53 THANKSGIVING MADE EASY

We’ve rounded up the best advice, tips, suggestions (including wines to serve) and a handy checklist, so you can be the most chill Thanksgiving host ever.

There’s no need to leave everything to the last minute. In fact, there’s plenty you can do ahead of the long weekend. Here are game-changing tactics for hosting Thanksgiving with ease. (You can thank us later.) MAKE A PLAN Invite Guests:

Even if you invite someone over the phone, it’s best to confirm details in a quick email, especially to avoid any confusion as to whether your Thanksgiving dinner will be on the Sunday or Monday. Be sure to include what time you’d like them to show up.

Plan the Menu:

Don’t go overboard with appetizers, and plan for an easy starter—neither should require the oven. Besides the obligatory roast turkey with stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce, plan at least two veggie dishes and one starch. Include a family favourite along with at least one new recipe. And don’t forget dessert!

Make a List:

Once you’ve decided what to serve, create a master grocery list, along with a shopping list of anything you need for meal prep, serving food and setting the table. Work out a timeline or schedule for preparing each recipe, ensuring everything is cooked and ready to serve at the same time.

FALL CLEANING

Begin in your dining room: Look up and look out. Check the light fixture, as you may need to move your dining room table out of the way to clean it. You don’t want to set the table with all your crystal stemware, only to notice cobwebs on the chandelier. And windows! Clean the glass, inside and out.

Organize Your Kitchen Clear out your fridge, freezer and pantry of expired food, making room for Thanksgiving groceries, storing the turkey and later the leftovers. Also take note of what you’re out of and running low on, including spices.

In the foyer Tidy up the closet, taking coats and jackets to a bed, making room with empty hangers for guests’ outerwear. Declutter the entranceway to create a place for their shoes and boots, too. In case of rainy weather, be ready for wet umbrellas.

Set the table

Do this mid-week—leaving yourself plenty of time to polish silverware, iron linens, dust off stemware and replace chipped dinnerware or wine glasses. When done, cover carefully with a spare tablecloth to keep any dust from settling, removing just before guests arrive.

Damage Control: Oft-forgotten trivets are a godsend for sparing wood dining tables from any burn marks caused by hot casserole dishes or serveware. Look for ones that will protect from heat, but also won’t scuff or scratch surfaces. Get them out when you set the table, ensuring room for every side dish you’re planning to make.

STORAGE SMARTS

Knowing what to store where makes putting groceries away quick and easy. JJ Sheppard, owner of Raise the Root organic market, shares this a handy list for storing fall veggies, keeping them fresh for Thanksgiving:

“When you come home from shopping, label the month and year on new spices before you put them in the cupboard. People tend to hang on to spices for years, though they lose their flavour over time.” Kim Diamond, Professional Organizer at Clutterfly

SHOP LIKE A PRO

Split your grocery list into two trips. First, well in advance and avoiding crowds, get all non-perishables, pantry staples and frozen food. Then, come Thanksgiving weekend, all you need to pick up is the fresh produce, dairy and lastminute items. So, while you likely won’t be able to avoid Thanksgiving weekend crowds, you can at least minimize how many aisles you need to go up and down.

THINK AHEAD Put small appliances to work:

Besides your stove and oven, make use of your blender (newer models not only make soup but also heat it up), air fryer (cook up crispy appetizers or Brussels sprouts) and pressure cooker (to cook a side dish you don’t have room for in the oven). No room in the oven for baked potatoes? Short on pots for cooking carrots or asparagus? Wrap them in foil and cook on your barbecue grill.

Stovetop:

Review all recipes and count out how many pots and pans you’re going to need. You don’t want to be prepping ingredients and realize you need five burners at once and only have four on your stove. If this happens, you may need to tweak your meal plans. For example, carrots you were planning on steaming can be just as easily roasted on a cookie sheet in the oven set on a rack right below the turkey.

SHOW OF THANKS

Swap out artwork from existing frames already hung on a wall, replacing with words, quotes and expressions of gratitude. It’s something easily done on the computer, having fun with fonts and doing well in advance. Simply print, pop into picture frames and hang back up on nails already in the wall.

TURKEY TALK

Estimating 1 1/2 lbs of turkey per person allows for generous portions and leftovers.

The best-size birds for roasting are between 12 and 16 lbs. Any larger and you risk uneven cooking, i.e. undercooked thighs or overcooked breast meat. If you need more meat, cook a ham alongside the turkey instead.

Frozen turkeys can be purchased weeks in advance. Thawing can take several days— one day per 4 lbs—and should be done in the fridge. No time or room? Leave in wrapper submerged in cold water in a sink—30 minutes per pound.

Fresh ready-to-cook turkeys require no thawing and can be purchased two to three days before Thanksgiving. But whether you order from a farm or butcher, do so a few weeks ahead, specifying the size bird you require.

And good news if you’re only cooking for yourself and one other! Butterball now sells

Easy Fresh, individually packaged turkey parts, such as breasts, thighs, drumsticks and wings, with as few as two pieces per package.

GOOD ADVICE Roasting tips from Sue Smith, co-director of the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line:

Temperature Control: Cook turkey in a 325°F (160°C) oven. Keep this in mind when selecting any other recipes you might cook in the oven at the same time.

Timing’s Everything: A stuffed

10- to 18-lb turkey will take approximately 3 3/4 to 4 1/2 hours to cook. For picture-perfect results, start checking doneness 30 minutes before recommended time. Once out of the oven, let turkey rest at least 15 minutes before carving.

Meat Thermometer: The only true way of ensuring the turkey is thoroughly cooked is with a meat thermometer. Wait for temperatures to reach 180°F (82°C) in the inner thigh and 160°F (71°C) in the centre of the stuffing.

Turkey Trauma? Call Butterball’s Turkey Talk-Line at 800•288•8372.