Question Of The Day #1

What is your biggest Thanksgiving culinary problem? (For those of you that don't celebrate Thanksgiving, what is the biggest problem you have preparing or serving a big holiday celebration meal?)

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Johan_Edstrom_5586

Relatives cooking.

Jeromy_Smith_23488

You stole my answer.

SteveM_20803

I've got two. Last year I cobbled together several sous vide recipes for turkey. A turkey is a lot for one family to eat, so I don't have a lot of room for experimentation to get it to perfection.

My second biggest issue is timing. I think I am going to solve more of the timing issues this year having a second circulator. Armed with a better understanding of sous vide, this year come together much better without parking dishes in the oven on warm.

HammeredChef_DEFINITELY_does_NOT_work_at_22134

Damn! 32 minutes to late with the correct answer. "why does everyone want to bring something?" My answer now is bring wine...

Ryan_Jones_36451

I'd say the largest problem is stove and oven space when getting everything ready right before service. There's only so many burners and only one temperature setting for an oven in an apartment.

This year I'm attempting to do as much away from the oven and stove as possible. Sous vide prepped veggies to simply reheat, smoked turkey, crock pot mashed potatoes, leaving casseroles and dressing for the oven, and gravy for the stovetop.

merridith

I am always challenged by the balancing the desire NOT to disappoint my guests expecatations of being served certain dishes they think are essential ("I have to have those sweet potatoes cooked in the orange peel" or my husband won't be happy if he doesn't get to eat green bean casserole") with my need to serve things that are different and more interesting than the "traditional" dishes. A few years ago I started boning out my turkey breast before brining it and then cooking the breast and dark meat sous vide. Everyone complained that they were not going to see, or that they missed seeing, the whole brown skinned turkey, even though nobody (except me) eats the skin! But once they ate my sous vide meat which I was able to pre-slice beautifully and present on a nicely garnished platter, they understood the value of what they sacrificed! Unfortunately, that discusting green bean glop is just something I had to take a stand on and refuse to prepare. And they still complain that I play with the cranberries and the sweet potatoes every year.

Johan_Edstrom_5586

That pretty much elaborates on my first comment, fully in agreement.

It is also the one time of year I'm treated like a certified idiot when it comes to cooking, are you sure he knows how to brine the turkey, can he work with sweet taters, will the gravy taste like it should (gelatinous glop from a can).

Matthew_Snyder_68770

Timing is far and away the number one issue. About four or five years ago was the first time I was solely responsible for cooking on Turkey Day, and even though I did a job list and timeline I got in the weeds relatively quickly. (Part of that was thanks everyone offering to 'help' early on.) Been trying out a new system with color coded jobs (I'm more of a graphical person) that I will deploy for the feast next month, hopefully that will help.

Plus, I just got my new Anova circulators. I'm confident that fire-and-forget tool will free up bandwidth for other tasks.

michaelnatkin

To answer my own question, as a vegetarian it drives me nuts when people worry I won't have enough to eat! For normal meals I'd be a bit put off if someone thought I should just eat the side dishes. But Thanksgiving, good lord there are mashed potatoes and rolls and green beans and yams and cranberries and pumpkin pie and ten other things... I think I'll be ok!

FrankM_3301

East coast, US here....my biggest problem...convincing family that we should avoid turkey and all of the poorly executed side dishes that folks are used to and "must" be present on the table.

ttpoker

#1) Time commitment. #2) Dealing with the huge size of a turkey cooked sousvide.

In the past I cut the turkey, brined it, then cooked sousvide in individual pieces followed by chilling, reheated, and then reassembled.

This year I think we will follow similar steps outlined by ChefSteps to cook a chicken. I will inject the brine instead of soaking in the brine. I will let the bird sit uncovered in the fridge while brining for 2 days while the skin is slathered with soy sauce and paprika. I will then cook the bird in the oven low and SLOW until it comes up to temp - only problem is I don't know how to predict the time required to accomplish this technique.

Brandon_Byrd_40557

In the past my biggest problem has been the size of our Thanksgiving crowd, which ranges between 25-35 people (basically all of my extended family). Because there are so many people, it basically just ends up like a potluck, which isn't bad but it doesn't lend itself especially well to having a high quality meal. On the few occasions that I've cooked for 6-8 people, it's been much, much better. I'll echo Ryan Jone's comments that one of the biggest problems is oven and stove space, but having a circulator really helps out with this one. Timing is the other big issue (and it's related) but again, having a circulator and a chamber vac makes it easier to do a lot of things ahead of time

Stephen_Schroeder_87619

Knowing which things can be prepared ahead of time without sacrificing quality, and which things must be prepared right before dinner

Brendan_Lee_56950

Relatives who cling to dishes in the name of tradition. We can't get fresh cranberry sauce on the table because one person has an affinity for canned and since that's so much easier nobody will bother to make the fresh.

