Families across the country eagerly await a home-cooked turkey dinner every November, but for first time cooks, Thanksgiving can be overwhelming. By breaking down the steps needed to plan and prepare the holiday meal, Thanksgiving dinner can be easy, even for those with little experience in the kitchen.
Plan a Thanksgiving Menu
Though featured dishes vary from region to region, traditional holiday menus focus on ingredients that are native to North America. Turkey, potatoes, yams, corn and cranberries are all foods originally found in the New World. At a minimum, a traditional Thanksgiving meal consists of the following items:
- Main Entree (usually roast turkey)
- Stuffing
- Starchy Side (mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams)
- Vegetable (green beans, corn, carrots)
- Sauce (cranberry, gravy)
- Bread (biscuits, croissants)
- Dessert (pumpkin pie, apple pie)
While one dish from each category is enough to create a fulfilling dinner, it is perfectly acceptable to prepare more than one in order to create a entire Thanksgiving feast.
Homemade or Store Bought?
Nearly every item on the holiday table can be found in a pre-made form. Certain dishes, like stuffing, are unquestionable better if made at home. However, other foods can be reasonably substituted with a convenience-food version.
- Biscuits - First-time bakers are better off testing their bread-making skills another day. Refrigerated rolls can be baked in the oven for that "homemade" feel, but will save time and preserve quality.
- Vegetables - Most common vegetables are out-of-season in November, and inexperienced cooks can focus on more important dishes if they use canned or frozen vegetables instead.
- Cranberry Sauce - Even though homemade cranberry sauce is easy to make, slices of canned cranberry sauce may bring back memories of classic Americana.
Determine How Much to Serve
How much food to prepare will be based on several criteria, including:
- number of diners
- ages of guests
- food preferences
- desire for leftovers
The American Dietetic Association recommends 3 oz of cooked meat, 1/3 cup of starch and 1/2 cup of vegetable as standard serving sizes, however more food should be prepared for a Thanksgiving feast if the goal is to reuse holiday leftovers later in the week.
A good rule of thumb is to estimate, per person:
- 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of uncooked whole turkey
- 6 oz stuffing
- 4-6 oz starch
- 2-4 oz vegetable
- 2 oz sauce
- 1 serving of bread and dessert
Serving size estimates should be adjusted to account for children, dieters and picky eaters, who will eat less, as well as guests with hearty appetites who may eat more. It is better to have too much food than not enough, provided there is enough room to store food properly.
Prepare a Shopping List and To-Do List
Once a Thanksgiving menu has been planned, holiday recipes have been gathered and appropriate serving sizes have been determined, a shopping list should be prepared. Checking off items on the list is a good way to keep track of what has been gathered and what still needs to be bought.
A list of tasks leading up to the big day should be prepared a week ahead of time. Certain tasks, like thawing a frozen turkey, must be started days in advance and cannot wait until the last minute. Some side-dishes, like stuffing and dessert, can also be prepared the day before to save time on Thanksgiving Day.
With a little preparation, inexperienced, first-time cooks can serve a Thanksgiving meal sure to please the entire family. By planning ahead and not waiting until the last minute, cooking a holiday meal for the first time can be a successful and rewarding experience.
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