What is the best way to cook Thanksgiving dinner in a small kitchen?

Question

I am having family over, but my kitchen and stove is small. I need suggestions on what I should do to make my cooking go smoothly. Serious answers only please

Answer 1

Make a list of how long each thing will take to cook. Make the easier stuff after the longer foods. If you can, make some things the night before.
Utilize space by keeping one side for cooking and prep and the other for setting out cooked foods.
Another thing...KEEP THE FAMILY OUT :D It will make you less stressed and will aid in space saving.

Answer 2

Take everything (on the counters) OUT of the kitchen if it is in no way helpful to you. Maybe clean out the fridge to make a little room?

Organization is KEY.

You can make things ahead on time and refridgerate (pies, green bean casserole, basically anything that won't get soggy/nasty. Add crackers or french fried onions just before baking the casseroles) and just pop them into the oven while the turkey is resting. Microwave cooking doesn't stay warm as long as oven/stovetop cooking.

It's a good idea to keep traffic out of the kitchen as much as possible (too many cooks in the kitchen...)

Buffet-style is good (we do it every year). You could also do a pot-luck style Thanksgiving. It could be fun to have everyone bring their specialty to the dinner.

Oh, and set the table ahead of time if you are pressed for time. Hope this helps! Happy Holidays!

Answer 3

I can help with this. My kitchen is also small. The oven has to be for the turkey (agiven). But, almost everything else could be microwaved. Stuffing, veggies, mashed potatoes and gravey. Nuke em all. It also might help to buy a pre-cooked turkey and just use your oven to heat up the turkey and keep it warm. Just make sure you buy a couple of cans of chicken/turkey broth to pour over it and let it sit in to keep it from getting too dry. Also, get some raw veggies with ranch dip, that canned cranberry sauce and few other garnishes to put out on the table that don't require any cooking. Those always make the meal a little fancier and make the rest of the meal go farther if you have any extra guests you weren't planning on. Good luck. :)

Answer 4

Your best bet is to start preparations early. Have your decorating done and everything you can ready to cook by Wednesday (season the turkey, mix the dressing, bake the pies, etc.). Then early on Thursday, preheat the oven and pop in the turkey. Everything else should simply require heating. When the turkey is almost done, pop in the other items to be baked and heat up everything else. Mashed potatoes are not good made ahead, so allow yourself time for that. Last item is to make the gravy. The sooner you start, the easier it will be for you on Thursday. Then recruit family and friends to help clean up afterward. After all, you've just spent days in the kitchen! Have a terrific Thanksgiving!

Answer 5

I have a VERY small kitchen but I do both Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner--best thing is to do as much as you can ahead of time. I make as much as possible the day before so it just needs to be re-heated in the oven or kept warm in the slow cookers (crock-pots). The other thing is---an electric roaster--that's what I cook the turkey in--believe it or not in my laundry room!! That frees up the oven for other things, plus when the turkey is done you can just turn it down to "warm" and hold it until everything else is ready. If you have a bread machine--use it--how impressed would they all be with a warm loaf of bread!

Answer 6

starting my preparing some dishes a couple of days before...stuffing and prepare the desert, this way, all you have to do during the actual day is assemble. My kitchen is also small, during Thanksgiving, we just use the oven for the turkey and desert, and like two stovetops. My counter is organized into the ingredients for each dish. To make more room, take your microwave off the counter (if it is on it), also if you use a dish rack when you do the dishes, put the dishes into cabinets and put the dish rack away too so you have enough room to prepare your meals.

Answer 7

We had Easter dinner and don't even have a table, our kitchen is so small. Hopefully, you are inviting people who can fend for themselves to a point and help out a bit.

I suggest booting everyone out of the kitchen, set them up in the living area with wine and nibblies (cheese, dips, veg, whatev), and some music.

You: keep this dinner simple. Make sure the bird fits in the oven and plan a couple of sides that won't take up more oven room than you have. Try things that can be done on stovetop: mashed potatoes, veggies, perogies...

When you are ready to serve, you can do it buffet style, setting up everything with serving utensils on the counter and have guests rotate in to fill their plates. If you have a dining room, bonus!

Good luck!

Answer 8

we will be cooking a huge turkey this three hundred and sixty 5 days. we are residing house contained in the U. S. this iciness with our son so having a huge dinner with him will be valuable. very last vacation we were foreign places and they don't have Thanksgiving in Hungary and that is hard to locate an total turkey to boot. they don't look to love roasted turkey there, you may purchase an total goose or duck for far less then turkey. i replaced into searching on the frozen ducks the following in between the nutrients shops and it replaced into over $seventy six.!! In Hungary it would want to be a lot less then $20. for an total goose. desire everybody has a tremendous vacation

Answer 9

I am a firm believer in cooking ahead if you have a microwave it is easy. cook and mash potatoes the day before also cook ahead
vegetables, deviled eggs, salad, dessert, reheat on the big day. I do this every year and every one thinks I have slaved away in my tiny kitchen all day!!! We eat leftovers for a week prior so I have room in my fridge for all this stuff. I prepare the relish trays and everything I can think of so I can enjoy the day myself.

Answer 10

order out...most restaurants or supermarkets offer a catering service these days.....im sure they offer something similar to a thanksgiving dinner that you can just warm up in the oven or a microwave!

or

suggest a pot luck dinner and make sure everyone is in charge of a different dish or you might be eating 20 pounds of mash potatoes and no turkey....i mean you were gracious enough to invite everyone over...the least they can do is bring a dish