I also have a problem with the over abundance of dessert and sweet dishes that come with a traditional "american" thanksgiving table. I've had to adjust from what I would traditionally eat as a canadian thanksgiving to living in the south where sweet potatoes are synonymous with marshmallows and corn pudding only slightly tastes salty even though it's a side dish for turkey.

I brought a nice and acidic panzanella one year and people looked at me like i was a little green man from another planet.

Leon_78793

Boring turkey, terrible gingerbread and grainy pumpkin pie. Only a problem when im not cooking

Alexis_Lomas_99778

Serving

John_Tucker_34472

Timing everything to be ready at the same time and when the guests are in the house. This year (Canadian here) the food was all ready to go at exactly the same time (yay me!) but the guests (6 planned +2 extra) were later than expected which meant a keep warm cycle in the oven.

tshewman

Tend to agree with Johan et al, frank and many of the others regarding putting some of the "traditional" things aside and have people bring something else. Have had significant.....discussions in this regard when I was granted authority..once. To which our guests left reviews many would enjoy. Yet they expressed feelings of guilt b/c they didn't bring any food. Other occasions where they do bring something, we hear "I know it's nothing like......" I feel like I should be packing an extra suit case for the guilt trip.......yet they LOVE the food. Then there's the I don't like different crowd.....oh my. If it's not bland or deep fried........and then.....ooh that was good (sound of hand hitting forehead).......and then the next comes around and then bland is requested again. sheesh. It's like the midwest had their tongues and noses ran over with a lawn mower and can't taste anything......

Samuel_68313

In terms of annoyance then absolutely people being suckers for tradition is the most annoying thing, we all love our food memories but sometimes (normally) there is a way to bridge the gap between a pleasant food memory that one person has and something that is enjoyable to the majority.

In terms of the actual cooking side of things, it was only last year at christmas that I finally got gravy to a point I was happy (and that was thanks to Chris answering my question).

I assume part of you asking is for Chefsteps doing a small guide, and if that is the case then at this point I think the most practical thing that could help people would be making the most of a limited home kitchen. I guess most people here would have one sous-vide setup, an oven, and say four stove tops, some help organising things around that would almost certainly help people a bit more than specific recipes.

Lisa_Flores_111880

That my turkey will be dry. I started deep frying my turkey a few years ago.

michaelnatkin

I've created a new QOTD category for Questions Of The Day and today's question is up.

coryhansen78

Agreed. It is hard for some people to let go of some traditions. I can understand the appeal of the classics though. The first sous vide turkey I served to my family went over extremely well, so my strategy has been slowly introducing tweaks like that but still staying relatively traditional in scope. I think it's a bit of a balancing act between making your guests and you happy, perhaps.

On the other hand I've considered doing a sweetened cranberry puree with a little booze (Grand Marnier/Cassis/ or Chambord or something) and setting it with a hydrocolloid - maybe gellan?- in a can to serve it Bart Simpson style...

coryhansen78

Agreed - my sister is vegetarian and she really enjoys Thanksgiving, no issues whatsoever (I swapped out chicken/turkey broth for veg. stock/water in pretty much all of my Thanksgiving side recipes that require it a while ago).

By the way-- your gravy recipe is fantastic. It stole the (gravy) show last year.

Going in a different direction, any thoughts on a good vegetarian-friendly main for Thanksgiving?

nasv

Timing. What is the best and most "planful" way to complete as much ahead of time as possible - of course while maintaining quality or even improving over time (like braising the turkey leg quarters).

Brendan_Lee_56950

Well these are also people who are still using gold rimmed glasses and silverware that is like 4 generations old so tradition isn't really going anywhere until that generation passes. When I get to rule the roost there will be some changes but until then I kind of have to put up with it.

grant

Mine is watching hosts and hostesses of the dinners I go to stress out about the food they are cooking. I hate watching people get in the shits with their prep and fight with their loved ones about how to fix it all. People just stress too much and it is usually due to a poor balance between planning and realistic expectations. Total amateur mistake too I see that pains my heart is being a hosts or hostess that does not want to ask for help. Breaks my heart and ruins my meal at times.

