Every Thanksgiving since I was a child, I've had to make something for Thanksgiving. Typically, and I think this goes for many Americans (and presumably Canadians cause they have a similar Thanksgiving), this involves sharing the kitchen with way too many cooks. It can be difficult to know what tools you'll have in an unfamiliar kitchen, and when/if you'll be able to use the stove, oven, etc.
I'm trying to move things towards a better model, where I make the entire menu, and other people are responsible for drinks and cleanup, but there are always holdouts determined whatever particular dish they feel strongly about.
My normal approach is:
- Insist on making the turkey. The turkey is the most common thing people mess up, and it sucks to have to choke down dry turkey.
- Bring an insane amount of my kitchen with me. Words can't describe how frustrating it is to try to cook with only the world's dullest knives, a thermometer that starts at 160 F for "rare beef", and only a salt shaker of iodized salt.
- Do as many "make ahead of time" or "make outside of the kitchen" dishes as possible. Sous vide sweet potatoes, salads, etc.
What are your methods for ensuring that your Thanksgiving meal doesn't suck?
P.s. My packing list for things to bring to cook at another person's house contains:
Thermometers, knives, shears, a scale, cutting boards, rimmed baking sheets, cooling racks, a vegetable peeler, a microplane, a pepper grinder, kosher salt, aprons, a big mixing bowl or two, a cake tester, a bread knife, a citrus juicer, a few Mason jars, butcher twine, a gravy separator, all the herbs and spices I'll need, a high wall saute pan, a sturdy frying pan, baking soda, baking powder, yeast, lemons, limes, butter, my sous vide circulator, heavy duty foil, and a liquid measuring cup.
Anything you think I'm missing?
Sunday: dry brine turkey, wrap it up in plastic and refrigerated.
Monday: get bread from local baker, cut and toast to make base for stuffing, then make my cranberry compote.
Tuesday: make turkey gravy. Already have basic turkey stock, so cook additional onion and celery in stock and strain, then build gravy from a roux. Make my pea and corn succotash.
Wednesday: unwrap the turkey and return it to the fridge to let the skin dry out. Make the mashed potatoes with roasted garlic and a ridiculously large amount of butter.
T-day: roast the turkey, cook the stuff and bring other items up to temperature.
Others are bringing a couple veggie sides, desserts, salads and appetizers, so I'm pretty free for the main meal.
Like others, I do the turkey because it's moist, tender and juicy in my hands and I don't trust others to do it well.
If you are largely responsible for the meal but are forced into traveling to make the meal, I'd probably do most of the prep at home and if it's practical, do most of the cooking there as well. You would have your tools there and won't run the risk of forgetting something or having some clueless but well meaning relative ruining something that you care about. You can also get that lovely turkey gravy flavor by roasting turkey legs and wings in the oven a few days before, then using that with a mirepoix to build a turkey stock to make the gravy.
One thing I'm finally doing this year is having a second turkey. I always get a good turkey from a local farm, but grocery stores sell the frozen, pre-brined ones for so cheap, I just picked another up for about $5. I'm going to part that one out, and sous vide the breasts, and figure something else out for the rest of the meat. Then I can use that carcass to make good stock ahead of time.