Here is a Thanksgiving countdown preparation guide to help you host Thanksgiving this year smoothly and effectively.
By: Jerika P – i-Lead Realty Social Media Manager
One month before
✅ Plan your menu – You should plan your menu a month before Thanksgiving to set a budget and plan the preparation of each dish.
✅ Finalize the guest list – Make contact with and finalize the guest list for the celebration so you can include them in the dishes you will be cooking.
2-3 weeks before
✅ Create a shopping list – To prevent forgetting a few things, it is ideal to make a shopping list three weeks in advance.
✅ Order a turkey – Order a fresh turkey or buy a frozen turkey and store it in your freezer.
✅ Buy non-perishable ingredients and drinks – Buy a few things such as flour, brown sugar, corn syrup and canned pumpkin.
✅ Prepare the cooking equipment – Make a list of all the equipment you’ll need to prepare the dishes.
Two weeks before
✅ Make room in your refrigerator – Clean and make room for leftovers in your refrigerator.
✅ Make and freeze pie dough – Pie dough can be prepared in advance and frozen; the disks should thaw in the refrigerator after being tightly wrapped in plastic wrap.
✅ Freeze stocks and rolls – Choose a roll recipe that will freeze well and have the stocks ready for the gravy.
One week before
✅ Set up a seating plan – If you’re hosting a sit-down dinner, create place cards for your guests and decide on a seating arrangement.
✅ Prepare a cooking schedule – To reduce stress on Thanksgiving Day, plan your cooking ahead of time.
✅ Pick up the turkey
✅ Prepare containers for leftover – Since there will be a lot of leftovers after the celebration and throwing them all away would be a waste of food, it is advisable to prepare containers.
Three days before
✅ Defrost the turkey – It could take some patience and time to defrost a frozen turkey. It is preferable to thaw it and put it in the coldest part of the refrigerator to avoid dripping.
✅ Buy perishable ingredients – You can now purchase all the ingredients you’ll need for the dishes you’ll be cooking, store them in the refrigerator, or even begin preparing other meals that could take longer to prepare.
✅ Clean the house and set up the tables and chairs – If there will be overnight visitors, make sure the house is clean to prepare it for them, especially the guest rooms.
Two days before
✅ Make a cranberry juice
✅ Assemble casserole
✅ Bake rolls and bread
✅ Make pie crust or thaw your pie crust
One day before
✅ Set the table – Check that all of the necessary dinnerware is present before setting the table one last time.
✅ Calculate your cooking time for tomorrow – Find out how long it will take to prepare a particular dish for tomorrow.
✅ Prepare reheatable side dishes and prep ingredients – To save even more time tomorrow, you can now begin preparing the reheatable side dishes and ingredient prep.
✅ Bake apple and pecan pies and brine the turkey – The turkey will taste better for your guests if it is brined the day before.
Thanksgiving Day
✅ Defrost premade bread
✅ Chill wine and beer – Wine or beer go best with turkey, so chill the beverages before serving them to your guests.
✅ Prepare the stuffing and roast the turkey
✅ Put all the food on the table or buffet
✅ Get a plate and eat and enjoy Thanksgiving with your loved ones
We hope this helps you have a great thanksgiving. Remember if you are planning to move, let us help so you have another great thanksgiving next year. Contact us here.
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