Recipes For Thanksgiving-What Mistakes Should You Avoid?

If you have invited friends and family over at Thanksgiving and are planning to give them a big turkey dinner you don’t want things to go wrong do you? Presumably you will have prepared in advance as much as possible by doing your shopping early to be sure to get the bird you want and all the side dishes and accompaniments that you will need.

Do you have your timetable for cooking planned out? For the inexperienced cook preparing a large dinner for guests on Thanksgiving can be a source of considerable worry and anxiety. Follow the guidelines that you have for the meal preparation but make sure you read this article to avoid making 5 mistakes that could cause you embarrassment.

You will want to get your stuffing ready ahead of time but this is beast achieved by getting all the ingredients ready where they can all be mixed together on the morning of Thanksgiving. You can dry the bread for breadcrumbs by leaving it out, covered, for a day or two, or, baking it for a short while in an oven at about 250 degrees until it becomes crunchy.

You can let the bread dry out up to two days ahead of time, or, make breadcrumbs and pop the on a baking tray on a low oven for 20-30 minutes. Let them cool and put them into an airtight container and they will be fine for a day or two. Saute the vegetables and herbs that you plan to use, and then let them cool and refrigerate. Consider having your stuffing “kit” ready to hand to save time on the big day. Besides the bread and vegetable mix, your kit should include broth and eggs (eggs should have been kept refrigerated). On the morning of Thanksgiving you just need to make up the stuffing ready for the bird.

When you are preparing a meal for many people, there is always the chance of something going wrong. Here are the common mistakes and how to correct them.

Dry turkey If the turkey is too dry you can slice it and put into a roasting tin with some of the juices plus some chicken stock. Then add some knobs of butter around the pan and cover with foil. Place in a warm oven for a while until the butter melts.

Turkey is done too soon. If the turkey is cooked before you are ready to serve you can keep it warm by making a tent of foil over it after removing it from the oven. A turkey should rest for about 15 minutes anyway after cooking so a little longer won’t hurt.

Gravy is too thin -Mix together equal parts of cornstarch and water. Then add this slowly to the mixture stirring constantly to incorporate. If there are lumps they can be removed before serving by straining the gravy. An alterative is to leave the gravy on a light boil to evaporate more liquid and allow it to thicken naturally. Don’t let it boil too hard or for too long though, or you won’t have enough gravy left!

The gravy is too salty tasting Another common problem that can be solved, either by adding a few pinches of sugar, testing as you go, or, putting a peeled potato into the pan and letting it simmer for a while The potato will absorb salt and is then removed before serving.

Mashed potatoes are too watery-Add one of the following: baking sodas, instant potatoes buds, a sprinkle of powdered milk and then use a hand or a powered whisk to incorporate and thicken.

Being prepared for any of the above problems and knowing how to deal with them should give you more confidence in being able to prepare a fine dinner without too much stress.

Author: Juliette White is an skilled chef. If you don’t want to risk your Thanksgiving and you want to surprise your friends and parents with a great Thanksgiving meal don’t miss to get a free Thanksgiving Recipe Ebook . If you want more truly simple and free recipes and register here