Hi everyone! On Saturday, I posted part one of my Ultimate Thanksgiving Planning Guide which can be found HERE if you haven't read it yet. Today is part two and is primarily focused on all things food. I'll share some general tips along with giving you a basic guideline to follow in the days leading up to Thanksgiving. So here we go...
Easy Clean-up Tips:
- Consider using disposable foil pans, plates, etc.
- Try to clean kitchen messes as you go.
- After everyone is finished eating, recruit some help. If someone offers to help, let them. You've busted your butt the last few days, you deserve it.
4-5 Days Before:
- Create a cooking timeline.
- Clean linens, silverware, serveware, etc.
- Give your home a good cleaning.
- Clean out your refrigerator and try to use up what you have stored in it.
- Check over your recipes to make sure you have everything you need.
- If you haven't assigned dishes (food dishes, that is) to specific cookware, do that now.
3 Days Before:
- If you're using a frozen turkey, put it in the fridge TODAY to start defrosting. This is a lengthy process and you don't want to be like my mom one year putting a turkey in her tub at the last minute. True story.
- Do some basic prepping like washing and chopping vegetables, shredding cheese for salad, etc.
2 Days Before:
- Things like cranberry relish, pecan pies, cornbread for stuffing, etc. can be cooked today.
- You can also assemble casseroles now to bake the next day.
- Set up tables. Put clean linens on, add the centerpieces, etc.
1 Day Before:
- Most side dishes can be done today. My only exception would be mashed potatoes as I find they taste best when made the day of. Candied yams, casseroles, etc. can be cooked now.
- Any breads you make from scratch can be made and warmed right before serving.
- Finish up any baking such as apple pies, pecan pies, etc.
- In general, make whatever you can today.
Day Of:
- First things first, make the stuffing & stuff your bird. Start cooking it first.
- Assemble appetizers on serving trays if you haven't already.
- Turkey, ham, and gravy should be just about all you have to cook for the day.
- If you didn't make mashed potatoes in advance, cook those.
- After everything is cooked, warm up side dishes and enjoy!
General Tips:
- Rule of thumb for how much turkey you need is 1lb. per person if using a whole turkey and 3/4lb per person if using a bone in breast.
- Rule of thumb for ham is 1/4lb - 1/3lb per person for boneless and 1/3lb - 1/2lb for bone-in
- Invest in a probe thermometer that has insulated wire & an alarm. Then you just insert the thermometer, set the alarm, and forget about it. Plus, The pop up timers that come with most turkeys don't pop up until your bird is 180 degrees which means an overcooked bird. Turkey should have a temp of 165 degrees when done.
- Although not required, a gravy strainer is a good thing to have. An alternative if you don't have one is to pour the turkey juices in a measuring cup, allow 5-10 minutes for the fat to separate from the juice, and skim it off with a spoon.
- A sharp carving knife is an absolute MUST unless you're looking to serve shredded turkey.
So there you have it, everything you need to know to ensure a stress-free Thanksgiving this year! I have one more post to share regarding Thanksgiving and that will be my menu and cooking timeline along with some Thanksgiving dish recipes. Share your tips for an easy Thanksgiving in the comment section.
~Taylor
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