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How to prep your Thanksgiving meal like a pro, according to a trained chef
Three, two, one … go! Whether you’re hosting Thanksgiving for a group of 10 or bringing a few dishes to someone else’s home, it’s time to decide on that holiday menu. Some people relish the idea of planning for holiday parties and dinners and others find it daunting and stressful. I, for one, cannot wait to thumb through my Ina Garten cookbooks and all of my recipes to find just the right stuffing, vegetable sides and dessert for my Thanksgiving meal — maybe an apple crumb pie bar or a pumpkin cheesecake. Yum.
As someone who tests cookware for a living and has a degree from culinary school, I’ve developed a slew of tips over the years to help things in the kitchen run more smoothly. Occasionally my go-to tools and ingredients need replacing or restocking, so I usually check a few weeks before Thanksgiving to see what I need. I use many of these items in my day-to-day cooking, but for the holidays I’ll stock up on essentials like sheet pans and food storage containers for prepped vegetables. It makes everything easier.
I thrive on a clean, organized workspace in the kitchen and you can, too. Keep scrolling for the 10 tips I live by when I’m prepping for a holiday meal or get-together with family and friends.
How to prep for cooking a Thanksgiving meal
1. Use sheet pans for everything
In culinary school, we learned to use half- and quarter-sheet pans for every task under the sun: organizing ingredients for a dish, roasting vegetables or proteins, drying washed produce, drying out bread for croutons/stuffing, baking cookies and more. Always have plenty on hand when you’re cooking a Thanksgiving meal.
Nordic Ware
Though these come in various sizes, I find that the half-sheet and quarter-sheet versions are the ones I turn to most often. I keep at least three of each size in my cabinets.
$30 at Amazon
2. Only silicone oven mitts will do
Never underestimate the value of a good set of oven mitts. I’ve been caught one too many times using a kitchen towel or poorly insulated mitts, and there is nothing worse than getting burned — or having a screaming hot pan of food slipping out of your hands.
KitchenAid
These non-slip silicone mitts are the best at protecting hands and letting you get a good grip on whatever you’re taking out of the oven or off the stove.
$17 at Amazon
3. Always use a thermometer
Some people say you can judge a meat’s doneness by its look or feel, but don’t leave it to chance. In my family, no one in my family enjoys well-done meat, so in order to avoid the dreaded “this is too done for me” complaint, I always use an instant-read meat thermometer.
ThermoPro
This digital gadget from ThermoPro is incredibly reliable, easy to use and gives you an accurate reading in three to four seconds, plus it washes clean under running water. It’s under twenty bucks and it’s often on sale!
$17 at Amazon
4. Chop all your vegetables in advance
I do this days ahead of the holiday and keep them fresh in the fridge. It also ensures I take inventory of my food storage containers in advance. They’re equally as integral to meal prep as they are to saving leftovers, and these glass air-tight containers are a must for me when cooking for the holidays.
JoyJolt
I love that when you use these glass containers, leftovers can go from the fridge to the microwave or the oven … if I can minimize the number of dishes to wash, that’s a huge bonus.
$40 at Amazon
5. CAYG (clean as you go)
I was trained to CAYG in culinary school, and though that term generally refers to pots and pans, I extend it to my prep areas as well. I’m a stickler for a clean and tidy workspace and always have an antibacterial cleaning spray on hand to wipe down my countertop.
Method
I like how this spray cleans and sanitizes surfaces with a few spritzes and swipes. It smells pleasant, too!
$9 at Amazon
6. Go for sheets, not rolls
I use parchment paper sheets daily when making sheet-pan meals or baking banana bread or cookies. They’re also great for separating layers of food in storage containers, which I need to do often during Thanksgiving meal prep. Because they’re pre-cut, these sheets are so much faster and easier to use than a roll of parchment paper.
Baker’s Signature
These are sized perfectly for a half sheet pan. To line a quarter sheet pan, just cut one of them in half.
$13 at Amazon
7. Let your peeler do double duty
Both Ina Garten and I are big fans of these Swiss peelers, and I grab them for more than just peeling apples and potatoes. I’ll use them to shave parmesan for salads or chocolate for dessert. They’re perfectly sharp and can be tossed into the dishwasher.
KUHN RIKON
It’s a good thing these come in packs of three because when friends and family try them, they always want to take one home.
$14 at Amazon
8. Stir with silicone, not metal or plastic
If you don’t want to worry about damaging the cooking surface of any pot or pan, silicone utensils are a safe bet. I use a large silicone spoon for stirring soups and sauces and dishing out other stovetop meals.
GIR
This one Is 13 inches long, ensuring you can reach the bottom of most pots. It’s also heat-resistant so it won’t melt, stain-resistant and so easy to rinse clean or put in the dishwasher.
$13 at Amazon
9. Stock up on tasting spoons
When you’ve got lots of dishing cooking at once, this culinary school habit is a no-brainer: Keep a bunch of stainless steel spoons in a container on your countertop for tasting as you go to ensure your dishes are seasoned properly. Use them once to keep germs to a minimum and then pop them right into the dishwasher.
MUTNITT
Keep these in a jar separate from your drawer of everyday flatware so the family knows, these are your for cooking and not for late-night ice cream cravings.
$10 at Amazon
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