THE RELUCTANT GOURMET COOKING COMMUNITY

Reluctant Gourmet · Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 9:00 pm Post subject: Thanksgiving Day Dinner Tips

I'm working on a putting together a bunch of helpful hints on preparing the often overwhelming Thanksgiving Day meal. I think this meal is as close as novice cooks get to appreciate what it is like to work in a professional restaurant.

Sure we may cook dinner for 10 to 12 family members, maybe even a couple of dozen but think about what it would be like make a Thanksgiving meal for 100 to 200 people 6 nights a week. Ouch!

Anyway, I've aske several of my chef friends for some pointers on how to make the day run more smoothly and will be posting them on my blog, www.reluctantgourmet.com/blog this week.

What Are Your Favorite Thankgiving Tips
Here's a great opportunity to share some of you own personal tips on preparing your Turkey Day meal.

Look forward to hearing from you.

ninjabut · Joined: 12 Nov 2007 Posts: 812 Location: No CA USDA zone 8

My best TG tip is to have someone that knows how to carve a turkey and someone who knows how to make the gravy!
By the time the turkey comes out of the oven in my small kitchen, people are LOOMING!
It's either "GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN!" or "you do it!" LOL I'm OUT of there!
Because of my fear of people in my kitchen (claustrophobia) I am DONE right at gravy time!
I go outside til din din is ready. Nancy

chefslineerika · Joined: 14 Nov 2007 Posts: 1

At Chefsline, we receive hundreds of calls from home cooks and I want to share with you some of our most important tips to avoid some common mistakes that our callers make.

1.) Always use a meat thermometer to detemine doneness. The turkey can be pulled from the oven once the internal temperature has reached between 165 and 170 degrees. You'll need to test both the innermost part of the thigh and the thickest part of the breast.

2.) Once the turkey is out of the oven, it should be quickly tented with foil to keep in the heat. Let the bird rest for no less than 20 minutes before carving. This will ensure that your turkey will not lose any additional moisture and you should have a juicy and delicious bird for your guests.

Don't let a dry turkey ruin your holiday. By following these tips, you'll have your guests begging for more!

Reluctant Gourmet · Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2007 3:32 pm Post subject: Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner Tips

I wanted to let you know that I just posted a bunch of great Thankgiving Day Turkey Tips given to me by four of my favorite chefs. Some of these tips you may already know but I'm sure you will find something new and interesting. You can see them at

http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/blog/turkey/thanksgiving-turkey-dinner-tips/

And if you have some of your own personal favorite tips, please share them with the rest of us.

RG