Thanksgiving Tips- Don’t be set up to fail…

 

As a general rule, you might cook 3-4 meals per week and then Wham! You are expected to produce a meal for 20 in a kitchen designed to accommodate 2 adults and 2.2 children.

 

Add the crowd gathering in the kitchen, wine consumption, and scampering children and you have conditions tough for even experienced cooks. You’re headed for disaster before you begin.

 

Here are some strategies and solutions to common mistakes to make your holiday truly satisfying.

 

1.     Whatever you do, don’t assign your guests to contribute side dishes. They are most certain  to bring a casserole that will need to be cooked in the oven, and guess what’s in there? That’s right, your turkey. Try to cook side dishes while the turkey is resting and you run the risk of waiting over an hour for dinner.

2.     Assign guests appetizers, wine or dessert. This frees up the kitchen for cooking and you are in control of the flow of side dishes.

3.     Don’t mess with family traditions. I still hear from my husband the year I put chocolate chips in the Pecan pie. We all get tired of making the same thing every year, but don’t omit the “mutiny” items. Add new items instead of replacing a family favorite.

4.     Choose items that can be held in a crock pot or made ahead if possible. Potatoes hold well in a crock pot, as well as sauces.

5.     Don’t try to make everything fresh on Thanksgiving day. This is impossible unless you stay up all night or have a commercial sized kitchen with multiple appliances. Make the gravy and desserts the day before. Keep Appetizers simple such as a cheese and smoked salmon platter, or fresh veggies with dips and spreads.

6.     You have worked for hours and planned for days. Linger over dinner and have another glass of wine before clearing any dishes. Give everyone a chance to relax and enjoy a delicious meal.

 

Cooking Tips

Chef’s Secrets to make life easier in the kitchen

• To grind nuts quickly, crush them with a rolling pin or wooden mallet in a Ziploc bag.
• To freeze foods for easy separation such as berries, spread on cookie sheets until frozen and pack in containers.
• When cooking with herbs, use twice as much fresh as the dry counterpart.
• Brush soy sauce on meat before broiling for a rich brown color.
• To keep boiled potatoes white, add a teaspoon  of lemon juice or vinegar to water.
• Put lemon on fish after cooking, never before, to keep from getting mushy.
• If soups or stews are too salty, add a few slices of potato. Boil a few minutes and remove.
• Before peeling oranges, cover with boiling water and let stand 5 minutes. The bitter white membrane can be removed more easily.
• Nuts keep up to one year in the freezer.
• Keep popcorn in your freezer for betting popping.
• Coat raisins with flour to keep them from sinking to the bottom of muffin and cake batter.
• For soup with rich flavor and color, brown bones, onions, celery and carrots in oven first.
• Forming meatballs is easier if hands are first chilled with an ice cube.
• Raw mushrooms, kiwi and strawberries can be sliced evenly and quickly with a egg slicer.
• To cut fresh bread, heat the serrated knife.
• Shave chocolate with a potato peeler for a quick dessert garnish.
• Make a cardboard ring to keep the rim of plate clean when spraying salad dressing or dusting desserts with powdered sugar.
• Marinate hard cooked eggs in beet juice before making them into deviled eggs.
• Roast peppers quickly with a blow torch.
• Peel garlic easily by chopping off the ends and hitting the clove with the back of a knife on a cutting board.