Hosting a Thanksgiving Day party is fun. It also comes with a lot of pressure as you scramble to get everything done. Turkey Day hacks can give you some cool ways to cut down the time spent on routine tasks and make the holiday lean more toward “enjoyable” rather than “making me crazy.”
Top Turkey Day Hacks
If you’ve already gone through the list of Thanksgiving party ideas and come up with what you want to do, then now is the time to put those ideas into play. Use these Turkey Day hacks to make your life during the holiday that much easier.
Clean Potatoes in the Dishwasher
Just drop your spuds into the top rack of the dishwasher, set the controls to rinse and then dry them with a paper towel when finished. That will save the time of handwashing potatoes, which can (seem to) take forever.
Peeling Potatoes
Speaking of potatoes, peeling them also can seem like a never-ending task. Chances are, you’ve got some kind of potato dish on the menu. To cut down on the time needed to peel, try this method. Run a sharp blade around the middle of the potato. Just cut through the skin. Then, put the potatoes in a pot to boil. When they are finished, run the potatoes under cold water. At this point, you should be able to peel the skin simply by pulling it off with your fingers.
Serve Cheese Appetizers
Most people like cheese. And cheese is filling. That makes cheese the perfect food to serve on a snack tray while the main dinner is being cooked. You don’t want people to sit around with their stomachs rumbling as you finish cooking – most people arrive at a Thanksgiving get-together ready to eat! Give them something filling to nibble on.
No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake
It’s the “no bake” part you want to focus on. That’s going to make your life a lot easier, isn’t it? You just keep it frozen until Thanksgiving day, then defrost and serve. Also, it doesn’t have quite the overwhelmingly pumpkin taste of regular pumpkin pie.
Microwave Garlic
If you’re going to use a lot of garlic, then put it in the microwave for about 20 seconds and microwave the whole head. It will make it very easy to peel.
Dealing With Dry Turkey
If the turkey gets too dry, which is often a problem, then rehydrate it by pouring some chicken broth on it or dipping the turkey pieces into the chicken broth.
Cook Ahead of Time
If you have a ton of dishes, then cook them ahead of time. That includes pie crusts, mashed potatoes, soups, casseroles, etc. That will save you from the full-on panic of that “I’m running out of time” feeling on Thanksgiving Day.
Grate Butter Onto Biscuits
Just grate the butter, using a cheese grater, directly onto the biscuits or bread. It saves you time and results in the butter melting better into the bread. How is that not a good thing?
Get The Kids Involved
Get the kids to set the table, including the nice tablecloth, china and “special holiday” utensils. You also can get them to do things like run the coatroom – keeping track of everyone’s coat – and even making sure everyone has a place to park at your house if many people are coming. These small but time-consuming tasks are something the kids should be able to handle.
Make the Place Smell Great
Smell is something that we all should pay more attention to when throwing a holiday party at our home. Get the place smelling great by cooking fall potpourri on the stove and filling the house with wonderful scents. This can include orange peel, apples, cinnamon sticks, vanilla, and almond extract.
Turkey Day hacks are important to know. You want to make the day memorable, but you also don’t want to go crazy trying to get everyone done at once. Put some of these ideas into play and make your Thanksgiving Day that much more memorable!
