Tips for Cooking Thanksgiving Dinner
17. Nov, 2009 
9 Comments
I love holidays that are centered around food and family but I have never hosted a Thanksgiving dinner before. Always eager to learn, I decided to ask some of my favorite foodie writers what tips they have for cooking a successful thanksgiving dinner.
A common theme was around planning well and sufficiently in advance of the holiday. Kevin from Closet Cooking stresses that your oven space is at a premium so “you don’t want to plan on making two sides that require oven time, unless you have a large oven or a second oven.” He suggests trying to make things ahead of time, even the day before and suggests that dishes like cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie are great candidates.
Ruth from 4 Every Kitchen had the same suggestion, but goes even further to suggest getting organized a week before, including writing out the menu and planning the cooking for the week before. “Make a daily schedule starting a week before that includes shopping for ingredients for ALL the dishes, finding the serving dishes,” and all that is needed to make it festive. Personally, planning isn’t my strong suit, but sometimes it is necessary and I think it would really take the pressure off.
Kalyn from Kalyn’s Kitchen is known for some great crockpot recipes so it is no surprise that she suggests you rely on all the tools at your disposal. “Making use of other appliances to cook or keep things warm can really help.” She suggests getting creative, like using your crockpot to keep your mashed potatoes warm while you deal with the turkey or even to keep cut turkey warm while you pull the gravy together. She says that though the crockpot is her favourite, you could also use pressure cookers, electric frying pans, and toaster ovens. As someone who frequently stresses about timing I think this could really simplify things.
Charmian from Christie’s Corner takes a different approach, make it a “communal meal” she says. The host can do the meat and guests can bring side dishes and dessert. Of course, as host you still need to coordinate so you don’t have “six versions of potatoes” but this does seem to relieve some of the planning stress as well as the last minute cooking. Similarly Deborah from Taste and Tell suggests everyone do their “part to pitch in.” If everyone participates then everyone can also enjoy the holiday.
If you have ever read Kalofagas you will know how much Peter loves his food, so it comes as no surprise to me that he has a cooking tip for everyone. Brine the Turkey he says, he has brined his turkey for over a decade and it “always turns out moist…even the leftovers!” There is a link to Peter’s recipe for stuffing and brining his Turkey below.
Have you ever hosted Thanksgiving? What are your tips for cooking a successful, stress free holiday meal?
A few select Thanksgiving Recipes:
Spicy Crockpot Sweet Potatoes from Kalyn’s Kitchen
Oven Roasted Rosemary Potatoes from Christie’s Corner
Peter’s Greek Turkey with Rice Stuffing from Kalofagas
Roasted Carrots and Beets with Maple Balsamic Dressing from 4 Every Kitchen
Sweet Potato Pecan Pie from Closet Cooking
Lion House Rolls & Sweet Potato Buttermilk Rolls from Taste and Tell
A Favourite Simple Pumpkin Pie from Christie’s Corner
Did I mention that I think I am going to start celebrating both Canadian and American Thanksgiving? There is more gravy and pumpkin pie that way.
Originally started as a way to document and learn to cook, the site chronicles my journey as I learn a few new things, create recipes, and have a disaster or two.
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.
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.
Kat, thanks for posting the turkey recipe and emphasizing brining a turkey.
It's so good that I could do Thanksgiving over again!
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.
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.
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!)
Kevin – rice cooker, good plan!
L and Peter, I really really need to try the brining.
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!
Now I'm super excited for Thanksgiving!!