Get a Jump-Start on Cooking your Thanksgiving Feast

By Lori Powell

So I’m still trying to remember to breathe… I am obsessed with helping everyone around me manage the greatest food holiday of the year that often requires jumping through not one, but several hoops, on so many levels.

If you haven’t read my prior post featuring my Thanksgiving tips, I suggest you start with that one. Today I am going to give you some tips on how to make ahead items on your menu and how to tackle the Thanksgiving feast.

Happy Turkey Day and remember, what happens in the kitchen stays in the kitchen….

• Prep the bird ahead of time and remember to remove all of the extra bits, such as the neck (in the body cavity) and giblets and liver (in a bag in the neck cavity). Pat turkey dry and set it on a large sheet pan with rims to catch any extra juices and cover in plastic wrap, preferably in the bottom of the fridge. Clean the area well where you washed out the bird. Do not season the bird with salt and pepper until right before roasting.
• If brining your bird now is the time to do it.
• Make your turkey stock ahead by browning the neck and giblets in oil (not the liver, which you could reserve for the stuffing). Add carrot, onion and celery and any aromatics, such as herbs. Cover with low-sodium chicken broth and water. Simmer for hours until reduced, strain (discarding solids) and defat. Keep chilled in a container in the fridge, ready for making gravy the next day.
• Make the stuffing ahead without egg and broth; add them the next day and then stuff the bird in the morning. If you forgot to leave the bread out to dry just simply toast it in the oven until crisped on the outside.
• Cranberry relish or sauce could be made four days ahead, chilled, covered.
• Pie dough, if you have not made it already, can be done now and pies can be made tonight.
• All veggies can be trimmed now, for your veggie dishes, such as creamed onions.
• Roast the sweet potatoes ahead, peel and mash. Keep chilled until ready to use.
• Peel the potatoes and keep in cold water until ready to cook.
• No room in the fridge and cold outside? Use your garage or porch area to chill beverages, store veggies, fruit or any non-meat or dairy products. I just filled two coolers that are stacked on my back porch with condiments, veggies and fruit, and stacked my beverages in crates on a rack on the porch.
• No room in the oven? Use your grill. Just make sure that you have propane or gas in the tank and use grill-safe pans to reheat food.

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Related posts:

1. Rhubarb Chutney for your Easter Feast
2. Make this Stew in Less than 30 Minutes, from Start to Finish
3. Thanksgiving for Two
4. Getting Ready for Thanksgiving
5. Cooking with the Seasons

Comments

[Deepfryerdan]

Good call on the grill idea. We were quickly running out of cooking space this year and the grill provided a great surface with which to keep our sides warm.