What to Do Three Weeks Before Thanksgiving (and Why You Should Start Even Earlier This Year)
As you’ve probably noticed, November 1st gives everyone who celebrates Thanksgiving in America exactly 24 days to get ready for the Big Day. This is not a negligible number of days, but not too many, especially this year.
It’s a little calmer on the pandemic front this year, but the supply chain issues we’ve all heard so much about threaten to make shopping a little more stressful (and expensive). Don’t panic or succumb to the urge to hoard – the food will be there, on the shelves and in the freezer aisle. But you may have to go to a few additional stores or pay an extra dollar or two for some of your staples on Turkey Day. Fortunately, time is a little on your side, and shopping right now can help you spread the extra costs across the month.
Here’s what you should do this week to get ready for the fourth Thursday in November.
Complete your lists
There are three basic lists you need to make right now: your guest list, your menu (with spare meals in case you really can’t find certain foods or are too expensive), and your shopping list (with spare ingredients).
Your size is important as it will inform how much you buy and how much you cook. Last minute holiday orphan isn’t a problem, but try to make as many guests as possible, including plus-size, pandemic kids and new boyfriends. Count the number of heads, then open your cupboards and make sure you have enough plates, glasses, cutlery, etc. If you are hosting your first year, make sure you have serving plates (for poultry), pans, molds for baking and a lot of wine glasses.
Then put together your menu, including drinks, snacks, and desserts, and find out who brings what. Write a backup dish next to each menu item in case your original plan is disrupted by the supply chain. Take another look at the menu and look at the pots, pans, and serving utensils you will need next to each dish. Finally, make two shopping lists, one for your ideal menu and one for your spare meals. Take both lists and highlight (or circle) shelf-stable items and items that can be frozen, then get ready to shop.
Score
This is a great week for your first round of shopping. Before you do anything else: deal with the turkey. Whether you’re buying frozen butter balls from a large boxed store or ordering an historic bird from a local farm, do it now. If you’re harvesting poultry later this month, be sure to factor in thawing times (around four hours per pound). How much turkey should I buy? At least £ 1.5 per guest , but I usually do £ 2 per guest so I have enough leftovers. (If you’re going to go through all of these challenges to cook a giant bird, you must eat more than one or two meals.)
Apart from the bird, you should go ahead and get the following:
- Canned and packaged ingredients including, but not limited to, pumpkin, canned cranberry sauce, and broth or broth.
- Long-term shelf life ingredients like crispy fried onions, pasta, and all your pantries like flour, butter, fat, sugar, and salt (especially if you’re planning on brine).
- Frozen foods and ingredients (such as turkey) or anything that freezes well, such as fresh cranberries, bags of frozen vegetables, butter, ready-made pie crusts, cheese, and even whole onions.
- Serving bowls, serving dishes, cutlery, wine glasses, casseroles and plates . Skip Target and Sur La Table and pop into local thrift and restaurant shops that are extremely profitable.
- Drinks including soft drinks, liqueurs and wine, but especially alcohol, which will be the hardest to find due to the shortage of glass bottles .
- Toilet paper , especially if people live with you. You don’t have to go crazy here, but hiding a few extra rolls in the closet can save your ass (literally).
If you can’t find a specific ingredient, you can order it online, come back next week, or go to one of the replacement menu items and buy the ingredients needed for that ingredient.
Don’t be an asshole
Horrific supply chain problems give people a real opportunity to become the worst, but you can prepare without being a jerk. Grabbing an extra can of cranberry sauce for leftover sandwiches is smart, but resist the urge to buy a dozen “just in case” or “to share with friends.”
If you’re feeling the pressure to put on your makeup for Turkey Day last year by completing the impeccable menu this year, please stay calm and remember that Thanksgiving is not so much about finding shallots for the perfect green bean casserole, but gratitude for being with you. loved ones. It has always been this way, but this year it is especially true. Don’t get yourself traumatized again by chasing a turkey dinner that will be delicious no matter what you serve it with.