You may believe that the only way to prepare a fresh Thanksgiving dinner is to hit the kitchen in a rush that very morning. However, you don’t need to put that much pressure on yourself so fast!
Many stages of your Thanksgiving dinner preparation can be started early, even days or weeks ahead of time. Even better, some cooking professionals even have tips on how you can prepare your entire menu in advance with only the need to finish up the cooking on Thanksgiving day.
First and foremost, there are many different options for preparing your turkey in advance. One example is the choice of bringing your turkey the initial steps can be done up to three days ahead of time. Or even when you plan to butter and roast your turkey, the compound butter you plan to use can be made and refrigerated up to three months ahead of time.
Another option is that of preparing your potatoes ahead of time. From mashed potatoes to potato casseroles you can prepare them well in advance, then freeze them until they will be fully cooked on Thanksgiving day. Included with this is the preparation of your gravy, even without preparing your turkey. You may just cook a few small pieces of the turkey if you desire those drippings to flavor your gravy, or create it from seasoning packets. Either way, the early-prepared gravy can be frozen and then warmed up before dinner.
And another tiresome and traditional item is that pesky cranberry sauce. We all know that it doesn’t have to be that overly flavorful. Not too many of us really eat it anyway, right? So, it is good to know that it can be made complete well ahead of time and then just frozen. All you have to do is thaw it out before putting it on the table!
So, don’t pressure yourself to rush through too much of your Thanksgiving dinner that morning or feel like you have to rise before dawn to cook a quality meal. It’s all right there in your well-prepared basket!
