18 Nov Professional Thanksgiving Tips For a Perfect Feast

Is it Thanksgiving already? Between prepping the house for family visitors and running back and forth to the grocery store for that one ingredient, it’s easy to forget what all this hustle is even for. With only a couple more days until the big feast, we want to make sure you have just what you need to pull off the most delicious meal of the year.

In our experience, one of the most important rules we’ve learned about perfecting a dish is often the most underrated: a little goes a long, long way. So as we enter the time of year when we celebrate the simpler things in life, we’re sharing our favorite little recipe tweaks you can easily incorporate in your cooking to take your Thanksgiving feast from traditional to sensational. 

Citrus.

Make sure you have plenty of lemons at hand. Adding citrus zest to gravy, stuffing, cranberry jam, salad dressings. It will help enhance the flavors and bring out a nice bright flavor in all of these items. We prefer using Meyer lemons. 

A Better Way to Cook Turkey.

It seems to be the annual dinner cliche: something unexpected happens to the turkey. Whether you over-season it, overcook it or accidentally leave the bag of giblets inside, cooking the perfect butterball is a puzzle you don’t want to play. But who says you have to cook the whole thing in one piece? We suggest breaking down the turkey before cooking. All the parts of the bird cook differently, so if you break them down into the different parts you can make sure they all roast perfectly.

Make Your Own Stock.

Don’t throw those bones out! Use the bones of the turkey to make stock that you can use for your gravy, stuffing and even the soup the next day. Leftover recipes, yum! The homemade stock will have a lot more depth of flavor than a store-bought stock.  

Flourless Gravy.

This year, leave the flour out of the gravy. Instead, reduce the liquid for a longer period of time. This allows the gravy liquid to naturally thicken, plus it enhances the flavor. Then use heavy cream & butter with lots of fresh herbs right at the very end. If you notice a difference, it will be for the better.

There you have it! We hope these bring your dishes that extra yum! You’ve been looking for. Check out more chef hacks in our recent pose, Chef Hacks you Need to Know Before the Holidays. What are you favorite holiday upgrades? Let us know on Facebook!