Lesley_Davies_89975

leftovers lol

Lesley_Davies_89975

I get around this by being the chef/host.

Lesley_Davies_89975

Perhaps a change of attitude would help you

Lesley_Davies_89975

I make mine with Fireball(cinnamon liquor) and brandy and its yet to get a complaint

Johan_Edstrom_5586

Why should he be happy with that? The question was asked from a culinary perspective, not if he appreciated his relatives nor if he actually voiced his opinions.

This isn't FaceBook.

michaelnatkin

Glad you like the gravy! If you do want to make vegetarian main for "turkey day" this one could be an option: http://herbivoracious.com/2007/11/recipe-delicata.html . #thanksgiving

Jack_Mayer_85396

I think it was the humorist Erma Bombeck who said "in my family, Gravy is a food group."

coryhansen78

That looks great! Thanks!

Lesley_Davies_89975

Because its crappy attiude like that which gives professional chefs such as myself a bad rep overall.

Diego_Peguero_113146

Not having enough space

Forest_Park_17210

The biggest problem I always have is the size of the kitchen. I have a relatively small place, and its a struggle just cooking for five or six. When it come holiday season and I have to cook for up to 15 or 20 people, nightmare.

cammarata.nick

Well the only Thanksgiving I've cooked for was three years ago in this big group house I lived in. It was a bunch of 17-19 year olds in a massive house that was almost completely empty. No one owned anything.

I decided in the morning to cook for everyone, but quickly ran out of every pot and pan we owned. We literally didn't own anything large enough to hold the turkey, so to hold it while it sat in the oven I ended up assembling a contraption of three woks(I don't know why we had three woks) where the turkey would sit across two on the top and the juices would drop into the bottom wok. We also didn't own oven mitts so I made my own using many many layers of random papers/washcloths and such from around the house. In hind-sight, not such a safe move.

I needed to empty out my oven completely to make room for my ridiculous contraption, but it somehow managed to work and it was decent!

omgitsjulian

I know this may sound like very general problem I feel this is what i struggle with the most.

Portion sizes...Thankgiving can get really wasteful. While leftovers can be a good thing. I feel at having an excess at a "dinner party" is a red flag for poor planning.

simon_woodrow

I need to make cornbread dressing to go with our thanksgiving turkey in my restaurant, i just tried your cornbread recipe (which is fantastic by the way) and the american owner said it was too sweet for cornbread dressing, how would i go about making a more savoury version of your cornbread? Being English i am a little un-educated on the subject of cornbread. Any help you can give me would be great.

omgitsjulian

I was actually going to mention that. And to add to it. People always try to make something that they never make... How often does the average person make a stuffing, mash potatoes or some weird cranberry ambrosia salad?... They usually end up brining a huge plate of it, apologizing profusely for what they prepared, then looking a little bummed when they have to take half of it back home with them...

Alex_113932

my aunt's dry, bland, turkey and that nasty jellyish excuse of cranberry sauce that comes from a can

johnbonds

Having enough time and consuming enough alcohol in that time... Seriously though, SO much prep and I usually do it alone starting about 3 days prior to the meal. I usually am cooking for about 15 people.

michaelnatkin

Simon, you are right, the ChefSteps cornbread recipe isn't one you'd want to turn into stuffing - too rich and too sweet. Try this old one of mine, I've used it for stuffing and it works great: http://herbivoracious.com/2009/04/best-cornbread-ever.html

Jane_SnP_113293

Thanksgiving dinner is the big one in the United States. There are so many expectations and hopes surrounding this meal, and lots of pressure on the cook. And things will invariably go wrong. I think it's something to do with entropy.

I had lots of it. I don't know why I always have mistakes during these occasion. Last 2012, I over-roasted the turkey, and it’s dry! I forgot that the breasts and legs cook at different rates. And just last year, I cooked the potatoes and let them cool too long before mashing and adding milk or cream which came out gluey or lumpy!

I hope I won't be doing these mistakes again. It was a nightmare.

simon_woodrow

Thanks for the reply, i will try it soon. The one i made was actually very nice in the end, i made kind of a cornbread muffin with ham, celery, sage and chicken stock. Worked really well with our smoked turkey, the american owner of our restaurant enjoyed it. Any tips on sweet potato casserole? Mine was ok but don't think i nailed it.