{"id":66612,"date":"2022-11-08T14:10:58","date_gmt":"2022-11-08T21:10:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=66612"},"modified":"2025-03-07T11:24:57","modified_gmt":"2025-03-07T18:24:57","slug":"cooking-thanksgiving-dinner-get-organized","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/cooking-thanksgiving-dinner-get-organized\/","title":{"rendered":"Cooking Thanksgiving dinner? Relax, plan and keep it simple."},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"if
Mirepoix \u2014 a mix of celery, carrots and onions \u2014 may be chopped large or small, depending on how the cook uses it. Getting organized before cooking Thanksgiving dinner will help the day run smoother. Photos: Bill St. John.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

Need more ideas for a delicious Thanksgiving feast? Check out these great tips and recipes.<\/h2>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mashed potatoes five ways<\/a><\/h3>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Six great ideas for making Thanksgiving healthier from fruits to greens and nutritious potato peels<\/a><\/h3>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Thanksgiving is the wildest day in the kitchen each year. We\u2019ll help you get ready with this handy pre-Thanksgiving calendar.<\/a><\/h3>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ethnic side dishes for Thanksgiving<\/a><\/h3>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Thanksgiving basics: cooking a turkey for the first time<\/a><\/h3>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Turkey cranberry sandwiches and other ideas for Thanksgiving leftovers<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

In a typical year \u2014 three of which we haven\u2019t seen of late \u2014 Thanksgiving Day dinner is often the largest annual family meal that a cook prepares. The most daunting; the most complex; the most fussed-about.<\/p>\n

It needn\u2019t be any of that \u2014 well, except still the largest. It might be rather everyday, in truth; it just requires planning.<\/p>\n

\u201cMise en place\u201d is kitchen-French for \u201cplanning.\u201d (It\u2019s French-French for \u201cput in place\u201d or \u201ceverything in its place.\u201d) It truly is the greatest gift from France to the kitchen since butter.<\/p>\n

\u201cMise en place \u201cmeans having a well-stocked pantry and freezer. Or shopping ahead to fill them. It means cutting up, prior to cooking, all the vegetables and other foods to be cooked. It means portioning out and having at the ready, in small bowls or on plates, all the foodstuffs, fats, flavorings, seasonings, liquids and the like, everything destined for the heat. Before you turn on the flame.<\/p>\n

\u201cMise en place\u201d means \u201ceverything out on the counter, where I can see it, ready to go.\u201d So that, if all the mise en place<\/em> is, well, in place, all that\u2019s to be done is the cooking, the eating, the cleaning. And the relaxing. That\u2019s the point.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I find that people do when cooking for a group, like on Thanksgiving,\u201d says Jamey Fader<\/a>, longtime Denver chef and culinary director at Marczyk Fine Foods, \u201cis worrying about so many fine details that it all catches up with them.<\/p>\n

\u201cKeep it simple,\u201d he reminds. \u201cFocus on \u2018Tastes great.\u2019 Cook just five dishes, for instance, not 14.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGet in the right headspace,\u201d Fader says, \u201cwhich means to be relaxed and organized.\u201d He and I both agree that \u201corganized\u201d is just plain English for \u201cmise en place.\u201d

Read more great articles and get cooking advice<\/a> from Bill St. John. <\/div>\n

Fader takes special pride in cleaning up as he goes, so that \u201cin the end, after everyone\u2019s eaten, all you have to do is put the dinner plates in the washer.\u201d As an example, he says that, after mashing the potatoes, \u201cput them in a serving dish that you\u2019ll keep warm, and then right away wash out the pot you boiled them in and put that away.\u201d In a sense, the serving dish of mashed potatoes then becomes part of that dinner\u2019s \u201cmise en place.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMirepoix [a mix of celery, carrots and onions] can be cut up ahead in different sizes depending on different uses,\u201d Fader says. \u201cI rest my roasting turkey on large chunks of mirepoix and use smaller cuts in the stuffing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other Fader suggestions for Thanksgiving mise en place: \u201cPeel the potatoes and put them in water.\u201d (Can be done days ahead if using the refrigerator.) \u201cNever throw away the scraps from vegetable peelings; they go into stocks, either for right away or, if you freeze them, for the future.\u201d (That includes onion skins which will lend their light brown color to lighter stocks such as those made from fish or fowl.)<\/p>\n

As do some cooks, Fader prepares two turkeys on Thanksgiving. \u201cOne is for that day,\u201d he says, \u201cand the other is for both leftovers to send home with others,\u201d as well as for future stocks. Anthony Bourdain was well-known for preparing double turkeys, too, a \u201cstunt\u201d one for the table, dressed \u201clike a showgirl,\u201d and the second in the kitchen, already carved and ready to be served.<\/p>\n

Additional Fader feast-day ideas: \u201cI like to make sweet potatoes glazed in butter and orange,\u201d he says, \u201cand always cook the stuffing outside the bird.\u201d (As with the mashed potatoes, after the stuffing is cooked, ideally in its serving container, \u201cjust keep it warm and it\u2019s one less worry.\u201d)<\/p>\n

I asked Fader about a common concern of mine, that of adding too much salt to a dish, something that cannot be removed. \u201cAlways season [add salt and freshly ground pepper] at the end,\u201d he says, the practiced chef\u2019s way to prevent oversalting from the start.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only fix for oversalting is volume,\u201d he says. \u201cIf there\u2019s too much salt in the stuffing, tear up some Parker House rolls and stretch the stuffing. Too much salt in the gravy? Add more stock or broth. Nothing can mask too much salt. Adding volume is all that works.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stock of Rotisserie Chicken Carcasses<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Make this well ahead of Thanksgiving Day dinner, for use in a soup, as a moistener for stuffing and as the basis for gravies. Or, alternatively, use that day\u2019s turkey carcass in place of the recipe\u2019s chickens to make stock that you will use in the future. Makes 2-3 quarts.<\/p>\n

