Things I have learned about Thanksgiving cooking over the years

[Trailrider1951]

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. This weekend I will celebrate my 70th birthday, and I will be cooking for our family get together tomorrow. Last year was the first year since my divorce (in 1977) that I did not spend all Thanksgiving morning cooking for the afternoon/evening feast because of the pandemic. I sat on my daughter's patio and talked to her through an open window while she cooked and then gave me a loaded plate to take home. This year we are all vaxxed and will have the feast at my son's house a few miles away. I am so thankful for that! Anyway, here are some things I have learned over the years:

1. Fresh is always best. I love cranberry sauce and make it from real cranberries. It's really easy and the recipe is right on the package. That canned stuff is an abomination. Same goes for whipped cream.
2. For a truly moist turkey (unstuffed) that is browned to perfection, roast it breast side down for the first half of the cooking time. This will baste the breast in the natural juices and will keep it from drying out. Then, flip the bird for the rest of the time to allow it to brown properly. You won't be disappointed.
3. Instead of using canned pumpkin for your pie, try using one of those small sweet pie pumpkins. Just cut it in half, remove stem, seeds and pulp and place it cut side down on a greased baking sheet. Roast it for a couple of hours at 375* F until you can pierce it easily with a fork. You can also cut it into smaller pieces and roast it in a large crockpot set on High. Let cool and scrape the meat of the pumpkin out of the skin. Use that instead of the canned stuff, which is hubbard squash and not pumpkin anyway.
4. The addition of sliced baby carrots to the onions and celery in the dressing adds great flavor, vitamins, fiber and looks pretty as well.
5. A tablespoon or two of the wine you are serving at dinner added to the pan drippings will help deglaze the pan and add a tremendous amount of flavor to your gravy. The alcohol evaporates during the cooking and leaves behind a richness that nothing else can match.

Well, there it is. Make of it what you will. I wish you all a Happy, Healthful, Delicious and Enjoyable Thanksgiving!

[Sanity Claws]

1. Tried and true tips

but I have a feeling there should be a point 6, maybe something about opening the wine early to sip on it as you take care of points 1 - 5.

[Trailrider1951]

8. You've seen me cooking, haven't you? Ha ha!

Only now the cardiologist says, "No more alcohol (wine)!" so I have to be content with other beverages. I can still put the wine in the food, I just can't drink it.

[Freddie]

2. Do as much as possible the night before

Desserts, cutting up veggies, set the table, chill the drinks, etc. DH hates it when I set the table with the nice dishes the night before because one of our cats ALWAYS has to curl up and nap in a serving dish or bread basket.

[Trailrider1951]

10. This is always a good idea. In fact, today I'm doing all the prep work so I can get straight to the

cooking and baking tomorrow. The stuff I can make ahead of time, like the cranberry sauce, the pumpkin and the pie crust, and the diced veggies for the dressing will all be done by this afternoon. Thanks for the tip!

[3catwoman3]

13. Turn the dishes upside down until you are closer to...

...serving time.

When I was a kid (back in the late 1950s), my mother always had us set the table for breakfast the night before, so there would be less to do on school mornings. She had us turn the cereal bowls upside down so no bugs would get in them, if there happened to be any around.

[flying_wahini]

3. All great tips but question about cooking turkey breast down, doesn't it make the skin come apart?

[Trailrider1951]

7. No, that has not been my experience. The skin stays together, but may have residual

ridges from the wire rack in the bottom of the roasting pan. Remember, the turkey is still half raw when it it flipped.

[flying_wahini]

4. One of my Mothers secret to making fabulous dressing.....

She used ½ dried cornbread AND frito corn chips. Really good.

[Delmette2.0]

5. You had me going at tip #2.

And the information on pumpkin's!

Thank you.

[demigoddess]

6. I used to make a small turkey without legs or wings. It would fit in a Corning Casserole and I would

cook it with the glass lid on. Nice and moist and tender. Did the stuffing in another casserole so there was plenty of it. Cornbread stuffing. Don't do it anymore. I'm old and lazy.

