Thanksgiving Dinner Tips

Categories: Thanksgiving | Thanksgiving Food | Food & Drink

Do you need help with Thanksgiving Dinner? Whether you're unsure how long to cook a Turkey, how much food to serve, or when to start cooking, this page can help! We've assembled the best expert Thanksgiving dinner tips in one place to help you host a flawless Thanksgiving dinner this year.
Thanksgiving Dinner Tips
1. Start planning several weeks in advance
2. Write out a menu, gather recipes, and write out a detailed shopping list
3. If you ask people to help, be specific. Rather than asking for dessert, ask for a pumpkin pie, for example-- you don't want three people to all bring the same thing.
4. Plan on 1-1.5 pounds of turkey per person
5. Select side dishes that can cook in the microwave, crock pot, and on the stove top, as oven space will be at a premium
6. Leave the turkey uncovered in the refrigerator for 24 hours for crispier skin.

Thanksgiving Dinner Tips

What are your favorite tips for Thanksgiving Dinner?

Comments (13)

ssmacd added a comment October 28, 2009 06:14 PM
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Remember that the turkey should sit for 30-60 minutes after coming out of the oven. If you try to carve it too soon, it will shred rather than slice.

lgalatea added a comment October 28, 2009 06:16 PM
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Here's a Thanksgiving tip! If you're hosting a Thanksgiving Dinner, know ahead of time if anyone has allergies. One year, my sister in law put walnuts in almost every dish and even stuffed the turkey with them. My father in law is allergic, so he couldn't eat anything. We ended up fetching him a TV dinner from our freezer just so he could eat with us.

victoria_reid added a comment October 28, 2009 06:19 PM
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With all the Thanksgiving trappings, there is frequently no fresh food offering, if you think about it. I always serve a Caesar Salad which gives the taste buds a nice break from all the cooked items. I need to make lots. It's a big hit!

If you'd like any menu ideas, here are the other items we serve:
Roast Turkey
Stuffing
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Yams
Steamed French Green Beans (thin ones)
Cranberry Relish
Pumpkin Pie
Apple Pie

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bootz added a comment October 28, 2009 08:11 PM
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Here's my Thanksgiving tip: bake plenty of extra crescent rolls or whatever rolls you like best so you can use them for turkey sandwiches later. I slice open the crescent roll, spread cranberry sauce on one side and a good Swiss cheese spread on the other, and then put a nice thick slice of leftover turkey meat in between. Mmm!

debbiehenthorn added a comment October 28, 2009 08:18 PM
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The most important advice I pass on to anyone whether they are a newlywed serving their first Thanksgiving dinner or a grandmother roasting her 60th turkey - RELAX and don't overdo it.

It's impossible to enjoy the day fretting about a Norman Rockwell fairy tale. Enjoying time with family and friends is much more important than stressing over a painting that was originally published in March in response to FDR's "Four Freedoms" but has since become synonymous with the "perfect Thanksgiving".

http://www.best-norman-rockwell-art.com/norman-rockwell-saturday-evening-post-article-1943-03-06-freedom-from-want.html

jillbeth added a comment October 28, 2009 08:31 PM
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My advice is that when a guest or family member offers to bring a dish, take them up on it! The less food you have to prepare the less time you'll have to spend cleaning pots and pans, and the more time you'll have to relax with friends and family!

brandy76 added a comment October 29, 2009 12:02 AM
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If you are serving pumpkin pie, make sure to serve it with real whipped cream (the can stuff is okay, but not the fake cool whip stuff). It's so much better with real whipped cream! Buy it early, since it does sell out fast close to Thanksgiving.

lindalstcyr added a comment October 29, 2009 01:26 AM
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This is a very important tip: Remember to take the insides out of the Turkey before putting it in the oven! Some turkey's do not come with the innards in a nice baggie that can be pulled out so you have to check. Use the innards in the stuffing so you are not wasteful!

robbrown added a comment October 29, 2009 01:45 AM
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Get the kids involved! Assemble a table of ingredients for appetizer assembly and desert preparation. Kids love to help out in the kitchen and if you give them their own responsibilities, you'll be amazed at what they can do!

lauriedm added a comment October 29, 2009 02:17 AM
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Delegate food preparation and jobs to all the people attending the feast.Give them plenty of forewarning and give them a choice on what to contribute to the meal, what tasks they need to do and so forth. There is no reason, if other people are attending, that the whole meal has to be all on one person's shoulders,with prep and cleaning work, financially or in food preparation.Even children can chip in with food preparation, setting the table,decorations, cleaning the house before and cleanup after the meal. This is a gathering not a only one person has to do it all show.

maggieray added a comment October 29, 2009 02:20 AM
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If you are serving cranberry sauce from the can, remove the lid from both ends of the can and push the sauce through so it comes out in one tube-like piece and can be sliced.

lesliec added a comment October 29, 2009 03:48 PM
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Make sure you have a meat thermometer or get a turkey that has a thermometer in it. Nothing like serving raw turkey to your guests!

julieann2 added a comment October 30, 2009 01:23 AM
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Use crock pots for making simple dishes like sweet potatoes vegetables to keep the oven open for the turkey. These work great for keeping food up to temperature when entertaining a large crowd too.

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Use these roasting times as a guide, but rely on a meat thermometer to determine when the turkey is done. The National Turkey Federation recommends that your turkey be at 180 degrees F in the thigh and 165-170 degrees F in the breast. If the turkey is stuffed, the stuffing should also be at 165 degrees F.

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