Ingredients<\/strong><\/h3>\n

2 carcasses from rotisserie (not raw) chickens, browned skin OK<\/p>\n

2 medium onions, peels left on, sliced in halves along their \u201cequators\u201d<\/p>\n

3 stalks celery (leaves OK), cut in halves<\/p>\n

2 medium carrots, scrubbed and cut in halves<\/p>\n

4 cloves garlic, unpeeled but smashed<\/p>\n

6 parsley stems<\/p>\n

2 sprigs fresh or 1\/2 teaspoon dried thyme<\/p>\n

1 bay leaf<\/p>\n

Directions<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Break apart or cut the roast chicken carcasses into pieces, especially at the joints, the more pieces the better. Set aside. Sear the 4 onion halves over medium-low heat in the (unoiled) pot that you will use to make the stock until the cut sides are very nicely browned.<\/p>\n

Add back the chicken pieces and all the remaining ingredients and cover everything with water by 2 inches. Bring to a soft boil, then simmer, partially covered, for 3-4 hours, skimming fat or foam that might rise and replenishing with boiling water, if necessary, to keep everything submerged.<\/p>\n

Strain the stock, through cheesecloth if you wish it clearer. When cool enough to handle, remove any meat from the bones to use for other preparations. Chill it in the pot overnight so that any rising fat congeals and can be skimmed off. Portion the stock as you wish and refrigerate it for use within a week or freeze it for use long-term.<\/p>\n

\"When
Don\u2019t toss vegetable peelings, even onion skins when cooking Thanksgiving dinner. Instead, save them for broths or stocks.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Gene Amole, the late and much-beloved Denver native, radio DJ and Rocky Mountain News columnist, wrote many dozens of columns for that sadly departed newspaper, but the one with his recipe for turkey stuffing was the sizzler. According to an editor\u2019s note in the November 4, 1982, edition, the recipe was \u201cthe most-requested column from the Rocky Mountain News files.\u201d<\/p>\n

His recipe is here, with the directions in his words.<\/p>\n

Gene Amole\u2019s Thanksgiving Turkey Stuffing<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Ingredients<\/strong><\/h3>\n

17 slices of white bread (or use a package of\u00a0dried bread cubes)<\/p>\n

3 slices of dark, Jewish pumpernickel (don’t leave this out)<\/p>\n

1 tablespoon salt<\/p>\n

1 teaspoon pepper<\/p>\n

1 tablespoon sage, thyme or poultry seasoning<\/p>\n

1\/2 pound breakfast sausage<\/p>\n

1\/2 pound Italian sausage<\/p>\n

1 cup chopped celery<\/p>\n

1 cup chopped onion<\/p>\n

1 cup chopped walnuts<\/p>\n

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley<\/p>\n

2 cups thick-sliced mushrooms<\/p>\n

1 tart apple (such as Granny Smith), peeled, cored and chopped<\/p>\n

1 cube unsalted butter<\/p>\n

2 cups chicken or turkey broth<\/p>\n

3 tablespoons cream sherry<\/p>\n

Directions<\/strong><\/h3>\n

First, open a bottle of Harvey’s Bristol Cream Sherry. Actually, any brand will do, but Harvey’s is the best. Have yourself a little nip and then pour exactly 8 ounces into a measuring cup. Put it aside while you prepare the other ingredients.<\/p>\n

Take the bread slices and cut into crouton-size cubes and place in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle with the pepper, salt and sage or poultry seasoning. Brown and crumble in a skillet the two sausages, out of their casings if applicable. After thoroughly mixing the sausage, remove with slotted spoon and put in the big bowl.<\/p>\n

Add the celery, onion and walnuts; throw in the parsley and mushrooms. Add the apple pieces. I know what you are thinking. You are concerned about the pumpernickel and the Italian sausage. Just seems out of character, doesn’t it? Trust me. And you probably want to saut\u00e9 the onions and celery. Don’t.<\/p>\n

Every time I make this stuffing, I am reminded of Chinese philosopher Lao-tze’s observation about bean sprouts. \u201cThey should be firm but yielding,\u201d he wrote. So should the celery and onions in this dressing. The nuts and apple will retain a nice crispness, too.<\/p>\n

Heat the butter and broth together until the butter melts. Pour the liquid into the bowl. Do not mix yet. There is one more important ingredient. Right you are! It is the sherry. Never forget the sherry. Very carefully pour 3 tablespoons of sherry into the bowl. Sip away at the sherry you have reserved in the measuring cup.<\/p>\n

Carefully toss the stuffing with two wooden spoons until all ingredients are evenly mixed. Do not bruise the sausage! If mixture is too dry, add warm water. Food science no longer recommends stuffing the bird.\u00a0We make up the recipe and bake it in a ceramic casserole dish.\u00a0I guess that makes it dressing as opposed to stuffing\u2014whatever you call it, it’s good.<\/p>\n

R<\/em>each Bill St John at <\/em>billstjohn@gmail.com<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a typical year \u2014 three of which we haven\u2019t seen of late \u2014 Thanksgiving Day dinner is often the largest annual family meal that a cook prepares. The most daunting; the most complex; the most fussed-about. It needn\u2019t be any of that \u2014 well, except still the largest. It might be rather everyday, in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2197,"featured_media":66616,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[4799,2366,9187,4415],"class_list":["post-66612","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthy-living","tag-bill-st-john","tag-healthy-recipes","tag-readysetco","tag-recipes"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCooking Thanksgiving dinner? 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