Prepping ahead, delegating can take stress out of Thanksgiving

by Emily Canning-Dean

When people think of Thanksgiving, they often picture Norman Rockwell’s famous image of all the happy, expectant faces gathered around the dining room table as the matriarch sets down a beautifully dressed turkey waiting to be carved.

“I’m really not sure how many people even do that in this day and age,” said Catherine St. John, former owner of the Western Reserve School of Cooking.

St. John said that while the image is a pretty one, trying to imitate it can sometimes be more stressful than it’s worth. She has a toolbelt of tips on how hosts can make Thanksgiving prep less stressful and can actually take some time to enjoy the holiday.

“Let’s say you’re having 18 people over for Thanksgiving,” she said. “And you know that 15 of them prefer breast meat so you are trying to figure out how many turkeys you are going to need. Unless you’re planning on presenting the whole uncarved turkey on the table, it might make sense to buy your turkey in pieces instead of a whole turkey. You could buy two whole bone-in breasts, maybe a couple of drumsticks, some thighs, then you have some good selections of white and dark meat plus it cuts your roasting time down to practically nothing.”

While she says a whole turkey is not necessary, St. John does recommend staying away from skinless and boneless turkey.

“The skin and bone carry a lot of flavor and moisture, and I also highly recommend doing a dry brine,” she said. “The morning before Thanksgiving, unpack your turkey whether it is a whole turkey or parts and pieces. Put it on a sheet pan with a cooling rack and generously sprinkle kosher salt on the skin and underneath then put it in the refrigerator uncovered. Overnight, the salt will make the skin super crispy, and it will keep the meat moist.”

The next day, add butter or olive oil under the skin as well as any pepper or herbs that are desired and roast at 375 degrees.

“The biggest no-no is actually stuffing the bird,” St. John said. “Stuffing is bread based and when it is inside the bird, you have raw juices running through the stuffing. The interior cavity of the bird doesn’t get to the same temperature as the meat so in order to make sure the stuffing is safe, you are going to have to overcook the turkey.”

St. John also reminds there are many dishes that can be prepared days or even weeks before the actual Thanksgiving celebration.

“About a week leading up to Thanksgiving I will go to the store and look for turkey bones then dice up some carrots, onion and celery and make a turkey stock,” she said. “I like to make a cornbread, apple, sausage stuffing the day before but then you can use the turkey stock to moisten the stuffing.”

St. John added there are some dishes that can be made well in advance.

“You can make cranberry sauce weeks in advance,” she said. “Also, for leftover cranberry sauce I like to get those filo cups at the grocery store, fill it with some cranberry sauce, a piece of brie and a pecan and then freeze them. When you have to have something to take to a Christmas party you can get those out of the freezer and bake them from frozen in the oven.”

St. John also reminds that it isn’t necessary for the host to make every single dish.

“I know some people like to micromanage Thanksgiving, but really you can farm some things out,” she said. “It’s OK to have other guests make some appetizers or desserts or sides. If there is someone in your family who can’t cook, you can just put them in charge of bringing the wine.”

St. John also said there is no reason to feel guilty for foregoing the fine china.

“If paper plates make it less stressful for you then do that,” she said. “Anymore there are a variety of pretty good paper products. You can go to Costco, and they have whole bundles with a Thanksgiving or Christmas theme.”

St. John also pointed out that every family celebrates Thanksgiving in their own way. She said for her family in California, it was always more of a formal affair with cocktails and everyone sitting down together at 5 p.m. for dinner. Her husband’s family is much less formal with guests showing up at different times throughout the day. St. John said she learned that serving the food buffet style works much better for her husband’s family. “There are a lot of hosts who think they have to do everything, and I have been that person sometimes,” St. John said. “There were years I don’t think I even sat down and had dinner. But you don’t need to do that. You can actually be a guest at your own party.”