Comments on: Tips for Cooking Thanksgiving Dinner

By: Deborah

Deborah — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:10:54 +0000

Now I'm super excited for Thanksgiving!!

By: julietori

julietori — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:33:51 +0000

I've hosted Thanksgiving twice, though for very small groups. I think for a larger group, the same principles would apply. Planning is KEY, even if it's not your strongsuit. You need to plan the menu according to what you have in your kitchen in terms of oven and stove space and other appliances (e.g., turkey and stuffing in the oven, potatoes and other veggie on the stove, another side made in the plug-in steamer, etc.). It's also key to assign at least a couple of things to guests–last year I asked my sister-in-law to bring bread and dessert, and it really took the pressure off. I made the cranberry sauce the day ahead. As part of the plan, you should have a timeline for the Thanksgiving day. Pick the time you want to eat, and back it up from there. Then you can plan when things need to start cooking, and plan when you need to start preparing (e.g., the turkey needs to go in at 10 a.m. and will take 30 minutes to prep, so start prep by 9:30). You should have a schedule for preparing the entire meal, from start to finish. You'll inevitably get off track somewhere, but it keeps things under control. Finally, try to include a couple of recipes you're familiar with–if you're trying everything for the first time, that ups the stress significantly.

Just my $.02!

By: Katerina

Katerina — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:08:47 +0000

Kevin – rice cooker, good plan!
L and Peter, I really really need to try the brining.

By: L

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:53:44 +0000

I've never done it myself, but when the day comes to host thanksgiving, a brined turkey will hands down be the top of the list – it's always moist, (read: nearly impossible to overcook) and it's so tasty, it doesn't even need gravy! (not to say I don't still have it anyways!)

By: Kevin

Kevin — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:57:48 +0000

Great holiday dinner tips roundup. Now that you mention the crock pot, you could also use a rice cooker for a hands free no fuss rice side.

By: Ruth Daniels

Ruth Daniels — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:26:58 +0000

Great roundup. Thanks for including my two cents worth. I'm not usually a list person, but times like this, it definitely cuts down the stress factor.

By: Peter M

Peter M — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:46:00 +0000

Kat, thanks for posting the turkey recipe and emphasizing brining a turkey.

It's so good that I could do Thanksgiving over again!

By: Kalyn

Kalyn — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:12:07 +0000

I love the idea of celebrating both Canadian and American Thanksgiving. All my friends usually go away for American Thanksgiving, so I think I'll start having a dinner with them for Canadian Thanksgiving!

Great round-up. Thanks for including me.

By: Charmian @ Christie's Corner

Charmian @ Christie's Corner — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:09:15 +0000

Great round up of ideas. I'd never thought of the crockpot for Thanksgiving.

Thanks for including me in your tips post. The menu here looks wonderful — and approachable.