WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Thanksgiving is just a few days away, and before you know it, Hanukkah and Christmas, too.
Whether this is your first time hosting or you’re a veteran of preparing for the holiday, here are some hacks to help you save time and make your holiday dinners smoothly.
Spreadsheets
If you have the time and ability, creating a spreadsheet can help you stay organized and ensure nothing is forgotten. You can track how long each dish will take to prepare, when something needs to go into the oven, and when guests arrive. Be sure to give yourself wiggle room for mistakes and disasters. Make an inventory of every pot, pan, dish, piece of equipment, etc., needed for the meal, and try to schedule each dish based on priority. For example, a turkey, ham, brisket, or roast can occupy a lot of oven time, so figure out when and what you can make between those times when the oven will be used up.
Make room in the fridge
If you haven’t done so already, start making room in the refrigerator and freezer now. Check the dates on all of those condiments and salad dressings to see if anything needs to be replaced before the big day.
You may find that many of them expired a long time ago if you don’t plan on making anything that would require having them around between now and then, toss it out and either replace it later or store a new bottle in a cabinet or pantry until after the holiday.
What about your freezer? When was the last time you took a good look in there? Check everything over for freezer burn. There’s a good chance that if something has been in there for more than 3 months, it will never get eaten and should be thrown out or used ASAP.
Do you have random bags of half-used frozen veggies and odd bits of meat? Use them to make a stock for homemade gravy.
Here is a guide to help you make the “perfect” mashed potatoes in gravy from scratch.
Still out of space, now what?
Coolers. It’s always a good idea to have several large coolers available to clear space in the refrigerator and freezer for everything you may need to keep cold or frozen that isn’t related directly to the meal, either to be served or as part of the preparation.
The ideal temperature to safely store fresh foods is between 33° to 40°F. So, in a pinch, as long as the food is sealed in an airtight container, kept out of the reach of animals, and the outdoor air temperature is between 33° to 40°F, you could even briefly store a few items outside.
You can also use coolers to keep hot foods warm. However, it’s a good idea to line them with foil or old towels in case anything leaks or spills. This will also help them maintain their temperature.
Free up counter space
Is there anything on your counter taking up space that you need but won’t need to prepare dinner? Move what you can to a storage room, storage space, or even a garage shelf until the space is clear. Use cake stands or adjustable kitchen cabinet shelves on your countertop to give you more surfaces to place serving dishes and bowls.
The right kitchen tools
If you’re prepping a lot of vegetables for your meal, you can save yourself a lot of time and trouble by ensuring you have a few of these things at your disposal.
First, you need a good vegetable peeler, one with a comfortable grip that doesn’t hurt your hand after a few minutes. Make sure the blades are sharp. If you’re searching for a new one, you can find reviews of peelers here.
The next thing recommended is a potato ricer. Potato ricers are like a giant garlic press. The advantage of using a ricer is that it breaks the spuds down without destroying the starch, which helps to keep them fluffy. If you have ever had mashed potatoes that tasted fine but behaved like glue, it’s because those starches were broken down in the mashing or whipping process. If you don’t already have one, here is a link to reviews of top-rated ricers. As an alternative, you can also pass the potatoes through a food mill or a mesh strainer. However, the mesh strainer will take some extra work.
For tips on making the perfect mashed potatoes and gravy, click here.
Next, a mandolin slicer, vegetable chopper, or food processor can significantly reduce your preparation time. Food processors can do what mandolin slicers or vegetable choppers do and are usually motorized, but they can take up counter space. Some companies make combination mandolin slicers and vegetable choppers, which are great for preparing a mirepoix.
Crockpots are also valuable tools. They keep things like mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, or even carved meats moist and warm until they are ready to be served. If you want to make cleanup for your crockpot simple, try a crockpot liner. They even come in reusable versions if you’re environmentally conscious or just don’t want to deal with the extra trash.
Keep a conversion table handy if you’re not sure of a measurement. Any decent cookbook in your house will have a table in the front or back. You can easily access an online one on your phone or tablet.
