The Thanksgiving Cooking Advice Thread

Cafe Society
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I figured maybe other people out there could use a little guidance on how to get a great Thanksgiving meal together, 'cuz Lord knows I do.

OK, I am hosting Thanksgiving dinner for the first time in my life. My sister and brother-in-law and their children are coming up to celebrate it with us, which makes for 7 people total. Here are a few questions that I am hoping the more experienced hosts/hostesses can answer for me:

  1. How many pounds should my turkey be to feed 7 and leave some leftovers?

  2. How do should I make the gravy? (I’ve never made gravy before-- yikes).
    Feel free to add your own questions or answer mine. :slight_smile:

Thanks!

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I believe the recommendation 1 1/2 pounds per person on the Turkey.

To make gravy:

  1. Put the neck, gizzard and heart in a sauce pan and cover with water. You can also add onion, celery, sage/bay leave, etc. for extra flavor. Simmer this until everything looks pretty tired out. Strain and save the broth.

  2. Roast your turkey, preferably in a sturdy steel pan. When it is done, remove the turkey, put it aside and pour off the juices into a container. Something like a Pyrex measuring cup is good. Then remove as much of the fat floating on top as you care to. There doesn’t tend to be very much with turkey.

  3. Put the roasting pan on a burner and deglaze the pan with water or white wine. (This just means to heat it up and add the liquid, stirring to dissolve all the roasted bits attached to the pan. You’ll need to be careful if you are using one of those disposable roasting pans, but it’s still possible.) Pour the resulting liquid into the Pyrex container.

  4. There are two ways to thicken the gravy. One is to stir flour into cold water until it makes a smooth paste about the consistency of heavy cream. You’ll need about 1 T of flour per cup of gravy. Then bring your pan juices and the reserved broth to a boil in a saucepan. Add the dissolved flour slowly, whisking it in. Simmer it until it is thickened and correct the seasoning.

The second way is to make a roux: Melt butter in a saucepan and cook the flour in it for a few minutes, being careful not to brown it too much. Then whisk in heated broth and pan juices and simmer it all until thick. Again, it should be about 1 T of flour per cup of gravy, and one T of butter per T of flour.

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For some extra flavor in the gravy, discard the gizzard and mince up the neck meat, heart and liver and add to the pan (you can strain them out later or leave them in). You can also add dried herbs (such as herbs de provence) for additional and different flavor. If the gravy isn’t brown as you like (in other words, you didn’t brown your roux well enough) you can stir in just a touch of Kitchen Bouquet or equal.

A hint on roasting the bird: preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Brush oil on the skin of the bird and place on a rack inside a shallow roasting pan in the oven. Immediately reduce the heat to 325. After one hour, baste again and cover the breast with oil-saturated cheescloth or plain white cotton cloth.

Continue to roast and baste every half hour or so with pan drippings. About an hour before the bird is done, remove the breast covering and allow to brown. This helps to keep the breast from overcooking. Some may disagree, but it has worked well for me for many years.

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Thank you both.

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Thank you both.

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Do as much as you can the night before. For example, you can peel the potatoes, wash the carrots, chop the onions, etc. Some years, I actually cook and mash the potatoes Wednesday night and then reheat them in the microwave or regular oven. Open the cranberry sauce and put it in the serving dish–same with any olives or other “munchies.” I usually set the table and, more importantly, locate and label all the serving dishes and utensils with post-it notes–avoiding such last minute annoyances as filling salt and pepper shakers and locating the slotted spoon for the peas. It makes it easier for people to help me during the last minute “rush” to get everything hot and on the table.

If you are cooking for a lot of people (I usually have 20 minimum), you might like this “trick.” Instead of buying one enormous turkey, I buy two (relatively) smaller ones. I cook the bigger of the two of them the night before. I don’t stuff it–that way I get extra drippings. Then, I make the gravy from that turkey–the night before. So nice to have that done and know it won’t be lumpy or anything. Also, I find it gets more flavorful if it sits overnight–like soup or stew.

I also slice up the meat, leaving it to soak over night in any extra juices or a just a little chicken broth.

