Let’s face it, Thanksgiving is stressful. There is a massive amount to be done and that kitchen? It gets hot in there. No worries because we’re here to help. Here are a few Thanksgiving hacks to save your sanity.
Chop vegetables in advance. Maybe we’re alone in this, but we spend a lot, and we mean a lot, of time chopping vegetables. Whatever you need them for, go ahead and chop them in advance and store them in a Ziploc bag until you need them to save you a heap of time. As you need them for your stuffing or any side dishes on the big day, all you have to do is pull your trusty Ziploc bag out.
Utilize any and all of your slow cookers. These appliances are life savers when it comes to keeping food warm while you work on other dishes. Keep your green beans, mashed potatoes, and even your turkey in a slow cooker and everything will be hot and fresh by the time you’re ready.
Turn your cooler into a refrigerator. For the time being, at least. Unless you have a massive refrigerator, in the days leading up to turkey day, fridge space is coveted. Give yourself extra room by filling a cooler with ice and keeping your usual refrigerator essentials in it. As a bonus, this keeps people out of your fridge on Thanksgiving Day.
Store your gravy in a thermos to keep it hot. Go ahead and make your gravy early, then just store it in a thermos to keep it warm while you wait. This way you have an extra burner open on your stove and it’s one less thing to monitor.
There’s a good chance all of your Thanksgiving recipes are stored on your phone or can easily be found on Pinterest, so this suggestion will feel old-school, but we promise it will save you some time and sanity. Print those recipes off and tape them to your cabinets. This way you’ll always know where the recipe is and you don’t have to go through the trouble of trying to pull it up on your phone.
Keep extra people out of the kitchen by setting up a drink station. No one is at fault here, but let’s get real, you don’t need extra bodies in the way trying to make an ice water or festive cocktail while you’re trying to get the star(s) of the show ready. To avoid this altogether, have a drink station set up complete with cups, ice, soda, wine, a pitcher of water, the works. This way everyone can make their own drinks far away from the work area.
Turkey gets dry and this can happen faster than anyone would have anticipated, but don’t panic if this happens to you. Add some moisture and flavor to your turkey by adding some chicken broth and pan juices to it.
Last, but certainly not least, consider making Thanksgiving a potluck and serve it up buffet style. All that matters is that you get to enjoy a meal with the people you love the most.