A Plan for Thanksgiving when the Cook Has to be in Court

Middle son (he who shall not be named on the internet) called for tips on how to organize Thanksgiving when you're short on time - i.e. when the cook is on a big case. So being a great Mom, I wrote him a plan. Seeing as how all of you will someday be organizing your own Thanksgivings, I thought this would be a fun document to share.

Bon Appetit!

Menu

Decide exactly what you are responsible for and write it down. If you are supplying the turkey and the trimmings and your other guests are all bringing a dish, your list might look like this:

Turkey

Stuffing

Gravy

Cranberry Sauce

As long as you have those four things under control, you are in business. I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you that you need to buy a lot of booze. Dad likes to serve Beaujolais Nouveau because 1) it arrives around Thanksgiving, 2) its not too expensive and 3) its not too heavy.

List

Once you have a menu, you need to make a list. This is the most important step in the whole process and more time has been wasted running back and forth to the store because you forgot something than any thing else.

Once you have chosen your recipes, write down every ingredient (yes, every ingredient). It will be a long list. Now you can go through the kitchen and cross off anything you already have in sufficient quantities.

At the same time, think about what equipment you need to get the turkey to the table. You will need 1) a pan large enough to hold the turkey  2) carving board large enough 3) carving tools. If you don’t have these items, borrow or buy them.

Shopping

On Tuesday, take your list and go shopping. You might want to order your turkey ahead by phone to make sure they have the size you want. Rule of thumb, a pound per person. I wouldn’t leave the shopping any later because the stores become too crazy and things run out.

Prepare Ahead

You can make both the cranberry sauce and the stuffing ahead of time: the cranberry sauce whenever you want because it keeps in the fridge forever and the stuffing on Wednesday. Be sure to keep the stuffing in the fridge after it is made.

Another way to get ahead of the game is to set the table on Wednesday. This also helps you to see if you are missing things like chairs and knives and gives you time to acquire them.

On the Day

There are 1,000 ways to cook a turkey, each with different timings. Nevertheless, an 18 – 22 pound stuffed turkey should take about 5 hours at 350F. After the turkey comes out of the oven, it needs to rest for 30 minutes. A good way to know that your turkey is cooked is to pierce the thickest part of the leg with a thin skewer (or fork if you don’t have one). The juices that run out should be golden and clear. You can also give the leg a little tug to make sure there is some give in it.

The turkey can rest for longer (up to 50 minutes) if you want to slow things down. Just be sure to cover the turkey in tinfoil to keep it warm.

Once the turkey is out of the pan and resting, you can make the gravy.

So, calculating backwards, if you want to eat at 5:00, then the turkey should be in the oven by 11:30. If the stuffing is already made and you’ve already bought the turkey, that shouldn’t be a problem.

Turkey Tips

You don't have to do anything except keep the turkey in the frig until you cook it. Then do this:

1) Take the giblets out of the turkey. They are normally in a plastic bag. Just make sure the cavity of the turkey is empty

2) Stuff the turkey into the neck end, pushing it up between the flesh and the skin towards the breast - not too tightly because it will expand during cooking. Press it gently and then tuck the neck flap under the bird. If you have a small skewer you can secure it. If you don't, just forget it, it will work either way

3) Put the rest of the stuffing in the body cavity

4) Put the bird in the pre-heated oven

5) You can baste every half hour or so if you want. I never do because my turkey is too big and I'm just glad I got it into the oven. Basting is nice, not essential.

6) If the skin gets really dark looking, cover the bird with an aluminum foil tent, not too tight. Normally, you need to do this for the legs and wings which get the darkest the fastest.

Does that help?

Mom

Good luck.