On Thanksgiving, I cook the other turkey in a brown-in-bag. Since it isn’t 25 pounds, I don’t have to get up way early. It comes out nice and juicy and I bring it to the table whole–smells wonderful, and looks pretty. Then (blush), I take it to the kitchen and return with the pre-sliced meat, nicely reheated in one of those big electric warming things (I can’t remember the name–but they use them for church dinners and pot lucks).

Best of luck! Cooking Thanksgiving dinner is so much fun! I can’t wait.

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I would advise against cooking the potatoes the night before. Potatoes tend to get mealy when reheated and can be unpleasant.

“Open the cranberry sauce…” Well, the canned stuff is pretty gruesome IMHO, but some folks like it. Try buying a couple of bags of cranberries from your local market. Cook them per the instructions, but substitute orange juice for the water. Add some coarsely chopped pecans and you’ve got something that tastes great and looks like you know what you’re doing. You can easily do this a day or two in advance, then bring to room temperature or warm it before serving. I like to add a shot of cognac near the end of the cooking to give it some oomph.

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A secret in making gravy - while you’re cooking it, don’t go all the way to your desired “thickness” as it will thicken somewhat as it cools from “lava” to “merely hot”

If you’re making it the night before, this will be especially important - make it a wee bit runny and when you re-heat it, you won’t have to worry about it crossing the line into paste territory. (Overnight, it will go almost solid in the fridge but will liquefy once warmed up, so don’t panic when you see brown jello the next day.)

Chefguy - Remind me not to have you cook for my family. :)Between the cognac and pecans, your cranberry sauce would kill two people. :eek: But seriously… Even if I’m not cooking for the folks that I know are allergic, I try not to put anything with nuts or alcohol in front of anyone before making it well-known what’s in the item.

Two small items that sometimes elude people on the cranberry sauce - pick out the icky (squishy, rotten, etc) berries before you start cooking and towards the end of cooking, stir the stuff and mash down on any that didn’t pop. Un-popped berries will be a VERY tart surprise otherwise. We still kid my sister-in-law about this…

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Don’t use flour to thicken the gravy, use corn starch–much smoother, less taste. Again, stir the corn starch into cold water (I never measure, but it will say how many teaspoons per cup on the box), then slowly stir in the liquid mixture to the lightly boiling drippings ( after removing excess fat, etc). Don’t add it all in at once, stir some in, keep stirring and let it thicken, etc. Also, our family aften uses some of the water used to boil the potatoes in the gravy, and you can use chicken broth if you don’t have enough drippings for the amount of gravy you want to make.

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Just heartily seconding this advice. The first Thanksgiving I hosted, I had, without realizing it, planned on using the same serving bowl for two things! :o Fortunately I found a way to work around that, but now I always put a note on each bowl and serving utensil just to be safe.

I’ve already posted it in another thread, but the best tip I ever got for Thanksgiving cooking was simple: The more interesting the bread, the more interesting the stuffing. The flodmother had always used those bags of Bread Cubes for Stuffing and I thought you were supposed to use white bread. Nope. Buy a loaf of “interesting” bread this coming weekend, let it go a little bit stale, and cube it yourself. Every Thanksgiving cook has her/his own secret stuffing recipe, but you can get far with good bread and chicken broth, adding whatever you think sounds good. Usually I do onions, celery and herbs, but one year for instance I added apple cubes and Calvados!

Whatever you do, do not serve anything for dessert that will require preparation on Thanksgiving Day - other than maybe popping it in the microwave to heat up. You will not feel like cooking any more once the main course is on the table. That most traditional of all Thanksgiving desserts, the mighty pumpkin pie, is actually better made a few days ahead of time, in my opinion - the flavor matures a bit, somehow. If one pie isn’t enough, think about a cheesecake as a second dessert, or a spice or carrot cake. All of these can be made ahead and taste great. The usual fruit pie can go a bit soggy.

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Dissenting opinion, Kalessa I hate gravy thickened with cornstarch. It looks so shiny and glossy, like plastic.

I make by gravy starting with a roux. That’s a fancy french term for flour and butter, cooked together in a pan.

