Stress Free Cooking for the Thanksgiving Holiday

Summer is over and we've seen the change of colors in nature. This in turn signals one of the much awaited holidays of the year in the US. Thanksgiving. And what is the most anticipated part of Thanksgiving Day but the food. For some, cooking during Thanksgiving is a very stressful ordeal. Imagine cooking an extra large bird while having to create other things like mashed potatoes and pumpkin pies. But you don't have to stress about Thanksgiving cooking.

Here are some tips to make your Thanksgiving cooking stress free:

1. Make your menu two weeks ahead
Many people get stressed about Thanksgiving because they don't think about what to cook until the day itself. To avoid this hassle, you should plan way before Thanksgiving week. This allows you also to shop early to eliminate the need to keep returning to the store for last-minute supplies.

2. Cook ahead of time
Thanksgiving Day itself is stressful with all the guests arriving and decors to be made. Not all the foods need to be prepared on that day itself so why not cook the day before? A few days before Thanksgiving, look at your menu and see which foods can be cooked ahead of time. Assign which days to prepare these foods so during the big day you are left with fewer things to deal with.

3. Measure ingredients in advance
For those foods that you really have to cook on Thanksgiving Day, you can make preparations easier by measuring the ingredients ahead of time. The night before, get out your measuring cups and spoons and place the ingredients in containers so that the next day you can cook as if you are a star of a cooking show where everything is ready.

4. Delegate
If you belong to a big family that has everyone over for Thanksgiving, you can take advantage of the size of your brood. Assign your siblings, uncles, aunts, parents or other relatives with certain foods or courses so that the work load won't be put upon one person. It also creates a sense of pride to present something to the family.

Thanksgiving shouldn't be a stressful event. When it comes to cooking, you can make your life easier if you plan ahead. Try these tips and see how thankful you can be on this day of gratitude.

Southern Cooking the Right Way

Good food has incredible history. Can you imagine that the soul foods we enjoy at bistros and at home were introduced by families of the ancient Southern slave states? These meals they share every Sunday have now become most American homes' specialties. Even the Internet has been conquered by different Southern cooking recipes. So learning cooking techniques is easy for all homemakers.

Not every recipe that spells Southern cooking is indeed genuine. You must know how to set Southern cooking apart from other cooking techniques. Note that Southerners are fond of frying so Southern foods are mostly deep fried. If you are avoiding too much fat but love eating Southern foods, then you better use vegetable oils like corn and olive oils.

Another incredible thing with Southern cooking is the use of seasonings. The determining factor is the extensive use of salt, onions, and bacon. Remember, Southern cooking doesn’t usually call for spices but for salty tang. Moreover, even boiled greens are commonly seasoned by bacon, onion, and salt.

On the other hand, what sets Southern cooking style apart from other baking techniques is the frequent use of buttermilk. The special taste of buttermilk has that distinctive Southern flavor. Regular milk won’t give the unique taste of cornbread and cookies.

When it comes to cooking ware Southern cooking wouldn’t be Southern cooking at all if not for cast iron. You can afford it since it is only two to three dollars and can be found at flea markets everywhere. Cast iron pans are good for cooking since they can hold heat for a longer time and cook food evenly.

Compared with other cooking styles Southern cooking takes more time to cook, especially the greens. Vegetables in Southern cooking aren’t stir fried. They are tender and delicious. However, other recipes like fried okra are just slightly cooked, while green beans take about two hours before becoming tender and dimly colored.

Another pointer to consider is the preparation of food before it is considered a product of Southern cooking. Remember that combining foods is the in thing in Southern cooking. When serving food, meat must always be coupled by greens. So if you are planning to have fried chicken and fried chops always keep in mind that you have to add fried bread, green beans, and cornbread to your recipe.

These are the techniques of having Southern cooking right in your kitchen. What makes Southern cooking addicting is the existence of these components. These are grounded in the history of Southern cooking. Missing one point will immediately ruin your food Southern cooking credibility.

Hold on to Your Cooking Tips

What do you do with all of those great cooking tips you find? Most of us read them and forget about them. But, a lot of these tips can help you save time and money in the kitchen. Tips such as how to crush garlic, preventing lemon seeds from getting in your food, and what to do with stale bread can help take your cooking to the next level.
To keep track, simply add a section to your recipe filing system. If you store your recipes on your computer, make a new database category or a new folder for the tips. If you use the traditional recipe file box, start a category for tips and put one tip per index card. If you use a binder, start a section for tips and write them on sheets of notebook paper. Pretty soon, these tips will be second nature but until then, you can consult your files for inspiration.

Mise en Place – Preparing the Ingredients

Top chefs seem to really have it together when they are preparing meals. When we see them cook, they don’t scramble around the kitchen looking for last minute ingredients. Everything always seems to be arranged artistically right in front of them

The French have a term for this – mise en place. This basically means “preparing the ingredients”. You chop and measure things out in advance. It may seem as if this will lengthen the cooking time. But it actually shortens it and helps make your food come out better.

Not convinced? Consider this. How many times have you left onions or garlic to sauté in a skillet, only to realize that you need to add the mushrooms ASAP but they are not cleaned or chopped yet? And by the time they are chopped, the onions are a burnt mess. Well all this could have been prevented if you prepared the ingredients ahead of time.