfortable. Not everyone likes to just sit. It is not entirely about helpfulness. So as a host making people feel comfortable is your job. Give them shit to do. You will still get all the credit and they will be happy. Like I said before they will want to please you and likely do better than you have time to do

  1. Make several lists.
    *A guest list. On that you can put specific jobs for them. And items they can bring.
    *A menu. Look at it often you will not forget anything that way. It is so sad to remember after Thanksgiving dinner when it is all over and the cranberry sauce or whatever is still in the fridge.
    *A list of ingredients.
    *And any other thing you need to keep track of.
    *How are you gonna serve all that stuff. After you make your menu see what platters you have. Borrow or have guests Bring them.
    the number of serving dishes /utensils you will need will be significant. Most people dont have nearly enough. This is the largest meal most people will cook on any given year. If it is your fist year to host maybe your whole life.
    **Put them on the fridge and consult them often.

  2. Keep your kitchen clean. Stop every 30 min or so while preparing and do the dishes and sweep the floor. I do not care how far behind you are or what DO THIS.

**Keep up with the dishes. You probably don’t have enough for dinner and desserts for all those people coming over. Toss them in the dish washer immediately. Do them fast so you don’t have to many people helping in the kitchen. The larger ones and overflow can be washed by the gusts looking to help. However–I have seen many times a team of two helpers that have never been in my kitchen before do all the dishes by hand faster than any home dishmachine could. Consider this.
7. Do not attempt to many new dishes. I suggest only one really if you can. Otherwise stick with what you know. It is super fun making new dishes and looking up recipes but do not get carried away. Just add one or two.

  1. Do not get over burdened with everything coming out at the same time. This is almost impossible with out a full kitchen staff and several large ovens. Just wrap things with foil when it is ready and put it on the serving table . When the last item is ready uncover everything. It will be fine. The only thing that needs to be hot is the Gravy.

  2. Do not over burden yourself with the turkey. Get a thermometer and take the birds temp. Of all the 1000’s or recipes you will find and all the hubbub even a seasoned Thanksgiving entertainer can get quite overwhelmed. THE BIRDS TEMP TRUMPS ALL RECIPES. A plane unseasonal bird chucked into a 375 degree oven till the breast reads 150-55 will make a better bird than any newfangled, brined, fried, stuffed, whatever that got over or under cooked. Of course you can improve on this a bit with some seasoning and your own style but just remember about temp.

I cook the breast till 150+ pull the bird out let it rest for a 10min or so. Lob off the breast then put the carcase back in the oven to bring the thigh temp to 165+ carve it all up in the kitchen.

  1. Make all your desserts the day ahead. And whatever else you can as well Just about everything will be OK made the day or days ahead.

People are gonna overeat. Subtle nuances in the foods flavor and temp will go largely unrecognized. And the trade off is relaxation less stress and a more festive atmosphere.

  1. If you want a salad have a guest bring it. They will do a marvelous job. And salad fixings don’t really cross over to other Thanksgiving dishes makes your shopping list larger than necessary and over packs your fridge. Your are busy anyhow. They will make a better one than you. Plus a festive salad is Likely to cost more than the damn bird.

  2. Make a place for pies and desserts ahead of time. Guests will likely bring them even if you ask them not to. I know your fridge and kitchen is brimming full. Clear off the top of your fridge today. Get rid of all that crap and make room for pie. Or have some other place ready.

13.Dont point out your mistakes. If there is a problem with any portion of the meal do not advertise it.

  1. Do not stay up late the night before. I do not care how far behind you are. Get some rest. go to sleep by 10 pm. Eat breakfast feed your kids if you have them. Saving your appetite for Thanksgiving dinner is for adult guests not the preparer and children.

  2. Above all relax. This is a fun holiday. Make it a non stress as possible. Let people help but try and say organized and know what you in fact need help with. Keep clean and remember It is just family and friends. They love you and all will be grand. And please please don’t follow these guideline tips and ideas to a T. This is your holiday to host and all thanksgivings are fun and enjoyable.
    This is fun.

Please have fun. It is the most important tip of all.

If you are a guest offer to help try not to be in the kitchen to much and keep these tips in mind. You can use them to help out an overwhelmed host or keep them from getting overwhelmed. Do not expect to use the oven to heat your so important dish in. Bring something else.

2

Take the turkey out of the fridge a few hours before cooking and put an ice pack on the breast. That way the breast will start off colder than the rest of the bird, so the dark meat and white meat will be done at the same time.

3

If you can most of the bird to room temp with the ice just on the breast this will work even better. There are thousands of Turkey tips. Simplest is still often the best.

4

Whatever recipe you’re using for pumpkin pie, put in twice the amount of spices.