Toss a couple tablespoons of butter and enough flour to make a thick paste into a frying pan. Stir the roux over med heat until it browns to the color of a new copper penny (takes 5-15 minutes depending on how reckless you’re feeling with the heat. Burnt roux is a bummer though)

Now take the pan juices – or turkey/chicken broth if you don’t have enough – and pour into the cooked roux, all the while stirring briskly with fork or whisk. Keep adding liquid till it’s the consistentsy you think gravy should be. A splash of wine (red, white, it doesn’t matter that much) and some salt and pepper and pretty soon you’ll be hearing people say “damn this is good gravy.”

Have fun!

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If you bone and butterfly your turkey, it cooks in about a third of the time. You want to remove all the bones except the wing bones and the drumsticks.

Slit down the backbone, then cut down each side. Scrape against bone all the way. Carefully disjoint the thighs, cut out the thigh bones, and detach the wings from the shoulder joints.

Make stock from the bones you have removed, for your gravy. I always do this the day before, so be sure to start thawing your turkey on the previous Sunday. I always put the meat from the bones into my stuffing. Removing the fat from stock is easy in my part of the world - put it out in the garage, covered, for two hours and the fat rises to the top of the cooled stock, and you can lift it out in a sheet. Save it for the roux!

If you do the de-boning right, you will wind up with a turkey that looks like it has been run over by a truck. Skewer it to hold the wings and thighs against the body, dust the underside with salt, pepper, and sage, and brown it under the broiler for 10-15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325, put your stuffing on the bottom of the pan and plop the turkey skin side up on top of it.

I have done a twenty-five pound turkey in under two hours, and carving is child’s play.

This is a Julia Child’s recipe, from The Way to Cook.

I love cooking for Thanksgiving!

Regards,
Shodan

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You can also try Wondra flour, it’s got a special grind that fights lumping. Deglaze the roasting pan, add the juices back in, and shake the flour over top while stirring. Usually you get away lump free, and don’t have to mess with a roux. You also get to manage the thickness easier since you can add just a little more flour if it needs it.

Oh, and taste, taste, taste when making the gravy. Be careful with the salt, it’s easy to over salt it.

My everpresent thanksgiving tip: If you have a turnip eater in the house, get frozen mashed turnips, they’re really good, usually better than home made, and WAY easier.

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Just a note: Get a meat thermometer! Don’t trust that little pop-up thingy on the turkey. This is one food you definately want to be done!

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We did a butterflied turkey one, and only one, year. What a pain, and presentation was hideous. It resembled a beached sea turtle[it was pretty big to begin with] Tasted good, but not too many ate it. Had sandwiches, hash and pot pies 'til Christmas, or so it seemed. Trying the brined method this year, have heard nothing but rave reviews from friends who’ve done it.

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For a smaller turkey (I think 12lbs is probably the max this is feasible for) The Joy of Cooking outlines a “High Heat method” that takes about 2 hours IIRC. You actually cook the Turkey on its side, flipping it every half hour, so that the thigh gets the direct heat and the breast is protected. It turns out amazing, although the flipping is a bit of a hassle. Check it out in your friendly neighborhood Joy of Cooking (most recent edition).

Deep fried Turkey is also hella good, but a bit scary with the 10 gallons of boiling peanut oil and all. Only takes 30 minutes from what I remembered. Deeee-lish. You can get thesTurkey Deep Fryer sets at the Home Depot around this time of year.

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For a smaller turkey (I think 12lbs is probably the max this is feasible for) The Joy of Cooking outlines a “High Heat method” that takes about 2 hours IIRC. You actually cook the Turkey on its side, flipping it every half hour, so that the thigh gets the direct heat and the breast is protected. It turns out amazing, although the flipping is a bit of a hassle. Check it out in your friendly neighborhood Joy of Cooking (most recent edition).

Deep fried Turkey is also hella good, but a bit scary with the 10 gallons of boiling peanut oil and all. Only takes 30 minutes from what I remembered. Deeee-lish. You can get the Turkey Deep Fryer sets at the Home Depot around this time of year.

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Canadian Thanksgiving was over a month ago & I had 7 people over (5 being men with big appetites).

A 12.5 lb turkey, cornbread stuffing, gravy, 5lbs of potatoes (whipped), 2 yams (candied), about 2 lbs brussel sprouts, 2 bushels of asparagus for the brussel sprout haters, and 2 pumpkin pies.

