Cool in the Thanksgiving Kitchen
Everyone seems to have a story about a wedding gone horribly wrong, whether it’s their own or someone else’s. But I’m guessing there are probably just as many stories about Thanksgivings gone awry, too.
Lots of moving parts involved in putting on a Thanksgiving feast, from preparing foods not commonly eaten the rest of the year, to the sheer size of the meal, to coordinating all the friends and relatives, some of whom you probably don’t even socialize with except on holidays. It can be, well, maybe not a recipe for disaster, but a recipe for hurt feelings or tasteless turkey, at least.
How do you avoid a hangover from a poorly planned Thanksgiving? By knowing basic mistakes cooks/hosts make and steering clear of them. Â A perfunctory list of Turkey Day screwups, with links to cooking tips:
- Too many cooks in the kitchen. Maybe you are a veteran of many feasts whose spouse or in-law just can’t resist showing you the right way to mash the potatoes. Here’s a great idea; create a diversion!
- Buying the wrong bird. No, I don’t mean serving pheasant instead. But some turkeys are better than others.
- Over-baconizing. I know this bucks the bacon-is-the-food-of-the-gods trend, but wrapping your turkey in bacon is just wrong. Save the bacon for breakfast on Friday.
- Slow roasting. This seems to be a common belief, but it can actually lead to a toxic turkey.
- Failing to enjoy the holiday. Don’t get too worked up over family politics or whether everything is perfect. You’ve got Christmas for that.
