If You're Anxious About Cooking For Thanksgiving, Ask This Chef Anything To Make Your Holiday Hosting As Stress-Free As Possible
They say luck is where preparation meets opportunity. In my experience, a lucky Thanksgiving is where preparation and planning ahead meet a fridge of uncooked groceries and the presence of family and friends. This holiday season, I want to help others feel just as prepared and confident on Thanksgiving as a chef would. So, as BuzzFeed's resident culinary professional, I'm here to tackle your Thanksgiving conundrums with you.
With a degree from the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts and experience in professional kitchens, from an upscale resort to a Neapolitan pizzeria and a French bistro, I know a few things about hospitality and staying calm and cool in the heat of a busy kitchen.
The first year I took charge of making Thanksgiving dinner for my family was also the year I started culinary school. Determined to impress my family with my knife skills, bread-making, and butchering prowess, I made the biggest, baddest Thanksgiving ever. The night before the big day, the weight of my buttermilk-brined 28-pound turkey tore my kitchen sink from the countertop, and it sunk into the cabinets below with a sad bang... thunk... thud. I thought, there goes my perfect Thanksgiving. But as luck would have it, I'd prepared for the holiday the way line cooks prepare for service, and most of the cooking was already done. Thanks to my career as a cook, Thanksgiving was not totally in danger after a complete structural failure... we just had to eat off paper plates.
Maybe you want to know how to make dinner rolls that will blow store-bought out of the water. (My technique is basically fool-proof.)
Are you looking at your guest list and wondering if you might've invited just a few too many people? Deciding between a potluck-style gathering or a sit-down dinner? Tell me about your space and the crew coming over for the holidays, and I’ll help you find the easiest, most enjoyable setup for your holiday feast.
Deciding between a potluck-style or sit-down meal? Tell me about your living space and the people coming to your holiday shindig, and I'll give you the best hospitality advice I can on what the easiest dinner layout will be.
Did last year's turkey go up in smoke? Or did the whipped potatoes go gloopy when you wanted a fluffy mash? What about a dessert to bring to a Thanksgiving feast that travels well?
Whatever the holiday hosting dilemma is, or whatever culinary trauma previous holidays have given you, I will do my best to offer solutions and guidance for each and every one of them. All you have to do is ask! Drop your questions and holiday conundrums in the comments or anonymously with this form.
