The Titus 2 Homemaker

As Thanksgiving approaches (here in the U.S.), many people will be preparing for their first Thanksgiving Dinners at home. If you find yourself inclined to panic, try these tips:

1. Schedule your meal preparation. Beginning with the longest-cooking item on the menu (for most people, probably a turkey), count backward from the time you hope to eat. If your turkey will take six hours to cook and you want to eat at 6:00, you will need to have it in the oven by noon. Write this down! One by one, add each remaining dish to your list. (Don’t forget to allow time for preparing the stuffing and stuffing the turkey.)

2. Be sure you have appropriate serving dishes and utensils. I like to make note, on my schedule, of what dishes I will use to serve each menu item. If you need to buy or borrow something, this will leave you time.

3. Buy enough turkey. A good rule of thumb is 1 pound per person. (Although there is more meat per pound on a larger bird than on a smaller bird so, if it’s a very large bird, you can get away with a bit less.) In general, expect it to take 15-20 minutes per pound to roast a turkey at 350 degrees, plus 25% if it’s stuffed. Theoretically, it takes a day to thaw a frozen bird in the refrigerator for each five pounds. It has always taken longer for my turkeys to thaw, so I recommend giving it an extra day. (It’s not fun trying to prepare and stuff a half-frozen bird!)

4. If you are inviting guests and they are helping provide the food, don’t delegate any critical part of the meal to someone you aren’t confident will actually show up. Ask this person to bring an extra drink, dessert, etc. - something you could do without if necessary.

5. If you want a really moist turkey, cook it “upside down” - that is, breast side up. It does not come out as pretty this way but if your family usually carves it before bringing it to the table, this doesn’t really matter. With a smaller turkey, you can start it breast side up and flip it after an hour-and-a-half or so; with a really big turkey it just isn’t feasible to flip it.

6. Don’t get too stressed cooking the meal to enjoy it! If it’s late, it’s late; you’ll still eat.