Thanksgiving has been nationally celebrated on the third Thursday of November since 1863. It honors a 1621 dinner between the English Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Native American tribe. The most common tradition of this holiday is to have a large dinner with friends and/or family.
However, unless ordered from a restaurant, this dinner doesn’t appear out of thin air. Usually, one or more people have the task of cooking Thanksgiving dinner. If you’ve searched the words ‘how to make Thanksgiving dinner’, you’re probably one of these tasked individuals.
Being given this role can be scary, especially if you haven’t performed it before. If you need help making Thanksgiving dinner, read on for some great tips.
Assess the Situation
Before you look up recipes for dinner, it’s best to figure out the factors of the upcoming Thanksgiving dinner. Ask yourself questions and find out the answers. Then, use these answers to help you decide on the meals that you’ll be serving.
For example, ask yourself how many people are coming to dinner. The answer to this question will help you choose each Thanksgiving dinner recipe that has the correct serving sizes or modify existing ones. You should also assess your cooking skills to help you decide between easy or advanced recipes.
You can also use this information for other logistics as well. Make sure that you have everyone’s favorite drinks, enough chairs and plates, and so on.
Have a Game Plan
Along with knowing what you’re going to make, know when and how you’re going to make Thanksgiving dinner. The best way to do this is to create a tight schedule of different food preparation tasks. If there are multiple people involved, assign them each a task.
For example, a slow cooker process for potatoes or stuffing should start at the beginning of the day. The turkey should only take a few hours to roast. Stovetop vegetables like carrots will only take a few minutes to cook.
Make Some of the Items Ahead of Time
The best Thanksgiving dinner doesn’t have to be made on Thanksgiving day. You will save yourself a lot of headaches if you prepare certain items ahead of time. Many common Thanksgiving staples can be made, cooked, and then reheated on the big day without losing quality.
Many traditional Thanksgiving desserts, such as pumpkin pie, are good examples. You can also consider this process with sauces like gravy and cranberry sauce.
After Learning How to Make Thanksgiving Dinner, Read Our Other Articles
As a final tip, don’t be afraid to ask for help or make substitutions. No matter how hard you try, things can still go wrong sometimes. In these cases, you may want to ask people to bring things or order some things from restaurants.
Did you learn how to make Thanksgiving dinner and do so successfully? If so, check out our other articles. They’re full of recipes, cooking tips, and other helpful food-based information.