Start Preparing Your Thanksgiving Meal Now

It will save you valuable time later.

When I grew up, my mother was among the homemakers who spent tireless hours preparing an elaborate Thanksgiving meal.

I vividly remember how she would start her meal preparation the day before Thanksgiving by thawing the huge turkey. That busy Wednesday was also spent making pies, cakes, and purchasing last-minute items at the grocery store. Thanksgiving morning started with early work in the kitchen. The turkey was dressed and placed in the oven and all the casseroles were assembled and baked. Since I was the child who loved helping in the kitchen, it came as no surprise that I gave my mother the set of helping hands that she desperately needed. My sisters joined me in setting a festive table before dinner was served. Once my family sat down to eat our delicious meal to observe this holiday, my mother and I was so exhausted that it was hard to enjoy the afternoon meal.

The dreaded clean-up followed. We always needed to rearrange the refrigerator to accommodate all of our leftovers. And reclaiming our kitchen was a stressful event.

What I just described were the behind the scene events that took place in most households the day before and the day of Thanksgiving when I was a young girl. It didn’t matter if we were invited to enjoy dinner with other families or if we hosted guests, or enjoyed a quiet holiday with my immediate family, back then, all women handled the holiday the same way.

As meal preparation techniques evolved over the years and I trained as well as worked as a family and consumer sciences teacher and taught many cooking courses, I grew to become extremely proficient in the kitchen. My experience managing my home and hosting every type of event imaginable has enabled me to organize time-saving tips to assist anyone responsible for hosting a Thanksgiving gathering.

I hope that the following information will help those who need it.

Tips to Save Time

These ideas will contribute to your stress-free hosting experience for Thanksgiving.

1. Develop an entertainment budget as soon as you know you will be hosting the holiday meal.
2. Plan your entire menu that is consistent with your budget.
3. Make sure you have all the dinnerware including glasses, stemware, and flatware for the number of people you invite.
4. Create a shopping list of everything that you require to present a flawless meal. Except for the highly perishable items that you need, purchase all the items that you must have. Whether it’s napkins, tablecloths, wine or other beverages, or serving utensils, get what you need and do so early.
5. Prepare casseroles, baked goods, and sauces ahead of time and get them ready for the freezer. Be sure to attach a label with the date the items were prepared along with instructions for thawing, reheating, and baking. This will enable helpers to assist you with all of the final preparation before the meal is served on Thanksgiving.
6. Some meats can be prepared weeks in advance if they are securely preserved in the freezer. Additionally, some specialty meats like hams may also be purchased and secured in freezer wrap.
7. Set the table several days before your gathering. If fresh flowers will be used as your centerpiece, just leave space on the table for the arrangement.
8. The servery can also be organized several days in advance. This includes setting out the serving utensils, punch bowl, and trivets.
9. The refrigerator should be rearranged a few days before Thanksgiving to make room for all the holiday leftovers. The plans for leftover storage include purchasing and organizing containers and freezer bags.
10. Salads can be prepared a day or so before Thanksgiving and refrigerated.
11. Use the crockpot for foods that will take a long time to prepare on the day of the event. Vegetables are among the foods that can be prepared in the slow cooker hours before the meal.
12. If baked turkey will be served, it can be dressed and baked or fried on Thanksgiving morning or afternoon.
13. All the foods prepared and preserved ahead of time may be baked, heated, and thawed before guests arrive.
14. Foods can be ready to serve at the designated time without all the stress associated with managing the preparation of everything at once.
15. Once the delicious meal concludes, leftovers should be organized according to the foods that will be enjoyed over subsequent days. These items can be placed in the refrigerator. However, foods that need to be preserved over an extended period should be prepared and labeled for the freezer.
16. As the hostess, you can choose to delegate clean-up help. Give clear instructions that will adequately assist you.

The Final Word

It is possible to leave anxiety behind as you host a delicious Thanksgiving meal. Organizing and following time-saving strategies will make a wonderful difference for you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here is my golden ticket that helps me accomplish my mission.

Dr. Deborah M. Vereen is a retired Teacher and School Administrator. Her website is www.Drdeborahmvereen.com and her YouTube Channel is https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS1DPhBeA29UlybU9jzDkdQ.