Chefs innately know the best time-savers, flavor boosters, and stress-free tactics when working in the kitchen, so they have great advice to dish out ahead of Thanksgiving, where scattered cooking and bland flavors have no place at the table.
From friendly reminders to sharpen your knives, tips to ensure a great gravy that can elevate even a not-so-perfect turkey, and instructions for crafting the right menu plan, here are some top tactics to implement chef-quality work in any home kitchen while hosting this Thanksgiving.
Chef Kristen Kish, restaurateur and "Top Chef" season 10 winner turned host of the culinary competition, told "Good Morning America" that first and foremost, setting a plan and starting early is imperative.
"Everyone has different Thanksgiving food traditions, but similar to how we enter into this season with small acts of kindness, it's small moments of preparation along the way that make for the day to be so much more enjoyable," Kish said off the heels of the Choose Kind campaign, in which she worked to donate 10,000 healthy snacks to the Youth Empowerment Project with KIND and raised another $25,000 for the chef Emeril Lagasse Foundation.
Make a prep list and stick to a timeline
"Prepping ingredients like slicing all your aromatics, getting all your vegetables ready, you can make a prep list like restaurants five days ahead of a few small tasks, and then the day comes and it's so much easier," Kish said.
For those who may encounter the dreaded issue of limited fridge or freezer storage space, Kish said it's possible -- especially for anyone living in a colder climate -- to utilize a cooler in the garage or back deck if the temperatures outside are right.
Cook food with tools you already have
When it comes to essential tools like a great roasting pan, potato ricers or other equipment, Kish had a unique perspective that could help home cooks reframe the way they approach this Thanksgiving, and save money on one-off supplies.
"Here's the thing where I might disagree with a lot of my peers and colleagues is that depending on your meal, you might not need anything fancy that you already don't have," she said. "If you are all of a sudden cooking a meal that requires you to find tools that you didn't need the other 11 months leading up to this, then I'd argue that you don't need it."
"Cook food that you want to cook, that is normal to your normal repertoire, wheelhouse," she continued. "If you're the kind of person that really wants to push yourself outside of the box, I don't know if I'd be trying it for the first time on Thanksgiving."
Make a plan
French culinary expert Anina Belle Giannini, creator of Le Chef's Wife, echoed Kish's advice to write out the menu and prep early.
"The holidays are essentially the home-cook version of a restaurant service. You have multiple dishes, all with different cooking times and temperatures and you want them all to arrive on the table warm, delicious, and beautifully timed. A plan of attack brings calm into the chaos," she said.
Giannini, who's spent two decades observing Michelin-level cooking alongside her husband, chef Sébastien Giannini, honed in on the best micro-habits to "transform the Thanksgiving chaos into a relaxed, even enjoyable, cooking experience, no professional kitchen required."
One chef concept she said could help home cooks is "mise en place," which means "everything in its place," and includes steps like "reading the recipe fully and prepping every ingredient before turning on the stove to avoid mid-meal panic."
"By pre-portioning out ingredients before I start cooking, it means that I can let my young kids help too. There is no risk of them dumping an entire canister of flour into the mix," she said.
Sharpen your knives, plus how to cut turkey properly
Chef Ashley Lonsdale, resident chef at ButcherBox, who has prepared hundreds of largescale events and holiday meals, shared what she said is "without question" the most essential reminder.
"Having your knives professionally sharpened ahead of the holiday cooking season will make everything easier -- carving a bird, slicing a roast, prepping thick-skinned winter squash or chopping sweet potatoes. It helps with both preparation and presentation," she said. "And with your newly sharpened knife, don't forget to slice the turkey breasts against the grain for tender slices."
Start with a clean slate
"Empty the dishwasher and take out the trash before cooking," Lonsdale said. "Clear counters equal a clear mind."
She added that this tip is "especially helpful for people who have small kitchens like mine."
"You don't want to pull a hot tray of roasted vegetables out of the oven and have no clear counter space to set it on," she said.
Clean as you go
"Keep a scrap bowl nearby for peels and trimmings; your kitchen and mental state stays clutter-free," Giannini said, adding that it can later serve as a base for stocks or compost.
On really good gravy that chefs make ahead
Kish grew up in Michigan with a very traditional Thanksgiving menu and said her mom always "did a really good job at getting the pan drippings" to boost flavor, which she said is vital.
"A good, well-made gravy -- invest your time in that," she said. "It might not be able to save a dry turkey, but it can certainly add some flavor. And I think if you invest in the right things with the condiments, the sauces, all the accoutrements, that's what starts to separate things."
Lonsdale said she always makes gravy a day ahead.
"You can fortify chicken stock with the reserved turkey neck and produce a rich and glossy gravy. It ticks one thing off the list and just needs a quick reheat before we sit down for dinner," she said.
A case for dry-brined birds
Lonsdale said a dry brine is "significantly easier than a traditional wet brine, yet offers the exact same benefits" of retaining moisture for a "juicier result with minimal effort -- like an insurance policy for your bird."
"Using kosher salt, liberally shower a whole turkey -- thawed if you bought it frozen -- including the inside of the cavity, and leave it in the fridge for one or two nights, uncovered or loosely covered with aluminum foil to let the skin air dry for maximum crisp," she said.
How to use bacon to add flavor to side dishes
If you're really looking to add a boost of flavor to side dishes like green beans or Brussels sprouts, Lonsdale swears by bacon fat.
"It's a simple and effective way to infuse side dishes with smoky, meaty flavor," she said, adding that you can "start the morning with crate-free bacon at breakfast -- no one will be upset about that -- and reserve the fat for preparing vegetables with an incredible aroma."
Lonsdale said she prepares bacon in the oven at 400 F for 10 to 20 minutes, then once crispy, she transfers it to a plate, draining the fat into a glass container for later use.
"It's magical how one simple ingredient can add so much depth and flavor to otherwise simple, one-note dishes. Sides should never be boring," she said.
Pour yourself a glass and enjoy the day
Be it wine, sparkling water, or tea, Giannini said "whatever your ritual, it's the moment that turns cooking into self-care."
A parting thought from Giannini that she hopes home cooks take to heart is that "no guest arrives at your house expecting Michelin-star level cuisine and service -- what they remember is how you made them feel."
"When you're not flustered or scrambling, you can welcome people at the door with warmth, pour them a glass, laugh with your kids, and really savor the moment," she said. "That is what guests carry with them long after the turkey is gone."
