Thanksgiving Recipes Side Dishes-What Mistakes Should You Avoid?
If you have invited friends and family over at Thanksgiving and are planning to give them a big turkey dinner you don't want things to go wrong do you? Presumably you will have prepared in advance as much as possible by doing your shopping early to be sure to get the bird you want and all the side dishes and accompaniments that you will need.
Do you have your timetable for cooking planned out? For the inexperienced cook preparing a large dinner for guests on Thanksgiving can be a source of considerable worry and anxiety. Follow the guidelines that you have for the meal preparation but make sure you read this article to avoid making 5 mistakes that could cause you embarrassment.
You will want to get your stuffing ready ahead of time but this is beast achieved by getting all the ingredients ready where they can all be mixed together on the morning of Thanksgiving. You can dry the bread for breadcrumbs by leaving it out, covered, for a day or two, or, baking it for a short while in an oven at about 250 degrees until it becomes crunchy.
You can let the bread dry out up to two days ahead of time, or, make breadcrumbs and pop the on a baking tray on a low oven for 20-30 minutes. Let them cool and put them into an airtight container and they will be fine for a day or two. Saute the vegetables and herbs that you plan to use, and then let them cool and refrigerate. Consider having your stuffing "kit" ready to hand to save time on the big day. Besides the bread and vegetable mix, your kit should include broth and eggs (eggs should have been kept refrigerated). On the morning of Thanksgiving you just need to make up the stuffing ready for the bird.
The mistakes that can occur on the day itself are as follows:
Dry turkey If the turkey is too dry you can slice it and put into a roasting tin with some of the juices plus some chicken stock. Then add some knobs of butter around the pan and cover with foil. Place in a warm oven for a while until the butter melts.
2. The turkey is too dry - If it's dry cut the breast into serving slices and place in a roasting dish with some of the meat juices and some chicken stock. Slice a slab of butter and place around the pan. Then cover with foil and leave in a warm oven until the butter is melted.
Gravy is too thin -Mix together equal parts of cornstarch and water. Then add this slowly to the mixture stirring constantly to incorporate. If there are lumps they can be removed before serving by straining the gravy. An alterative is to leave the gravy on a light boil to evaporate more liquid and allow it to thicken naturally. Don't let it boil too hard or for too long though, or you won't have enough gravy left!
4. The gravy is too salty to the taste - In this case you can alter the taste and make it satisfactory by adding a few pinches of sugar. Add in small increments, tasting until it comes right. Another trick chef's use is to place a whole peeled potato into the gravy and let it simmer for a while. The potato will absorb a lot of the salt. Just remember to remove the potato before serving!
The mashed potatoes are watery Potatoes can easily go soft if boiled for too long, but you can always overcome this by adding one of the following and then mixing in well: baking soda, instant potato buds, a teaspoon of powdered milk. A power blender gives a nice creamy smooth texture.
Being prepared for any of the above problems and knowing how to deal with them should give you more confidence in being able to prepare a fine dinner without too much stress.
Do you have your timetable for cooking planned out? For the inexperienced cook preparing a large dinner for guests on Thanksgiving can be a source of considerable worry and anxiety. Follow the guidelines that you have for the meal preparation but make sure you read this article to avoid making 5 mistakes that could cause you embarrassment.
You will want to get your stuffing ready ahead of time but this is beast achieved by getting all the ingredients ready where they can all be mixed together on the morning of Thanksgiving. You can dry the bread for breadcrumbs by leaving it out, covered, for a day or two, or, baking it for a short while in an oven at about 250 degrees until it becomes crunchy.
You can let the bread dry out up to two days ahead of time, or, make breadcrumbs and pop the on a baking tray on a low oven for 20-30 minutes. Let them cool and put them into an airtight container and they will be fine for a day or two. Saute the vegetables and herbs that you plan to use, and then let them cool and refrigerate. Consider having your stuffing "kit" ready to hand to save time on the big day. Besides the bread and vegetable mix, your kit should include broth and eggs (eggs should have been kept refrigerated). On the morning of Thanksgiving you just need to make up the stuffing ready for the bird.
The mistakes that can occur on the day itself are as follows:
Dry turkey If the turkey is too dry you can slice it and put into a roasting tin with some of the juices plus some chicken stock. Then add some knobs of butter around the pan and cover with foil. Place in a warm oven for a while until the butter melts.
2. The turkey is too dry - If it's dry cut the breast into serving slices and place in a roasting dish with some of the meat juices and some chicken stock. Slice a slab of butter and place around the pan. Then cover with foil and leave in a warm oven until the butter is melted.
Gravy is too thin -Mix together equal parts of cornstarch and water. Then add this slowly to the mixture stirring constantly to incorporate. If there are lumps they can be removed before serving by straining the gravy. An alterative is to leave the gravy on a light boil to evaporate more liquid and allow it to thicken naturally. Don't let it boil too hard or for too long though, or you won't have enough gravy left!
4. The gravy is too salty to the taste - In this case you can alter the taste and make it satisfactory by adding a few pinches of sugar. Add in small increments, tasting until it comes right. Another trick chef's use is to place a whole peeled potato into the gravy and let it simmer for a while. The potato will absorb a lot of the salt. Just remember to remove the potato before serving!
The mashed potatoes are watery Potatoes can easily go soft if boiled for too long, but you can always overcome this by adding one of the following and then mixing in well: baking soda, instant potato buds, a teaspoon of powdered milk. A power blender gives a nice creamy smooth texture.
Being prepared for any of the above problems and knowing how to deal with them should give you more confidence in being able to prepare a fine dinner without too much stress.
About the Author:
Author: Juliette White is an skilled chef. If you don't want to risk your Thanksgiving and you want to surprise your friends and parents with a great Thanksgiving meal make sure you get a free Thanksgiving Recipe Ebook . If you want more amazingly simple and free recipes and register here
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