[Arkansas Granny]

9. I missed cooking Thanksgiving dinner last year as well.

You are so right about fresh is best. We make from scratch. I'm at my daughter's house today and we're getting a lot of prep work done. I'm in charge of dressing and desserts, my daughter does the side dishes and my SIL smokes turkey parts on the back deck. The roasted turkey is a collaborative effort.

The pumpkins are in the oven as I write this. When they come out, the cornbread for the stuffing goes in. Later I'll bake pumpkin and pecan pies and the sweet potatoes for a casserole. Time permitting, a buttermilk pie has also been requested. I made coconut custard pies and gingerbread yesterday.

[Phentex]

11. There was the year we had pink gravy thanks to #5!...

My husband apparently had a little too much wine while prepping and he figured a little extra in the gravy wouldn't hurt. WRONG!

I'm taking a break from cooking today but I have a lot done already. I like to do the hard work today and enjoy Thanksgiving off my feet!

[SWBTATTReg]

12. You too, and thank you for the very nice tips!! I thought about turning my turkey over

in the pan but only after it's been cooking for a while. Your idea makes better sense, do at first, and then turn over later.

You have a nice ThanksG too!

[3catwoman3]

14. We started brining our turkeys several years ago, and they are juicy...

...beyond belief.

Also, based on a suggestion from a 1987 COOK'S magazine (which I still have), I add some rum to the pumpkin pie filling. The alcohol bakes out, yet leaves an little twist to the flavor that is quite delicious.

[tishaLA]

15. I watched a YouTube of Jacques Pepin doing upside down turkey

at the beginning of the roast just last night. I'd seen it before and thought maybe it was gimmicky, but if it's good enough for Pepin, it's good enough for all of us.

I personally spatchcock the turkey when I cook a whole one, which isn't often, and otherwise just do a turkey beast--and I've been doing that sous vide.

[Scrivener7]

16. I had never used the wine in the gravy! I'm going to do it!

[spinbaby]

17. About the upside down....

I’ve always roasted a turkey by putting in a very hot oven then turning down the heat. This is presumably to “set” and brown the skin. If I start it upside down, will the breast still have that shiny brown finish?

[MissMillie]

18. When you flip it, brush the breast skin w/ butter

and yeah, you will.

For me I worry about the flipping of the bird (wow, that's funny) because I worry the bird will stick to the rack, and then the skin will tear.

I'm crazy about my America's Test Kitchen cook book, and I'm reading how they do a turkey, but I remember their turkey episode on TV, and they said to thaw in the fridge, 1 day for 4 lbs. I have a 10 lb. bird that I took out of the freezer Sunday night, and as of yesterday, it was still VERY frozen (troublesome for sure). Not happy about this, but I'm thawing it in the brine.

[MissMillie]

19. Well, for me it's about managing expectations... and accepting help.

I've learned I don't need to make 8 or 9 sides (my mom did, but she was feeding an army). The cranberry is red, so other than stuffing and mashed potatoes, I want something green and I want something orange.

My stuffing has carrots, onions, and celery, sausage and apple. I cook it outside the bird.

I love sweet potatoes, but I will not ruin them w/ marshmallow. Mine cook in the oven in an oven-save bowl, plenty of water, butter and maple syrup.

I love green bean and would rather just have them steamed or sauteed instead of in a casserole, but that's the help I'm getting this year. One of my guests is bringing green bean casserole.

I'm almost guaranteed to forget to put the rolls in the oven. Between mashing potatoes, making gravy and carving the bird, the rolls seem so unimportant. They are for me. I make rolls for my guests. Given all the other good food, I have no intention of filling up on bread.

[Luciferous]

20. Trying tip #2. Have a great Thanksgiving and happy birthday!

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

21. In my cranberry sauce,

I substitute orange juice for the water, and add a generous quarter teaspoon of dried ginger and scant quarter teaspoon of cardamom.