There’s nothing quite as festive and fun as getting the whole family together for a Thanksgiving feast, but cooking for a large crowd can be a real challenge. Whether you’ve been hosting Thanksgiving for years or this is your first trip around the holiday kitchen, any smart chef can use a few tricks. For this year’s feast how about adding some kitchen hacks to your routine? Let’s make this Thanksgiving one you’ll never forget – delicious and easy – with eight thanksgiving kitchen hacks everyone should know.
8 Thanksgiving Kitchen Hacks Everyone Should Know
#1. Line your turkey pan with aluminum foil. Want easy cleanup? This is one of the most mess-saving tricks there is – a little foil goes a long way when it comes to protecting your pan and making for easy clean up.
#2. Give friends and family a job that will actually be helpful. Rather than having your friends and family step on your toes in the kitchen, have some jobs in your back pocket that will help you out. Assign tasks like setting the table, getting people drinks or cocktails or put them on clean-up crew!
#3. Print all your recipes in advance. Printing your recipes on individual pieces of paper will be a huge help. Try taping them to your cabinets (right at eye level) so that you don’t have to flip through cook books the day of.
#4. Use your slow cooker to keep things warm (or borrow a few!). Things like mashed potatoes, pureed squash, turnips or even gravy are perfect for the slow cooker. If you’re Thanksgiving is buffet style, you’ll have the easiest time lining everything up while it’s still hot. If you’re going family style, transfer small amounts to the dishware of your choice just before you’re ready to serve.
#5. Use craft paper as a table cloth for the kids table. Feeling like you need to keep all the kiddos entertained? Craft paper, crayons and markers are the perfect solution for giving all the children a way to be creative, have something to do during dinner and even get them to write down what they’re thankful for this year.
#6. And, while you’re at it – line your dining room table with newspaper or craft paper and place the tablecloth over that. The newspaper or craft paper will help protect your table from any spills, water rings and make for easy clean up!
#7. Use a muffin tin to make single serving items like stuffing singles or pumpkin and apple pie singles. Excellent for making ahead and popping in the oven to heat up just before you’re ready to serve.
#8. Use a cooler to make more room in your refrigerator. When your fridge is full of all sorts of condiments, beverages, snacks (items for your daily use), make some room by moving it all out for the day. Fill the cooler with ice and load it up to make room – everything will be good to go for the day and you can move it back in as soon as there’s room.
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays and I love cooking up a storm for (and with) my family and friends – but any little trick helps when it comes to having a smooth day. Do you have any kitchen hacks to share?
