Last Minute Thanksgiving Tips

[MyDigitalpoint]

Ready to start cooking Thanksgiving dinner? This morning I came across with these tips to avoid last minute errors while getting everything ready for it. Check them out:

10 Easily Avoidable Thanksgiving Cooking Errors

1. Cooking too many items at the last minute. Plan ahead, if you can prep food and even cook in advance than go ahead and cook it and reheat it just before dinner.
2. Don’t cook everything in the same spot. Never plan your Thanksgiving meal with everything cooking on the stove-top or in the oven. Thanksgiving is a big meal and cooking tops can run out of space quickly.
3. Overcooking the turkey – probably the biggest fear in everyone. Trying to find the perfect temperature for the perfect turkey. Watch your temperature it should be taken out when the leg thigh registers at 165 degrees.
4. Not letting your turkey rest long enough. Ideally your turkey should rest for 20 or even 30 minutes before carving.
5. Opening the oven door too often. You’re anxious, it’s okay, but you don’t want to have the door constantly open or the turkey won’t cook evenly or worse, at all. When basting take the turkey out of the oven and close the door quickly. That way it won’t lose its heat.
6. Taking the wishbone out before you carve. Carving the turkey is an art form, if the wishbone is out than you can’ properly carve the white meat.
7. Over mashing the potatoes. By the time you’re ready to mash the potatoes it’s probably crunch time and you’re in a rush. Don’t take your stress out on the potatoes, if you over mash they will become solid and gluey.
8. Serving hot food cold. Make sure the food that’s supposed to be hot stays hot. Serve the food on warm plates, or with a warm sauce drizzled over it.
9. Serving too much before the meal. Chances are people will show well before the actual dinner, after all it is Thanksgiving. Watch how many appetizers you have, you don’t want your guests to be full prior to the big event.
10. Leaving the food out after the meal. One of the best parts of Thanksgiving are the leftovers, if the food is left on the table too long it will spoil and you can say goodbye to the leftovers.

Source: by Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Las Vegas.

 

[mommykerrie]

Thanks! Excellent tips ... and why my husband stayed up until midnight last night baking the pies.

 

[OhioTom76]

I ended up cooking almost the entire Thanksgiving dinner for my family yesterday, and it went surprisingly smooth. It really isn't worth all the fuss people make over it when you think about it. Right after I put the turkey in the oven, I started on everything else, with the Mashed Potatoes being first. The time it takes for the turkey is enough time to prepare your sides. A few more tips I would add...

- Get all your non food related stuff out of the way before you start cooking. Get the table set, answer any emails or phone calls you need to take care of, get the wine chilled, etc...
- Consider cooking a few boneless skin on turkey breasts if you are nervous about cooking a whole turkey. They are much easier, and most people prefer the white meat anyhow. They are also a cinch to cut into nice even slices too.
- Keep it simple with the side dishes. Make the turkey (w/gravy), mashed potatoes and stuffing the star of the show. The rest of the side dishes can be simple steamed or sauteed vegetables for color on the plate. Add some toasted nuts and fresh herbs to them at the end to make them look fancier - these literally only take a few minutes, not hours.
- If you've never done a pan sauce with the drippings, now is not the time to try it. Save that for a rainy day experiment. Have some jarred sauce ready to go. You can always spoof it up with a little extra fresh ground pepper, a splash or two of cream, and some fresh herbs.
- Clean as you go! The last thing you want is a mountain of pots and pans to deal with shortly before your guests arrive.

 

[MyDigitalpoint]

I believe the hardest part of a Thanksgiving (or Christmas) dinner is exactly this last point, having a mountain of pot and pans that will later keep growing by the regular dinnerware use that night if they are not cleaned as soon as possible.