Turkey Day is two weeks away, so whether it's your first time hosting the moveable feast or you're looking to simplify the hosting strategy this year, take this as your one-stop shop to pull off an incredible Thanksgiving with ease.
From shopping lists and must-have kitchen tools to tips from top food experts, this guide will help you whip up Thanksgiving like a pro.
Countdown to the carving with "Good Morning America" and follow along below.
At the 14-day mark, it's time to go over a basic checklist to help make your life easier on Nov. 27.
With 15 years of professional culinary expertise under her belt -- plus a degree from the Culinary Institute of America -- recipe developer and food writer Emily Ziemski has a handful of tactics to ensure home cooks and hosts have everything they need to get their Thanksgiving timeline in order.
This far out, she said the most important things for hosts to think about are "those little behind-the-scenes things that can make your Thanksgiving a wild success or totally throw a wrench in it."
Clean out the fridge, freezer and pantry
"First things first, clean out your fridge and freezer, and heck, do the pantry too," she said. "You don't need that emotional support bottle of ketchup that's been expired for 2 years -- its space will allow an extra bottle of wine in the fridge. Extra freezer space will allow you to prep and cook more ahead of time if you can properly store it."
Plus, functionally, "the less packed your fridge and freezer is, the better the appliance can work on cooling all your food," she added. "Win-win."
Testing 1-2-3
Two weeks out is also a good time for some tests.
"The first time you make a recipe should never be on a really high stakes day," Ziemski said. "I'm definitely way more likely to miss an ingredient or make an error when I'm being pulled in a million directions with guests arriving or keeping track of other dishes."
This will also allow you to determine if you have gaps in the kitchen, such as a missing whisk attachment for the mixer or batteries for the instant-read thermometer.
"Speaking of testing, do the toast test with whatever oven you'll be using day-of," she said. "Your parents' oven may function differently than yours at home, or maybe runs a few degrees lower than advertised."
As such, Ziemski said "you definitely don't want to discover that when you're asked to reheat a casserole, and all of a sudden half of it is burnt."
Gather the shelf-stable ingredients early
"Try to incorporate purchasing shelf stable items into your regular grocery runs leading up to Thanksgiving," Ziemski said, including staples like canned pumpkin or flour -- depending on the menu -- which "allows you to stock up without having to do one giant big shop where you're more likely to forget something in the hullabaloo."
Ziemski, who used to cater large parties for work, said the menu "is not only a representation of the holiday, but a run of show for your guests."
What's the flow of your party?
Consider how you want guests to feel at the end of the meal.
"Chill and ready to cozy up around the fire? Or do you want to fuel your family for a competitive game of Trivial Pursuit after dinner?" Ziemski said. "Even more technical stuff, like, do you have a lot of older or less mobile family members that can't easily get up from the table? Maybe a plated or family-style dinner is best so food is more accessible."
For hosts with lots of kids around the table, Ziemski suggested "a separate buffet station that allows guardians to control the flow of food to the smaller hands at the table so it doesn't become a whole food fight."
"Buffets are also great options for allergen-friendly meals, as you can label things and keep foods separate as needed," she said.
Cocktail hour and pre-dinner plans
"Do you want a cocktail hour? A batched cocktail versus a more DIY open-bar scenario allows you as the host to take control of how you want guests to move and operate through your space," for one option. "Will guests be bringing appetizers or do you want everyone to just come hungry for the big meal? If there are appetizers, consider fewer side dishes at the main meal, as people will have been sated by crudites, dips, and other accoutrements, and it saves you table space."
A general "cheffy" rule of thumb, Ziemski said, is "about 1 pound of turkey per person."
"But, consider who is on the guest list. If half of your audience is children, or vegetarian, you can go smaller. Also, don't feel pressure to do one big bird.
she said. "Most regular sized ovens can handle up to a 20-pound turkey, but by no means do you need to do one 20 pounder."
Instead, split up the appliance load to cut down on cooking time with two 10-pound birds.
"You're more likely to have a well-cooked bird that isn't dry because you had to cook it for so long and more room in the oven for other stuff throughout the day," she said. "Plus, it's going to take less time overall to defrost a smaller turkey, and you'll need to free up less fridge space."
"Definitely make anything [ahead] that needs a significant cooling time," she said, such as pie crusts or cake layers that could be defrosted when it's a week before the big day.
"The trick is to balance what needs to be defrosted and what's being made fresh," she continued. "Having too many things defrosting is a game of 'will they, won't they,' and arguably more stressful than cooking everything day-of."
According to Ziemski, vegetables "can mostly be prepped a day or two before."
"Keep them fresh with a cool, damp paper towel in either an airtight container or a bowl in the fridge," she said. "Herbs can also be picked a day or two before (same wet paper towel thing please), and cocktails can mostly be batched a few days before -- just give them a good shake or stir before adding ice and serving."
Finally, she said, "Stocks and sauces can be made and frozen starting now, really."
While it may be tempting to prepare "the really small stuff like gravy or a sauce because they're so small and simple," Ziemski said, "I actually love to save one or two smaller items for the big day, because nailing that in a few minutes gives you a confidence boost to see yourself through the rest of the more complicated stuff."
"Just because it's a special meal doesn't mean you can't utilize some of your favorite weeknight cooking instruments," Ziemski said. "Air fryer Brussels sprouts? Why not. Mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot? Absolutely."
Finally, plan the tablescape ahead of time. Add sticky notes of what's going where, which Ziemski said "is a favorite food stylist trick, but it absolutely works here to do a day or two in advance."
