Prepare for Thanksgiving
What Can I Prepare Before the Actual Day of Thanksgiving?
Q. What can I prepare before the actual day of Thanksgiving …. Usually, I make everything the same day, and it is exhausting. Thanks. — LS, Brooklyn, N.Y.
A. If there is one thing I’ve learned from my husband’s marathon running, it’s that strength and stamina alone won’t necessarily get you to the finish line. The difference between a good run and an excruciating ordeal is solid planning.
Thanksgiving, that marathon of meals, requires the same kind of advance preparation. The more you can do ahead, the happier you’ll be on the big day. You should even be able to sit down with your family and relax after the race to the dinner table is done.
Here’s how to spend the next week, so next Thursday is as enjoyable for you, the cook, as it is for your guests.
Melissa Clark is the author of the column “A Good Appetite” and a number of cookbooks, including the recent “In the Kitchen With a Good Appetite.” She offers more recipes on her blog.
SEVEN DAYS AHEAD (THURSDAY!) If you haven’t ordered a turkey yet, do it now.
SIX DAYS AHEAD Start your stuffing. Cube up some nice, crusty bread, spread it out on a baking sheet, and let it dry out for a few days. The drier the bread, the better able it is to absorb all the good seasonings you will be putting in the stuffing. You can also make your cranberry sauce this far ahead (the cooked kind with loads of sugar, that is). If your family recipe is a raw relish, wait until three days ahead.
FIVE DAYS AHEAD Pie dough time. Toss together what you need, wrap it up and stick it in the fridge. If you’ve made the dough far ahead and frozen it, now is a good time to take it out of the freezer and let it defrost in the fridge until you are ready to bake (ideally on Thanksgiving morning, but the day before will do, see below). Start buying groceries and produce: sweet potatoes, potatoes, green beans, onions, kale, lettuces, herbs. Stock up now, so you won’t have to make too
Q. What can I prepare before the actual day of Thanksgiving …. Usually, I make everything the same day, and it is exhausting. Thanks. — LS, Brooklyn, N.Y.
A. If there is one thing I’ve learned from my husband’s marathon running, it’s that strength and stamina alone won’t necessarily get you to the finish line. The difference between a good run and an excruciating ordeal is solid planning.
Thanksgiving, that marathon of meals, requires the same kind of advance preparation. The more you can do ahead, the happier you’ll be on the big day. You should even be able to sit down with your family and relax after the race to the dinner table is done.
Here’s how to spend the next week, so next Thursday is as enjoyable for you, the cook, as it is for your guests.
Melissa Clark is the author of the column “A Good Appetite” and a number of cookbooks, including the recent “In the Kitchen With a Good Appetite.” She offers more recipes on her blog.
SEVEN DAYS AHEAD (THURSDAY!) If you haven’t ordered a turkey yet, do it now.
SIX DAYS AHEAD Start your stuffing. Cube up some nice, crusty bread, spread it out on a baking sheet, and let it dry out for a few days. The drier the bread, the better able it is to absorb all the good seasonings you will be putting in the stuffing. You can also make your cranberry sauce this far ahead (the cooked kind with loads of sugar, that is). If your family recipe is a raw relish, wait until three days ahead.
FIVE DAYS AHEAD Pie dough time. Toss together what you need, wrap it up and stick it in the fridge. If you’ve made the dough far ahead and frozen it, now is a good time to take it out of the freezer and let it defrost in the fridge until you are ready to bake (ideally on Thanksgiving morning, but the day before will do, see below). Start buying groceries and produce: sweet potatoes, potatoes, green beans, onions, kale, lettuces, herbs. Stock up now, so you won’t have to make too