Consumers are looking for ways to make their celebrations special, and ways to make the day easier – 84% of hosts are planning the amount of food they will serve a week or more in advance of Thanksgiving.
Want to spend less time in the kitchen and more time with friends and family this Thanksgiving? It may sound impossible, but you can actually watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, enjoy the day with your loved ones and still get everything done. These time-saving tips from The Huff Post and professional chefs can help you get the turkey dinner on the table faster and easier this year.
- Plan and delegate ahead of time – Cooking a turkey and everything else for your feast from scratch on one day is challenging for anyone and that’s why chefs rely on planning ahead and delegating for events. Start you cooking on Sunday, making a side every day, and having guests bring other sides and pies. Then on Thursday, you just have to reheat them and cook the turkey.
- Skip the peeling – Hate peeling potatoes before you boil them? You can shock them in an ice bath after they’re cooked “the skins will come right off.”
- Forget roasting, try spatchcocking – Roasting a turkey takes forever, so Jennifer Toomey, executive chef at Huckleberry Bakery and Cafe in Santa Monica, California, told Huff this trick. “Remove the back bone, flatten out the bird and roast it skin side up,” she explains. “It cooks in less than half the time and you still get that juicy meat and crispy skin.”
- Make gravy in a blender – Take all the drippings from the pan, trimmings from the bird and stock to the blender then adds heavy cream to thicken.
- Prep veggies before the big day – You can peel, chop and dice your vegetables a day or two before to save time on Thanksgiving.
Source: Huff Post