One last note: Make sure all your cutting instruments are sharp, especially the ones you’ll use to carve that turkey.
Prep what you can ahead of time
Before the big day, you can chop your fresh vegetables, except your potatoes. They will stay in your refrigerator for a couple of days. It doesn’t matter if any of the veggies you’ll use for stock get a little flimsy, just as long as they aren’t moldy or slimy when they go in the pot of water with the giblets, neck bones, etc.
If you’re making stuffing from scratch, you can chop your onion and celery the day before and store them in the fridge. Many other side dishes, like casseroles, can be prepped the day before to go right into the oven.
Some grocery stores offer chopped celery and onions or even a stuffing blend that is ready to go. These tend to sell quickly, though, so plan ahead. Since they will be cooked to death anyway, you can buy these in advance and freeze them. In the freezer section, you can sometimes find bags of them as well.
Easy breakfasts
Have an easy breakfast ready for the day of the holiday meal and the day after.
Something simple, like a box of donuts, or something that can be warmed up in the oven. Keeping your breakfasts simple means fewer dishes to clean up and an easy morning for you and anyone else who’s helping out.
Don’t fear your microwave, air fryer, or similar devices
Your microwave air fryer and similar all-in-one devices can be the perfect tool to free up some oven space and save time.
That green bean casserole? Start the base in the microwave, then transfer it to a baking dish. Add the classic fried French onions to the top, and then stick them in the oven until they turn golden brown. Depending on the dish, you can easily save 30 minutes to an hour of baking time.
Fresh seasonings vs. dried
Dried seasonings usually pack way more flavor than their fresh counterparts. You end up using way more fresh herbs just to equal the flavor power of a single half teaspoon.
That being said, fresh herbs can impart a different flavor, brightening or transforming a dish. Some fresh sage, basil, cream, and a little stock can make a wonderful pan sauce for pork or chicken. Go with a bit of both for things like homemade stuffing. You will get a bit of the comforting, familiar flavors with some new layers as well.
Butter, butter, and more butter
You will need more butter than you realize, so be sure to have plenty on hand. I highly recommend using Irish, European, or Amish Roll butter for your mashed potatoes, any pastries you plan to bake, and dinner rolls. Those butters have a higher fat content and less water, which means more flavor. If you want to go all out, it’s really simple to make your own at home.
There’s no shame in outsourcing
There is no shame in purchasing a pre-cooked turkey that you heat yourself.
Butterball, Jennie-O, and The Honey Baked Ham Company each offer fully cooked, ready-to-serve turkeys. Several grocery stores and other companies also sell them. Hams are pretty easy to heat and serve. Check with local BBQ restaurants or even with friends and family to see if they know anyone who may be preparing and selling smoked turkeys, hams, or other meats this year.
Lots of families do potlucks for the holidays, with the guests and host each providing a food item for the dinner. Going with a potluck not only saves a lot of time and energy, but it can also free up the oven and stovetop space and save money.
Your holiday dinner can be an expensive endeavor on a tight budget. From 2020 to 2022, the cost of a Thanksgiving dinner rose from $17.00 on average to $46.50 to serve 10 people to $64.05. Thankfully, this year, prices are lower, according to the Farm Bureau. This year, Target, Aldi, Walmart, and other grocery stores offer lower-priced Thanksgiving meals. Hopefully, the trend will continue during the December holidays.
If you still plan to cook your own turkey, remember to thaw it out in time. A turkey needs 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds it weighs to thaw properly. So, hopefully, you already have that turkey thawing in the fridge. The Butterball Turkey Hotline is active if you need tips, like how to thaw your still-frozen turkey, or have other questions.
Make sure you have a meat thermometer. While some turkeys come with one of those pop-up plastic thermometers to tell you that the bird is cooked, those can fail. Turkey breast meat should be at 165°F and thigh; drumstick meat should reach a temperature of 175° F. Make sure you check the thickest part of those sections to ensure it is thoroughly cooked. For hams, it should reach an internal temperature of 145° F.
