Avoid These 5 Fatal Thanksgiving Dinner Mistakes!

You’ve invited over family and friends for Thanksgiving but you’re getting a little worried as there are only a few days to go and you want everything to be right. When you’re cooking for a good number of people and it’s a special occasion there is more to worry about – more can go wrong. There is however no need for anxiety if you know how to deal with any problem that might arise and this article will put you wise.

Do you have your timetable for cooking planned out? For the inexperienced cook preparing a large dinner for guests on Thanksgiving can be a source of considerable worry and anxiety. Follow the guidelines that you have for the meal preparation but make sure you read this article to avoid making 5 mistakes that could cause you embarrassment.

You will want to get your stuffing ready ahead of time but this is beast achieved by getting all the ingredients ready where they can all be mixed together on the morning of Thanksgiving. You can dry the bread for breadcrumbs by leaving it out, covered, for a day or two, or, baking it for a short while in an oven at about 250 degrees until it becomes crunchy.

Fry the vegetables and onion together and then cool, add the herbs and keep in the refrigerator. You may need some broth and some eggs which should be kept refrigerated. On Thanksgiving morning you can mix all the ingredients and stuff the turkey.

The 5 common things that can go wrong are as follows:

The turkey is too dry – Slice the breast meat into serving slices and place in a roasting tin. Then cover with some of the fat from the roasted turkey plus some chicken stock. Add a few knobs of butter around the pan, cover with foil and then warm in the oven for a little while until the butter is melted.

2. The turkey is too dry – If it’s dry cut the breast into serving slices and place in a roasting dish with some of the meat juices and some chicken stock. Slice a slab of butter and place around the pan. Then cover with foil and leave in a warm oven until the butter is melted.

Gravy is too thin -Mix together equal parts of cornstarch and water. Then add this slowly to the mixture stirring constantly to incorporate. If there are lumps they can be removed before serving by straining the gravy. An alterative is to leave the gravy on a light boil to evaporate more liquid and allow it to thicken naturally. Don’t let it boil too hard or for too long though, or you won’t have enough gravy left!

The gravy is too salty tasting Another common problem that can be solved, either by adding a few pinches of sugar, testing as you go, or, putting a peeled potato into the pan and letting it simmer for a while The potato will absorb salt and is then removed before serving.

5. The mashed potato is too watery – This can happen if the potatoes are boiled for too long. However, all you need to do is to add one of the following ingredients: baking soda, instant potato mash, or some powdered milk and then stir vigorously or whip to get a good consistency.

If you are aware of what can go wrong and are prepared to deal with any problems that may arise you will be under less stress and more able to enjoy the dinner!

About the author: Juliette White is an experienced chef. If you don’t want to risk your Thanksgiving and you want to surprise your mates and parents with a great Thanksgiving meal make sure you get a free Thanksgiving Recipe Ebook . If you want more truly simple and free recipes register here