PITTSBURGH—Most of us are not professional chefs or caterers or decorators, so the thought of cooking for and entertaining a Thanksgiving crowd can be daunting.
Not Prepping
“The overriding first mistake people make is they think they have more time than they do,” said Bistro to Go Cafe and Catering executive chef Kate Kobylinski.She regularly hosts her extended family of 30 and knows “every single problem.”
“Food takes longer to cook, the table takes longer to set and houses take longer to clean than you think.”
Not Enlisting Help
Don’t feel that you have to do everything yourself. But be as specific as possible when doling out the assignments.
“Don’t let them make their own decisions!” Kobylinski said emphatically. Thanksgiving is “micromanager’s heaven.”
For example, have someone bring ice on Thanksgiving Day because going out to buy it takes time and ice hogs freezer space. If you don’t like making desserts, have someone bring one. If a guest wants to prepare a side dish, great, but decide beforehand what they will bring.
Ahead of dinner, interior designer Kacie Cope likes to set out all of her serving platters with Post-it notes attached denoting what will go on them.
“You'll be amazed if you have them labeled,” she said. “People can help in a jiff.”
During the evening, Kobylinski gives people assigned jobs, such as serving drinks or taking charge of an after-dinner game.
And the chef is forgiving about using premade ingredients, like gravy or cranberry jelly.
“There’s no right or wrong way to make any of your foods,” she said.
Not Defrosting Your Turkey
“Everyone goes into Thanksgiving Day with a half-frozen turkey,” said Kobylinski. “And you can’t get the bag of giblets out because they’re frozen in place.”It takes one day for every 4 pounds of turkey meat to defrost in the refrigerator. (No, it is not safe to leave your frozen turkey out on the counter to thaw and breed bacteria.) So if you’ve got a 20-pound bird, you’ve got to start thawing on the Saturday before Thanksgiving.
However, there are other methods. Kobylinski suggests submerging the bird and running a thin stream of cold water over it. “It doesn’t have to be a lot of water.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says there are only three ways to safely thaw food: In the refrigerator, in cold water or in the microwave.
To safely thaw turkey in cold water, the USDA says it takes about 30 minutes per pound. Put the turkey in a leak-proof plastic bag to prevent cross-contamination and submerge it. Change the water every 30 minutes, and cook immediately when it’s thawed.
If opting for your microwave, follow its instructions for thawing and cook immediately.
Then, if you’re running late and need to speed things up to satisfy the hungry hordes, you can cut the bird in half before cooking (skin side up).
Serving a Dry, Overcooked Turkey
Private chef and culinary educator Emily Larsen warns that those plastic thermometers in supermarket turkeys are setting you up for failure. The USDA says that you should cook a turkey until the internal temperature is 165 degrees F.Plastic thermometers don’t pop out until the breast meat is at about 180 degrees, “when your turkey is completely dry,” Larsen said.
Plus, people forget that meat continues to cook once it’s out of the oven. She recommends taking a bird out of the oven when it is at 155 degrees—she likes to use an inexpensive instant-read folding probe thermometer—and continue to monitor it. (Insert it into the thickest part of the breast, avoiding the bone.)
“Ten dollars [for the thermometer] can save your Thanksgiving,” she said.
Some feel that buying a frozen rather than fresh bird is another no-no, since freezing leaches water out of the turkey.
However, if, despite your best efforts, your turkey is lacking moisture, Kobylinski has a fix: Put warm chicken or turkey stock and clarified butter into a mister and spritz sliced turkey with it before serving.
Overcomplicating the Menu
Thanksgiving Day is not the time to try out a completely new recipe. And you don’t have to lay out 10 side dishes.In addition to opting for a simple menu, Kobylinski also recommends figuring out how long your items will take to cook and what method of cooking it requires ahead of time.
Your turkey will be monopolizing your oven for four hours, so other oven foods should be limited or be easily reheated during the time that the turkey is resting. (As for resting a turkey, the chef puts her turkey on a hot plate with towels over it so “the meat rebinds itself and stabilizes for a smoother cut.”)
“Stovetop items should be staggered,” she said, so you don’t have a frying pan and three pots all going at once.
Over-complicating the Decorating
Pittsburgh-area interior designers advise against going too crazy with holiday-specific décor.“There’s a lot that’s being sold to us that we feel like we need,” said Pittsburgh interior designer Amanda Bock.
Do you really need a turkey-shaped vase or pilgrim figurines?
“They’re out for two weeks, and then you have to figure out where to store them,” agreed Cope. “It takes an already busy season and makes it stressful in an unnecessary way.”
Cope says you can take things that are already part of your menu and use them as décor—a bowl of nuts or cranberries, or even removing the label from a cranberry sauce tin and repurposing it as a vase for flowers and fall leaves.
Bock adds that dining room table décor should be kept to a minimum, since you'll need space for your food. You don’t have to have “big chargers and five plates and three different glasses, plus all of your Thanksgiving food on the table,” Bock said.
If you do have flowers or a centerpiece in the middle of the table, keep it low, Cope advised.
“That way, you can actually see the person who’s across the table from you.”
Inhibiting the Party Flow
Well in advance of your guests’ arrival, think critically about the setup of your home. Don’t be afraid to rearrange your furniture so your guests move to different areas and don’t all congregate in your kitchen.“You want to make sure that there are areas where people can sit and chat, watch the parade, or just hang out together,” Bock said.
Set up a drinks station and an hors d‘oeuvres station in different parts of the house, Bock suggests. Though, she admits, “I can’t do that in my house because my dogs would just gobble up the hors d’oeuvres.”
She suggests repurposing a kitchen nook for kid seating, or as a serving area.
Forgetting to Set the Mood
As a finishing touch, don’t neglect to set the mood by using lamps around the room instead of harsh overhead lights. Putting out tapers or tea candles establishes an intimate feeling.“That just leans into the cozy fall vibe,” Cope said of low lighting.
But don’t use scented candles, Bock warns. Or a smelly flower arrangement.
“That can overwhelm you when you’re eating,” Bock said.
Putting on a favorite music playlist can set the mood and take away self-consciousness, especially early in the evening.
The most important thing on Thanksgiving is simply for everyone to enjoy each other’s company. A little advance preparation can help you, the host, stay relaxed throughout the evening so you can interact with your guests.
As Bock advised, “Keep it simple for Thanksgiving.”
Let friendship and fellowship be the stars of the show.