There was just barely enough leftovers to make turkey soup.

Butter the turkey - butter the pan, stick butter under the skin of the turkey too & and if you are not up to covering you hands with butter - even though this is cheating - it still works wonderfully - spray the pan & the whole turkey with butter pam before seasoning - I did both.

Used my own cajun seasoning on the turkey instead of salt & pepper, the cornbread stuffing had dried & fresh fruit and pecans as well as using an egg to keep it moist.

Turkey was ultra moist - everyone raved - lower heat for longer time is better. Also cover the turkey - it still is golden on the outside as it should be & very moist inside - one more thing unlike what TV shows - cook with the breast side down so the light meat is in the drippings & baste every 20 mins after the first hour.

Turkey was cooked at 325 for about 4 hours covered (avg. time 20 min per lb - 25 min for a stuffed turkey) .

A proper roux is supposed to use clarified butter - but you can just use room temperature butter and stir flour in & it will work fine with less work. I usually clarify some butter (melt it & take off the white fat stuff and use the yellow stuff after you let it sit in the fridge) before hand.

Gravy was simple - took the turkey out - let the turkey sit for a couple minutes. Made a quick roux from room temperature butter & flour (1/4 cup of butter to a 1/4 cup of flour) & moved the pan onto the stove. Added the roux to the drippings (If you’ve kept the lid on & have a young juicy turkey there should be at least 1 & 1/2 cups of drippings - I had about 2 cups this time) - and let the roux work into the drippings using a whisk. Mixed in 1 cup of wine and about a cup of water slowly (if dripping are scarce add some chicken broth too - there should be about 4 cups of liquid in the pan) - and keep whisking - add more wine slowly until the gravy is slightly thinner than desired, then bring up the heat & whisk faster until it gets glossy- if the gravy is thin - keep cooking it - it will reduce and end up thicker. You should end up with just under 4 cups of gravy.

BTW - cornstarch makes a light gravy (like a white gravy) and roux will make a darker gravy with a nice glossy sheen.

Both are good gravys - cornstarch is easier but you can see fat globules in it - so it may be an idea to remove some of the fat from the pan first. I like the darker gravy better with some meals & light goes with others better.

For a light gravy - Add your 2 cups of liquid (wine/water/broth) - wait till your liquid comes to a boil and slowly pour your slurry (cornstarch mix) into the pan. Use about 3 tablespoons of cornstarch to about 1/2 a cup of water & put in a tupperware and shake up until it looks like milk - don’t mix it with a spoon or fork - you could miss some & have lumpy gravy. Use a whisk and continually stir - same as with a roux based gravy if the gravy is thin - keep cooking it - it will reduce and end up thicker. You should end up with just under 4 cups of gravy.

For both gravies - if the gravy is standing (not being stirred) - it should bubble but not boil.

On a personal note - butter is good - mmm - butter. Make a gravy with a roux - it has butter.

19

Oooopps - forgot the cranberries - ground cloves & brandy…

Also - taste the gravy - and add salt to taste - a 1/4 teaspoon at a time.

Cooking is an art & a science - For days before inspiration and expectation created the menu, the night before measurements were made, prep work was done, things were sliced diced marinated and spiced to exact percisission, and the day of the meal, all was carefully watched.

The only time I’ve ever had a food mistake in the kitchen was due to inattentiveness. Watch your food carefully and learn from it - my first dinner party was good but not amazing and now I have 2 chefs as regular guests who rant and rave about my food. First time you cook anything - follow the recipe if you don’t understand the ingredients or the methods, and learn from the taste how you can change it & make it better.

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Another trick is to brine the turkey. Soak the turkey overnight in the fridge in about 2 cups salt, 2 cups sugar, and 2 gallons of water (increase or decrease the proportions for larger or smaller birds). This will prevent the breast meat from drying out. The breast will be moist and juicy, somewhat similar to deli turkey. Brining means that you can cook the thighs till they are done and not worry that the breast will be shoe leather.

Oh, and I take about 2 heads of garlic, and peel and bash all the cloves. Chop up the garlic with some herbs and start stuffing it under the breast skin. Then chop an onion and an apple into 8ths and toss them in the cavity and under the neck skin, since I make the stuffing in another pan.