Cooking and Hosting Tips for a Stress-Free Friends Party and Thanksgiving

I’m not sure about you, but in my family, Thanksgiving is a three-day event that feels more like a marathon than a relaxing vacation. We take our Thanksgiving meals very seriously. Even though the hours and minutes leading up to the main event can be chaotic, the stress is worth the nice spread that ends up taking up the entire dining room table for Thanksgiving dinner.

Gifts between friends often happen the same way. Hosting a group can be stressful, especially when everyone brings their own Thanksgiving traditions – and you have to account for allergies or dietary restrictions.

With years of hosting experience, I’ve come up with several cooking and hosting tips to help you perfect your Friendsgiving and Thanksgiving dinners. Below are 10 essential tips you can add to your arsenal this upcoming vacation.

For more ways to vacation like a pro, explore our Thanksgiving Cheat Sheet to avoid doing common mistakes.

1. Make a detailed list well in advance

It may not be a hack per se, but it’s one of the most surefire ways to avoid possible disaster when hosting Friendsgiving or Thanksgiving. Preparing in advance will ensure you don’t miss anything and can help ease your day-to-day anxiety.

I recommend writing at least two lists. This should be a grocery list, listing all the foods, drinks, spices, tableware or decorations you will need to purchase. Now is also a good time to assess your tableware to make sure you have enough plates, cutlery and cups for all your guests.

The following list should be your plan of attack. List everything you will need to do, how long each task will take, and in what order you should complete each task. You can even write your list if you want to feel like a pro.

2. Go to the grocery store early

Don’t put yourself in a nightmare position where you walk to your favorite grocery store and the shelves are emptied of the sweet potatoes, cranberries and pecans you need. The key is to buy your groceries – especially non-perishable items – in advance. It’s best to go the weekend before Thanksgiving Thursday.

3. Defrost early too

Do it early! I’m serious. Don’t wait or even think about putting your glorious frozen turkey in the microwave.

Defrosting a turkey is really simple, it just takes time. To make sure you get it out on time, set a reminder on your phone when you need to move the turkey from the freezer to the refrigerator. Here is our complete guide to safe defrosting your Thanksgiving turkey.

4. Create counter space

It’s always a problem, isn’t it? Even if I had a mansion with 1,000 feet of counter space, I bet I’d still run out of room in my kitchen to prep, chop, mix, and marinate.

The trick is to create counter space. Of course, of course, matter can’t be created or destroyed – but you can feel like it if you smash that tailgating table you have hidden in the garage. If you’ve put away a folding table, dust it off and move it into your kitchen to get more counter space.

5. Print your recipes and stick them on the cabinets

Maybe you don’t mind pulling up the recipe on your phone every few minutes, but I’m frustrated having to stop and check the instructions — not to mention ending up with greasy spots all over my screen.

By printing recipes and sticking them on your kitchen cabinets, you’ll always know where to look without switching from one screen to another. Plus, you won’t take up any sparse counter space. If you’re using a recipe from a cookbook or a handwritten family recipe, I recommend typing it up to print or taping the recipe card to a cabinet.

6. Pre-chop everything you can

Chopping vegetables is known to be therapeutic, but it takes time. With the hustle and bustle of everything that happens on Thanksgiving Day, save yourself the agony. Wash, prepare and chop the night before or the day before. This goes for all your vegetables, fruits and nuts.

Simply seal everything in separate containers and take it out when you need it.

7. Don’t be afraid to prepare dishes in advance

Unfortunately, even if you cut vegetables in advance, it’s difficult to get everything done in one day. This means you will need to cook before Friendsgiving or before Thanksgiving. Fortunately, there are many dishes you can prepare in advance that will still taste delicious come dinner time.

For example, the essential mashed potatoes. Between scrubbing, peeling, chopping, boiling, and mashing, this dish can be an unexpected waste of time. You can store the mashed potatoes up to two days in advance and they will retain their fluffy texture.

Here are several other dishes that will keep well overnight in the refrigerator:

• Sauce can be refrigerated or frozen days in advance, then brought back to life in a pan before serving the day of.

• Padding You’ll need to return to the oven for a few minutes or under the broiler to crisp up the top again, but with all the chopping and mixing involved, it’s worth preparing in advance.

• Desserts tend to keep well for days. Pumpkin pies, pecan pies, and apple pie bread pudding will thrive in the refrigerator overnight.

• Booze It’s always a no-brainer to prepare in advance if there will be alcohol at your party. Make a fun and fabulous cocktail in large batches and store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve it.

8. Hack the Turkey

Thanksgiving is literally known as Turkey Day. It’s quite important. Although I have always preferred the sides, turkey is the most important dish for many people. While I will never judge anyone for choosing to skip the turkey, if you have the time and energy, I recommend following this guide on best way to perfectly roast a turkey.

Here are a few more “tips” to make turkey prep go smoothly.

Go dry

Cooking snobs may turn their nose up at me, but use a dry brine instead of a regular wet brine. Brining is the technique of coating the turkey with a salt mixture to keep the meat flavorful and tender and to prevent drying out.

A dry brine (vigorous salt rubbing) is a much simpler undertaking than a wet brine. It requires fewer steps and less time, space and equipment. Dry brines also give you very salty and crispy skin.

Go high

There’s a lot to love about high-heat cooking: it results in crispy skin, juicy meat, and, of course, takes much less time to prepare. The high-temperature recipe requires only a two-hour roast at a searing temperature of 500° to 525°F for a 16 to 18 pound bird. Adjust time and weight if necessary.

Send me a message if you can

Spatchcocking, a popular roasting method that involves removing the turkey’s spine and breaking the breastbone to lay it flat, can save you a lot of time if you’re in a hurry. In addition, the risk of drying out is significantly reduced. To save even more At this time, ask your butcher to prepare the turkey for you. But remember: you still need to brine your bird.

9. Don’t be afraid to be the boss

Don’t be afraid to delegate dishes and tasks to family, friends, and guests (but be sure to assess their abilities in advance). If you’re having a night out with friends, make it a potluck so everyone brings a side or two or a group drink while you take care of the staples, like turkey and stuffing.

10. Prepare appetizers and drinks when you arrive

There’s nothing worse than feeling the need to entertain your guests while trying to finish the dishes for the big dinner. To take some pressure off, make an easy appetizer or two and a batch cocktail for your guests when they arrive. This way they can talk, eat and drink while you complete your fostering responsibilities.

I like to make my mom’s classic stuffed mushrooms if I’m hosting four to seven people. If there is a larger group, I recommend preparing a charcuterie platter for guests to choose from.

While you’re sure to find a fun party sangria or cocktail recipe online, I recommend exploring ready-to-serve cocktails, like those from The Cocktail Collection, which require no bar tools and no skills in mixology. You can simply open, pour and serve for the easiest hosting possible.

To learn more, explore these best Thanksgiving meal kits and how you can use AI to plan your Thanksgiving dinner.