5

This. Please remember, many of the traditional dishes are served only once or possibly twice a year. Most of your guests are NOT tired of these dishes, and are looking forward to the traditional roasted turkey and cranberry sauce and whatever. It’s part of the ritual. If you go for a complete change of menu, some people will enjoy it, but most won’t.

If you want to do a completely different menu, pick some other day to do it. Thanksgiving rolls around just ONCE a year.

6

If you have a crockpot, it’s a wonderful way to hold mashed potatoes for a few hours. Once the bird is in the oven, make your mashers and put them in a crockpot to keep warm. Once I figured this out it made my whole day go *so much *smoother - this way the sole item you’re dealing with making at the end is the gravy, and of course just keeping an eye on the side dishes getting hot in the oven.

Speaking of gravy: make some Make Ahead Gravythe night before. As the bird is resting you just add it to the defatted pan drippings… you’ll never have lumpy gravy again.

7

Nice additions. I fully agree with the pumpkin pie tip and the crock pot for the mashers. Rice cookers will work for additional warming vessles if you have one.

8

Does anyone have a tip or suggestion for sweet potatoes that doesn’t involve them being mashed (same texture as the mashed potatoes) and doesn’t involve my oven (I feel like they’ll take too long and interfere with my brussels sprouts)?

9

Fill the kettle with water for after dinner tea, prep the teapot.

Fill the coffeemaker with grounds and the water reservoir. Have cream and milk, in fridge already in small pitcher. Using a cookie sheet(s) covered in tinfoil, set out as many cups, saucers, spoons, sugar, dessert forks, dessert plates as will be required.

As dinner winds down, hit the button on the coffeemaker, turn the kettle on. Slam dirty dishes into the kitchen and set up for dessert and hot beverages, it’s a snap, and you’ll enjoy your meal so much more.

10

I saw this and began drooling… I love sweet potatoes and although we don’t have them on Thanksgiving this is definitely getting made at some point!

11

Bake 'em the day/night before. That’s what I always do. Of everything you cook on the big day, they’re one of the most forgiving of being fridged and reheated, even in the microwave.

12

I know you asked for a non-oven recipe for sweet potatoes, but please consider this recipe:

Wash the sweet potatoes, skin on.
Cut them in half, and stand them up on a foil lined cookie sheet, cut side down.
Bake until soft and cut side is starting to carmelize.
Serve.

Plain simple roasted sweet potatoes are awesome. They don’t need anything. The foil lining is just so you don’t have to scrub a dish.

13

You can do orange sauced sweet potatoes in the microwave, they are simple and delicious.

14

I asked this in the Menu Thread, but I’ll ask here too.

Does anyone have any suggestions to doctor up some Stove Top to make it a little bit more special for Thanksgiving? We’re not stuffing the bird and will just be making Turkey flavored Stove Top per the box in a casserole as a side since we all like our stuffing pretty basic, but I was thinking about ways to spruce it up a little.

I’m going to simmer some stock with the giblets for gravy while the turkey cooks and I could use that instead of water for the Stove Top but I’m a little concerned that that would leave me without enough stock for a copious amount of gravy.

15

I found a stuffing recipe that basically takes regular Stovetop, adds caramelized onions and pancetta, then bakes it in the oven for a bit with some bacon on top to crisp it up.

16

That sounds tasty. Probably too late to get pancetta, I assume it was cooked before stirring it in right? Bacon might be a decent substitute.

17

You would only need a little stock to help out the flavor and allow for plenty for the gravy. Or dilute the stock for the stuffing some.

Bacon or some sausage would be nice. A bit of diced celery and or onion would really do wonders. You could go further and add some nuts, dried cranberries or apple. However to much and you might as well make it from scratch. Seems like you wish not to take away from the simplicity. You would only need a little stock to help out the flavor and allow for plenty for the gravy.

18

Tip: get out all of your serving dishes the night before. That way, you know you have one for each dish. It’s so discouraging to prep a great meal, and realize at the last minute that the gravy boat is broken or you don’t have enough bowls for all of your side dishes. (That’s when you call one of your guests and ask them to please arrive early with an extra bowl instead of a bottle of wine!) Even if you own enough intact dishes, it’s frantic enough trying to get that big meal on the table without having to search through all the cabinets for the big platter or the ambrosia bowl, especially if Aunt Edna is “helping” and seven screaming kids are rampaging through the house.

19

We always put someone in charge of non-food entertainment. One year, it was a turkey-drawing contest. Have also enjoyed Thanksgiving quiz, NFL quiz, T’giving Bingo card, etc, etc.

It keeps people occupied, out of the cooking zone, and amused while drinking and waiting for turkey. :cool:

20

The recipe actually said you can happily swap in bacon if it’s all you have on hand. Now that I think about it, this is the recipe. I was actually mixing together two things I read (and plan to do tomorrow) with the raw bacon on top in the oven thing.