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4 More Organizational Tips for The
Cook on Thanksgiving
By Karen Porter,
Editor
EasyHomeOrganizing.com
Thanksgiving will
go a lot smoother for the cook with these organizational tips. If you're the
chef, plan ahead with these items:
PLAN A MENU. If you're going all out for
Thanksgiving, you'll need appetizers, side dishes, desserts, breads/rolls,
beverages and wine. That's in addition to your main course of turkey. Make sure
you buy enough servings for all of your guests and then a bit more to plan and
account for the unexpected. It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without leftovers
anyway.
WRITE A COOKING TIMETABLE. How long will it
take you to prepare each item? That includes prep time and cooking time.
WRITE A COOKING SCHEDULE. When will or can
you prepare each item? For example, can you prepare the pie crusts a few days
early? Obviously, you can't prepare everything at the same time on Thanksgiving
so the cooking preparation timetable above along with the cooking schedule
should organize your meal preparation. Re-write your first draft of the cooking
schedule so that the final cooking schedule list is in order of what dishes (or
parts of dishes) you need to prepare when. In fact, you may want to create this
cooking schedule on a computer. It'll be easier to cut and paste and rearrange
the items.
CREATE A SHOPPING LIST. This should include
raw ingredients for your recipes and prepared foods that you need for the menu
you created earlier. You'll also need a timetable for this. For instance, if
you're buying bread or salad greens, you may not want to buy them until a day or
two before Thanksgiving so they'll be freshest. But other items you may want
earlier so you can start preparing them (or parts of them). Of course, you can
buy any non-perishable items early. You'll also want to shop for cookware and
kitchen cooking equipment plus serving utensils and dishes as needed. Don't
forget gadgets like a baster and meat thermometer.
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