Holiday Tips and Tricks

Hosting a holiday dinner can be overwhelming so I have a few tips and tricks that I use for every holiday.

First thing is to be organized. Know your menu, make a grocery list and make a timeline of what food needs to go in the oven for how long and at what temp. This will help, in having everything warmed through all at the same time.

Clean your fridge!! Space is important when cooking a large dinner! I need all the space I can get in the fridge!

Make sides in advance, I do the bulk of my cooking the day before, making the day of my gathering much easier and organized. Think about your menu and what appliances you are using or could use. I put my toaster oven to work for appetizers as well as my grill! How about your slow cooker? I use my slow cooker to warm my mashed potatoes! I also make my gravy the day before and yup, you guessed it that is heated through in my microwave!

My favorite tip and the one I ALWAYS use is keeping a small pot of turkey stock warm on my stove top. This can help you baste your turkey during cooking times but also after you let  your turkey rest and then carve it, adding some hot broth on top of the turkey keeps it moist and warm!!

Turkey Myth – you should always rinse your turkey in cool water…FALSE, no need to do it, this can spread salmonella on your sink, countertop and anywhere else you have the turkey.

Crispy skin – I like a good crispy skin and that is not an easy task.  So…you can use just salt or a dry brine mixture as seen on my citrus brine  recipe. If you salt your turkey and leave the bird uncovered in your fridge for two days allowing the skin to dry, this will help ensure a crispy skin. Keep the raw bird away from ready to eat items that are not in a sealed package.

POP UP TIMERS – no, just no! Pop up timers will give you an over cooked bird. You want an internal temp of 165 degrees.

DEFROSTING – you will need 24 hours of defrosting time for every 5 pounds of turkey.

LEFTOVERS – left overs should be eaten within 3-4 days .

Enjoy!