a gameplan for hosting thanksgiving
Deep Dives
Explore related topics with these Wikipedia articles, rewritten for enjoyable reading:
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Thanksgiving (United States)
15 min read
While readers know the holiday exists, the full history—from the 1621 Plymouth feast through Lincoln's 1863 proclamation making it a national holiday, to FDR's controversial date change—provides rich context for understanding why this meal carries such cultural weight.
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Maillard reaction
10 min read
The article mentions letting turkey skin dry out to achieve crispiness. The Maillard reaction—the chemical process between amino acids and sugars that creates browning and complex flavors—explains the science behind golden, crispy turkey skin and roasted vegetables.
We’re 17 days away from the biggest cooking day of the year, y’all! On Saturday, we shared a recipe for sheet-pan turkey meatballs that would make a wonderful Thanksgiving meal, if you’re cooking for just your immediate family and don’t want to have a ton of leftovers. Today, we’re back with a roundup of my top tips for cooking and hosting a more classic Thanksgiving feast. Keep reading for a menu formula, a timeline for when to cook it all, tips for feeding picky eaters, my go-to Thanksgiving recipes, and more.
PS, if you’re not hosting this year, scroll down to the “what to say when guests ask, ‘what can I bring?’” section for some suggestions on what you can contribute!
To start, I’d like to offer a friendly reminder that, if you’re the host, you do not need to cook everything for this meal from scratch. I’ve had years when I did indeed cook our entire feast from scratch. I’ve had years when I’ve picked up some (or all!) of the meal from a local caterer, restaurant, market, or Whole Foods. And I’ve had years when we bagged cooking altogether and ate at a restaurant instead.
All of these options are good options! If outsourcing all or part of the meal would make you a less stressed host, I highly recommend that you do it. What’s important is that you are able to enjoy time with the family and friends who have gathered to be with you — not that your spread is worthy of a magazine cover.
Whether you’re cooking everything yourself or outsourcing parts of it to guests and/or a local restaurant, it’s typically the host’s job to map out what will be served. So, as you wrap your head around what will be on your menu, here’s what I consider to be the perfect formula for a Thanksgiving feast for anywhere from 7 to 12 people.
If you’re cooking for a smaller crew (6 people or less), I recommend that you nix either the stuffing or the soft, slouchy thing and one of the veggie sides. And if you’re cooking for a bigger crew (like more than 12), I suggest you double or triple the turkey friends (stuffing, cranberry, gravy), salad, and soft, slouchy sides and veggie dishes.
You do not have to have a sea of unique side dishes, I promise! Having an edited-down menu
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