Are you having people over your house for Thanksgiving dinner? If so, you might be putting a lot of pressure on yourself to make the meal perfect. That’s why we’ve put together these common Thanksgiving dinner mistakes to avoid:
Not Serving Turkey
Unless your guests are vegetarians, they’ll want to eat roasted turkey! Serving anything else, unless it’s served in addition to the turkey, is an absolute no-no. In fact, even the infamous “Turducken”, which is essentially a full turkey that has been stuffed with duck and chicken, might not be appreciated. Your guests expect a perfectly cooked traditional turkey, so don’t get too fancy and simply give them what they want! So pay attention to these other Thanksgiving dinner mistakes to avoid…
Not Cooking the Turkey Perfectly
When it comes to Thanksgiving dinner, it stands to reason that you’ll want to satisfy your guests. One of the biggest complaints people often have about Thanksgiving dinner is that the turkey is either overcooked or it isn’t cooked enough. You can baste the turkey all you want, but if it isn’t cooked well, your guests won’t enjoy it. To eliminate confusion, don’t rely on the plastic pop-up device that comes with the turkey. Use a proper meat thermometer instead!
Not Having a Plan
You should plan out your meal at least two weeks before Thanksgiving. This will give you plenty of time to shop for a turkey, plan all your sides, and test any recipes you want to test before the big day. Once you plan all your recipes, make a big shopping list and buy the ingredients according to your schedule. Non-perishable items such as canned pumpkin can be purchased well in advance. Perishables, such as fresh produce and the turkey itself should be purchased 1-2 days in advance. Having a plan will help you keep all this information straight!
Not Accepting Help
Do you tell people you’re “all set” when they offer to bring something? Well, you shouldn’t! Not accepting help when putting together the Thanksgiving meal can cause you serious stress. While it’s true that having people bring things can cause additional stress if the dishes don’t go well together, you can avoid this by telling them exactly what you want! Consult your master list, and when they ask, don’t be afraid to tell them what you need. Give them a choice of side dishes or desserts that you were going to serve anyway, and let them bring the dish they feel most comfortable with. If they bothered to ask, it means that they really want to help.
It can take a long time to prepare your meal, but by avoiding these top mistakes, you’ll make your life much easier!
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