Organizing Your Thanksgiving DinnerEveryone knows putting together a Thanksgiving meal is a lot of work. But by planning ahead and staying organized there are simple ways to free yourself up from cooking to spend even more quality time with your friends and family on this special day.
When Sam Marvin turned 20, he packed his bags for Paris and enrolled in Le Cordon Bleu, where his journey as a professional chef began in earnest. Now, with considerable seasoning, the 39-year-old chef has signed on as Executive Chef of L.A.'s illustrious Le Dôme. The Sunset Boulevard institution has been one of L.A.'s most celebrated restaurants for nearly three decades.
- Prep Turkey The Night Before. When you're organizing your turkey dinner prep your whole turkey the night before so when you get up in the morning all you need to do is put it in the oven. Once it's in the oven it gives you the whole day to prepare the rest of your meal.
- Prepare Your Mashed Potatoes Ahead of Time. You can prepare mashed potatoes several hours in advance, then put them in a bowl, cover them with plastic and put that bowl inside a larger bowl with hot water. This indirect hot water bath will keep them nice and warm for several hours.
- Leave Only Two Dishes For the Last Minute. Leave no more than two dishes to prepare right before dinner. This will allow you to avoid last-minute panic, and help you to get ready to serve everything at the right time and temperature.
- Serve Salads At Room Temperature. Salads don't need to be ice cold. The flavor comes out when they come to room temperature. So take your salads out of the refrigerator up to forty minutes before dinner is served.
- Make Use Of the Oven While Turkey Rests. When the turkey comes out of the oven, it's needs to rest for thirty minutes before you start carving. You have an entire heated oven that you can make good use of. At that point, put your bread in the oven and any dishes that you want to reheat before serving.
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