When Should You Start Your Thanksgiving Cooking in Utah?

Thanksgiving is just two days away and the stress of all the cooking and guests is beginning to set in. 

The biggest struggle most people have is when to begin all the cooking. It's not usually fun to spend all of Thanksgiving Day cooking when surrounded by family and wanting to watch the parade. Plus, there are other “chefs” in the kitchen like your mother, or that annoying uncle trying to grab all the “tastes” he can.  

The turkey is always a stress-induced cooking assignment and whoever hosts tends to be the lucky person. So, how do you prepare? 

Insider Food has some great tips on what you can prepare beforehand. 

Up to a Week in advance: 

If you’re one of those families that must have cranberry sauce, apparently it can be prepared a week in advance. The time to cool in the fridge helps it thicken to a desired consistency.  

You can also keep a homemade stock in the fridge which is great for adding to the turkey pan or to mashed potatoes for extra flavor.  

A Day or Two Before: 

The bread for stuffing can be set out a few days before drying it. This way you won’t have to worry about throwing it in the oven with everything else on the day of Thanksgiving.  

Bake those pies or desired desserts the night before and get them out of the way. It frees up some time on Thanksgiving to watch the classic parade floats. 

To alleviate the burden of turkey cooking, season it the night before. Then you can just pop it in the oven.  

The Day Of: 

You’ll want to add in all of the stuffing fixings the day of as well as any side dishes and gravy.  

 Good luck!