Hosting Thanksgiving This Year? The University’s Corporate Executive Chef Has Some Advice.
Thanksgiving is just around the corner. And if you’ve mustered up the resolve to cook for your friends or family for the first time, Richard Leonardo, the University’s corporate executive chef, says the key to success is making your plan for the day well in advance.
Write it down, complete with notes on all aspects of the meal, including timing for cooking items, the number of guests and whether anyone has dietary restrictions, he says.
Confidence is everything, and having a clear plan will be your anchor.
“Especially if you are hosting in a home where you only have one oven,” Leonardo says. “If you have a lot of guests, take the time to think about when you’re going to be cooking your ingredients and how you’re going to hold them, so that when it’s time for dinner, you’re able to achieve your goal.”
He recommends leaning into fan favorites, like mashed potatoes, corn or green bean casserole. Pies, he notes, are better if they’re done the day before so they have time to set.
From there, you can put your own spin on the meal with unexpected offerings.
“I come from Italian heritage, so a lot of times we’ll have lasagna too,” he says. “Don’t be afraid to get outside of that normal box.”
Overall, make sure you have your salt and pepper handy, but keep flavors, and your plan, as simple as possible.
Below, Leonardo offers more advice for cooking Thanksgiving dinner.
Turkeys typically come frozen, so make sure you give it enough time to thaw. You’re looking at probably about 72 hours inside of your refrigerator. Very, very important. You don’t want to get to the morning of Thanksgiving and you have a frozen turkey.
It’s important to have a good working thermometer, so you can always make sure you’ve prepared all of your dishes, including the turkey, to the proper temperature. Anytime you’re roasting a turkey, even if it’s a turkey breast, you’re going to want to make sure that you get that poultry to 165 degrees internally. A good probe thermometer is great for that. It’s just a great tool for your kitchen, beyond Thanksgiving.
When I host, a lot of my side dishes are made and prepared the day before. So really, all I’m doing the day-of is cooking them and the turkey.
A lot of times when you buy the turkey, it comes with a little pop-up thermometer. If you have a probe thermometer, you can tear that little pop-up thermometer right out, because those are always going to be problematic.
Then there is a technique called spatchcock. Basically, what that means is you’re going to remove the backbone of the turkey and then lay it so it’s insides are flat. That will roast the turkey so much faster, which will then provide a much juicier finished turkey. It will cut your roasting time almost in half.
The biggest part is maybe not being so focused on the food and more focused on the party. You obviously want to be a great host, but if you’re hosting and cooking, a lot of people are relying on you for a great Thanksgiving dinner. So I think it’s important to still keep your eye on that.
Be OK with rolling with the punches. Make sure you’ve got a good amount of gravy on hand if your turkey is dry. Make sure you have enough so if you end up with one dish burnt, that’s fine. It’s one of multiple. Being able to move and adjust quickly is always a good way to have your mindset.
I’m really big into barbecue. So when I host, I always smoke a turkey and roast a turkey, so we have two different flavors. People fall back on your traditional Thanksgiving dinner, but I think it’s cool if you put a little bit of your own spin into it. That could be a good way to showcase one of your strengths as well.
Apple. I’m a big apple pie guy.
For me, it’s a time I only see certain parts of my family. It’s that connection time. Spending time with family and friends. I have young kids, so it’s making memories with them. And at the end of the day, the meal is a great part, but it’s all the pre-meal stuff and then after, being with your family and friends and just having that time together.
