Serving up an exquisite meal with multiple courses for Thanksgiving can be a daunting task for the most highly trained chef. If you don’t cook regularly, coordinating a meal of Thanksgiving proportions can be stressful, even though the holiday is generally all about relaxing. As the chef, you are trusted to come up with near perfection. Relax. Just follow the tips below, and you’ll execute your cooking plan on Thanksgiving with surprising precision.
Plan Out What’s Being Cooked, And When
Obviously, most people are going to have Thanksgiving staples such as turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberry relish and etc. You might have a few more courses depending on how extravagant you want to get. Whatever you’re planning on eating, make sure that you write down everything you’ll need well beforehand. That way, when you go to the supermarket to shop, you won’t forget something and risk ruining the entire meal. And if you do it in advance, you’ll be able to catch anything that you might miss if you scribble it down seconds before hopping in the car to make the shopping trip.
Once you know what you need, consider how long everything takes to prepare and cook, then write out a schedule for yourself a few days prior to the big day. As long as you have what you need, you can follow this schedule to the letter when you start cooking. The result is a relatively stress-free cooking journey, and is the same thing we do when we cater an event.
Don’t Be Afraid To Have Extra Of Something
Two things are true in this universe – everyone loves Thanksgiving leftovers, and people prefer certain foods over other ones.
On the surface, it seems logical to make a proportional amount of each dish. But do your family and friends really eat a proportional amount of each item? Probably not – your husband might eat four times what the average person eats in regards to mashed potatoes, your father-in-law might only like the drumsticks on the turkey, and fill up with other side dishes once those are gone, etc.
No one likes running out of their favorite food on Thanksgiving so, go ahead and make 4-5 extra servings of each item. Even if it doesn’t get eaten, you have the leftovers. But we think it’ll get eaten – the amount we eat on Thanksgiving goes far beyond what we do any other day of the year. Feel free to pick up larger cooking trays, pots, and pans to accommodate the extra food.
Ask For Help From Others
Don’t worry, you’ll still get the credit for the dinner. While others around you are relaxing, you’ll be running around frantically in the kitchen. Ask someone to slice the bread, ask another to mash the potatoes. They’ll be happy to help, it’s a small price to pay for one of the best meals that they’ll have all year.
It All Works Out In The End
Look: your Thanksgiving dinner is going to be a smashing success either way. Unless you somehow manage to burn every single dish, people will love it. It’s hard to dislike the comfort food of turkey and potatoes. Follow the tips above to make it a little easier on yourself, and enjoy! And of course, if you’re not cooking this year and would rather have an ultimate Thanksgiving catering experience in Chicago, view our menu and then call Corky’s today at 630-396-3030.
