How to cook thanksgiving dinner

While it’s best to actually cook your turkey on Thanksgiving day, Holzman recommends seasoning your turkey the night before. Since it’s the main event, the turkey should be the first dish you start cooking in the morning.

While many chefs agree that the celery, onions and meat can all be cooked ahead and tossed with your bread chunks on Thanksgiving morning, Gresham says you actually can make the entire stuffing ahead of time. And freeze it. “Nobody seems to realize you can freeze your stuffing beautifully,” she says.

Two to Three Days Before

Bake all pies at least a day before they will be served to develop flavors and set fruit-pie juices (at room temperature) or custards (in the refrigerator). Mashed Potatoes — Go ahead and make them completely and refrigerate them.

One week ahead:

Shop for heartier vegetables like butternut squash, carrots, potatoes, parsnips and turnips. Buy heavy cream now; it’s hard to find right before Thanksgiving.

1 Week Before: Shop for Non-Perishables

Wait until the day before Thanksgiving to buy fresh vegetables, seafood and bread. Take inventory of tableware, tablecloths and napkins in case you need to pick up anything extra, and make sure each recipe has a serving bowl or platter to be paired with.

Roast the turkey uncovered at a temperature ranging from 325°F to 350°F. Higher temperatures may cause the meat to dry out, but this is preferable to temperatures that are too low which may not allow the interior of the turkey to cook to a safe temperature.

Slice the meat from the turkey and wrap it in freezer paper or foil, then seal in plastic freezer bags (make sure to press out all the air before sealing). Liquids, like soup or gravy, will expand slightly as they freeze, so leave a little space at the top of the container.

When you’re planning a major feast, you want to get as much prepared in advance as possible. (So see all the Thanksgiving recipes you can make ahead.) If you’re making mashed potatoes, you can prep the potatoes themselves a few days beforehand, or actually mash them up to one day before.

To avoid a gummy, overstarched mess, mash the potatoes while they’re dry but still hot, and don’t use a food processor or a blender; these appliances tend to overmash the potatoes, creating an undesirably starchy consistency.

Eating healthy should still be delicious.

Soak the baking potatoes for just a few minutes in cold water to release some of their starch so the cooked spuds don’t get gluey. A combination of starchy bakers and more waxy, buttery Yukon Golds creates an ideal creamy-yet-fluffy final texture in the mash.

The Best Way to Reheat Mashed Potatoes

Try reheating the potatoes on the stovetop even over low heat and you‘ll end up with either scorched or gluey potatoes. Instead use the low-and-slow heat of the oven to get the job done.

Not only are the mashed potatoes ultra-creamy, but they can also be made two days ahead of time and reheated in the microwave — a huge bonus when oven and burner space is at a premium during the holidays.

1) REHEAT IN THE OVEN: keep foil or a lid on the mashed potatoes at 375 for 30-40 minutes. 2) REHEAT IN A SLOW COOKER OR CROCKPOT on low, add some cream and butter to keep the mashed potatoes moist.

When time is limited and mashed potatoes are a “must have” on the menu (which is always), keep the prepared potatoes warm by placing them in a heat-resistant bowl, covering, and setting it over a pot of simmering water. The potatoes should still be tasty 2 to 3 hours later.

Soaking peeled, washed and cut fries in cold water overnight removes excess potato starch, which prevents fries from sticking together and helps achieve maximum crispness.