Hosting Thanksgiving this year? Here’s the Easyfeast timeline for what to do ahead of time, the week of, and on the day. Plus, how to get everything warm at the same time and tips for a smoother day.
Make-ahead Thanksgiving timeline
Two to three weeks before Thanksgiving
Finalize the menu and guest count. Consider allergies, dietary restrictions and your guests’ preferences.
Share assignments with your guests. The best things to ask guests to bring are dishes that travel well and don’t need to warm in the oven. For example, pies, cranberry sauce, salads or a room temperature side.
Pull together your recipes and make a shopping list. If you can choose recipes that share ingredients, shopping is simpler and less goes to waste. (See how to grocery shop like a personal chef.)
Order the turkey and any specialty ingredients.
Check that you have the supplies you’ll need: things like platters, linens, drinkware, storage containers and a meat thermometer.
One week before Thanksgiving
Buy everything shelf-stable such as flour, sugar, dried fruit, nuts, spices, stock and drinks.
Make the cranberry sauce. It keeps in the fridge for a week. (Our cranberry sauce will be posted soon - stay tuned!)
Chop nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. Mix any spice blends.
Wash the serving dishes and label each one with the dish it will hold.
Write the cooking schedule and decide what you’ll serve at room temperature.
Plan for safely thawing the turkey. A frozen turkey thaws in the fridge at about 24 hours per 4 to 5 pounds, so a 15-pound turkey needs 3 to 4 days, which means putting it in the fridge on Sunday or Monday. If you brine, a wet brine takes 12 to 24 hours and a dry brine takes 1 to 3 days, referigerated the whole time.
Two to three days before Thanksgiving
Buy the fresh produce and dairy, and pick up the turkey if you ordered a fresh one.
Make the soups, sauces and casseroles. These all reheat well. If there’s a crunchy topping (breadcrumbs, fried onions, nuts), add it fresh on Thursday.
Make the stuffing and bake it all the way through, then refrigerate it to reheat on Thursday. If you’d rather bake it fresh, keep all the components separate until the day. Either way, don’t stuff the turkey ahead of time.
Make the gravy.
Bake the pies. Fruit pies store best on the counter. Pumpkin, pecan and custard pies should go in the fridge.
Make the salad dressings and herb mixes.
The day before Thanksgiving
Wash and cut the vegetables and store them in airtight containers.
Make the mashed potatoes.
Prep the salad components and store them separately. Keep the dressing, fruit and anything wet apart from the greens until you’re ready to toss on Thursday.
Set the table and lay out the platters and serving utensils.
Prepare your drink station.
Write out the oven schedule (each dish, its temperature, how long, covered or not) and tape it to the cabinet above the oven or your fridge.
Thanksgiving Day
Roast the turkey.
Cook the green vegetables and anything that should be crispy.
Reheat made-ahead dishes while the turkey rests (see the oven plan below.)
Enjoy the day!
How to reheat Thanksgiving dishes when you have one oven
Start with the turkey. Work backwards from when you want to eat, allowing for the roasting time plus 30 to 45 minutes of resting.
Reheat the casseroles and sides while the turkey rests. Most sides reheat in 20 to 30 minutes at 350°F, covered.
Meanwhile, warm the mashed potatoes and gravy on the stovetop over low heat. Add a splash of warm milk or cream if needed to loosen the potatoes, and add a little stock to the gravy if it needs to thin out. Cook the green vegetables.
Serve cranberry sauce, most salads and desserts at room temperature. Take them out of the fridge about an hour before serving.
Assume you’ll need about 15 to 30 minutes to get everything on platters and garnished.
What to make ahead vs. what to finish on Thanksgiving Day
Make ahead
Cranberry sauce
Pies and baked desserts
Soups and sauces
Casseroles
Mashed potatoes
Gravy
Chopped vegetables and aromatics
Salad components and dressings (stored separately!)
Prepare fresh
Crispy roasted vegetables
Biscuits and dinner rolls
Turkey
Personal chef tips for Thanksgiving Day
Cook in components. Make the sauces, dressings and garnishes ahead and store them separately, so on Thursday you’re just putting dishes together.
Label everything. Write the dish name on masking tape and place that on your Tupperware (or aluminum pans if you need larger storage containers than usual). That way, you don’t have to empty the fridge to find what you’re looking for.
Make a reheating plan ahead of time. Create a simple oven schedule listing each dish that needs to be warmed, at what temperature and for how long, and whether it needs to be covered.
Taste again after reheating. The food may need a little adjusting before you serve, because flavors, moisture and seasoning can change during storage.
Follow food safety guidelines. Thaw the turkey in the fridge, not the counter. Cook it to 165°F at the thickest part of the breast and thigh, and check with a thermometer. Get leftovers into the fridge within two hours.
Be efficient. While the turkey roasts, plate the desserts and build the salad. While the vegetables cook, warm the gravy on the back burger. While the turkey rests and the casseroles reheat, chop the herbs for garnish.
Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Easyfeast!
Sources
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service. (n.d.). Turkey basics: Safe thawing. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/poultry/turkey-basics-safe-thawing
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service. (n.d.). Safe minimum internal temperature chart. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/safe-temperature-chart
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service. (n.d.). Leftovers and food safety. https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/leftovers-and-food-safety