Prepping your turkey or Ham
First, dry off the skin before the bird goes in. Generously season the cavity of the bird with salt and a bit of pepper. If you’re not going to add an herb bouquet or stuff the cavity, add some poultry seasoning, too. Trim off the wing tips since they tend to dry out and burn. You can add them to your pot to make the stock for the gravy.
Try coating the skin with a neutral cooking oil to help it crisp up. You can even make a compound butter that you spread under the bird’s skin and over the surface, which will help make a flavorful, moist turkey that browns the skin.
Consider spatchcocking the bird for easier, even cooking that ensures crisp skin on all sides. You can use the backbone for stock. After splitting the bird, you will also want to remove the wishbone. If you’re inexperienced, you can find plenty of videos, guides, and recipes online to show you how to do all of this.
Alternatively, you can just use an oven bag.
Clean as you go
While you won’t be able to clean every dish, cleaning up knives, cutting boards, equipment, pots, and pans that you’re done using will mean you can relax and enjoy the meal with very little cleanup afterward. Consider placing a large bowl near you for scraps rather than taking a trip to the trashcan each time. This applies to every meal you cook at home, especially holiday meals. Better yet, assign this task to a family member.
Give the kids something to do
You can designate an adult or responsible teen to be on young kid duty. Keep them busy with games and activities to keep them out of the kitchen, or give them age-appropriate tasks to do. If they are old enough, have them throw away trash or clean a utensil, pot, or pan. Just give them a task that they can handle. In the worst-case scenario, they get bored and find something else to do.
Make dish cleanup simple
Maybe you don’t have good china, but you want to show off. Maybe you do, but it’s such a hassle to clean. There’s no rule saying you have to use it. There are a variety of upscale, recyclable, single-use dishes and utensils out there. Just be sure to rinse off any food debris before placing it in your recycling. If you can’t recycle or have environmental concerns, there are also several brands of compostable and biodegradable plates and utensils.
Have “doggy bags” ready for your guests
Guests, even if they are family, may not be presumptuous enough to bring their own containers for leftovers, or if they are, they may forget to bring them. While you may want to keep some of those leftovers for yourself, too much food can take up a lot of space and will likely spoil before you even get to finish it. So, why not have containers ready to send home food with your guests?
You can purchase meal prep containers (even disposable ones) with different compartments for different foods or takeout boxes that you can decorate and label. You can also keep it simple and purchase some basic low-price storage containers.
Make reservations
If you want to save time and trouble, make reservations. At least a few restaurants in your community will offer a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner of some type. Some will even cater for your holiday, with you either picking it up before or delivering it to you ahead of Thursday with instructions on reheating it. Start calling now to book because slots will fill up quickly.
Hacks to avoid
You may have seen that hack that tells you to boil the potatoes whole, skin on, then stick them in ice water to shock them and peel them quickly. This is nothing more than a gigantic waste of time, space, and dishes. Sticking them in ice water stops the cooking process. You will just have to heat them back up again. Not only that, you’re wasting time watching a pot of potatoes to make sure you don’t overcook them to make the hack work. Plus, some of the potatoes could easily break off with the peel if you don’t get it perfect.
Another hack involves taking a stiff bristle toilet brush, affixing the handle to a drill or impact driver, filling a 5-gallon bucket with water and potatoes, and then pulling the trigger on the drill and spinning the brush in the water. After an undisclosed amount of time, the potatoes are skin-free. Don’t do either of these to yourself.
Fruit can be eaten or used as a garnish. Don’t freeze it and use it as an ice cube for a drink, as some websites and viral videos may recommend. This sounds like a festive and fun extra touch to spruce up that drink—until a child or older adult starts choking on a cranberry, turning the holiday into a nightmare for everyone.
The bottom line when it comes to any viral hack you see, scrutinize it thoroughly. It could be fake, more trouble than it’s worth, or even have a hidden danger you might not have thought about. Remember, just like in life, anything that adds a bunch of extra steps and will end with the same result as doing it right in the first place isn’t worth it. Some of those viral hacks you see can also come with hidden dangers.
Do you have a great tip? If so, send it to me, and I will add it to the list with your credit.