Heyyyyyy there Thanksgiving. Hi. Hi big turkey. Hi gravy. Hi pie crust! That's the refrain going through many a cook's head this week! Does anything in this lineup freak you out? Or are you a Thanksgiving dinner pro? Does the idea of cooking a whole turkey (not to mention brining the beast) give you cold sweats? Is gravy a mystery shrouded in the murky future? What's your biggest challenge and intimidation factor in cooking this sometimes high-pressure meal?
Me, I confess that I have never ever cooked a whole turkey. I get around it by hacking it up and braising it (which honestly gives such superior results I'm not sure why I would go the roasting route). Maybe I'm just, um, chicken though. I've conquered my fear of gravy — why not the turkey?
What about you? What scares you on Thanksgiving? Maybe it's none of the above — maybe it's just the prospect of having so many family members in one place? What's your Thanksgiving fear — and, just for fun, what's the worst thing (funny or truly bad) that happened to you and yours in the process of the Thanksgiving meal?
Related: How to Cook a Turkey: The Simplest, Easiest Method
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When I was around 4 I ate the centers out of both of the pumpkin pies my mom had made on Thanksgiving Day. We had a house full of relatives and my mom was NOT happy. I couldn't eat pumpkin pie until I was an adult.
Now I mostly fear the potential of gaining 5 pounds from eating a single meal.
I live in fear of the day that I have to carve the turkey.
Previous disasters:
1) One year my mother didn't turn on the oven to cook the turkey.
2) Two years ago, the pyrex bowl exploded when we were pouring in the turkey drippings to make the gravy. Everything on the stovetop had to be remade at the last minute.
3) My older family members used to always make some sort of congealed thing called 'Coca-Cola Salad" and they would stress endlessly about whether or not it would "set". Now that I am in charge, the recipe has been retired.
My brother had chicken pox on thanksgiving. We had to fix him a plate and sneak it upstairs so he wouldn't infect any of our relatives! Poor guy was so bored.
My first time hosting Thanksgiving the meal was great, however my super supportive fiance had peeled all of the potatoes and put the peels down the garbage disposal rendering the sink useless. We ended up doing dishes in the utility sink in the basement sandwiched between the water heater and Christmas decorations.
I've yet to master gravy, but I don't really care to since I'm not a big fan... The timing is the biggest thing - making sure everything is coming out of the oven when the turkey is fully cooked! The turkey ALWAYS seems to be done earlier than I anticipate, even after sitting and carving, so it is frustrating. But I don't want to assume it'll be done quicker, for fear of cold sides. Argh.
We're going to try foraging next year instead of buying from the store. That means if we want meat I'll have to learn to shoot wild turkey. That and identifying plants correctly scares me and it's a whole year away!
The hardest part for me is timing everything to come out at approximately the same time. Managing the bird and all of the other things that need to reach the oven before dinner time is a complicated task.
This year, we're going to butterfly our turkey to get it in and out of the oven faster.
This is my first year hosting dinner at my place, I'm really only scared of actually lifting the 20+ pound turkey into and especially out of the oven.
Roasting a whole turkey scares the crap out of me - I can rarely manage to cook a bird of any kind correctly. But thankfully, this year I'll be going to a friend's place, and he's handling the turkey. I just have to supply some rolls, which aren't scary at all.
It's the timing that always stresses me. I create a detailed timeline a week or so in advance & still I freak out a little! This year, many of the sides & all the desserts are being brought by our guests, so I'm not freaking out just yet. Except about the housework that I keep avoiding :) Ha ha ha! Guess I'll get off the computer & try to tackle the huge pile of crap on my desk instead.....
The timing also freaks me out. I created a google doc spreadsheet today to make a T-day "cooking schedule" complete with colors. I hope it works.
The think I most fear is putting away the leftovers. Finding appropriate sized containers and fitting it into the refrigerator are chores I would rather leave to someone else.
The Chief Taste Tester hates turkey. Every year, twice a year, he splurges on a ridiculously oversized for two people prime rib which TERRIFIES me because I'm just waiting for the year that I overcook / burn the $100 piece of meat :/
Terrifies me to the point that one year I had to cut him off a slice of prime rib and cook it in a skillet 'cause it was too rare for him and it was way past dinner time LOL
The dishes. So. Many. Dishes.
It's timing. Making sure everything is ready and hot at the same time when you're using every burner, oven and microwave simultaneously.
Timing.
Like others have said, it's timing and what I call Refrigerator Tetris, trying to find room for everything. Oh and keeping my cousin from drinking everything in sight.....
Avocado- LOL!
I live in fear of giving everyone salmonella poisoning...so I say the turkey!
The turkey scares the c$%& out of me. That's why I make a turkey breast in the slow cooker.