19 Best Thanksgiving Tips fromTikTok | Thanksgiving Guide : Step by Step Turkey, Desserts & Side Dishes : Food Network
Thanksgiving is coming. If you’re organizing, the holiday’s approach can bring anxiety as well as excitement. Was the turkey made in time — and was it moist and delicious? Will your parties be the stars of the show? And do you ever get out of the kitchen and be able to spend time with your guests?
We searched TikTok for tips and tricks to reduce Thanksgiving stress and boost holiday cheer. We found lots of great tips and then took them through to Food Network recipe developer Amanda Neal for her feedback — for that and more, we’re so grateful! Here’s what we found.
Save time and reduce stress on Thanksgiving by prepping and chopping all your veggies the night before and store them in the fridge in ziplock bags like TikToker @nataliecamilay. Or, Neal suggests, “use reusable glass containers for less waste.”
Save yourself the frustration of getting cranberry sauce out of the box by punching a hole in the opposite side of the opened one, because @trentonaschoff shown in the video above. “But,” warned Neal, “please don’t use a knife. It’s dangerous and will dull the blade. Just punch a hole with your can opener.”
“Everybody knows that making fondue is the most stressful part of Thanksgiving,” says Kathleen Ashmore (@katcancook) say in this video. “What if I told you you could arrive ahead of time?” Yes, it’s a real game changer. “I love this video,” Neal said. “It’s very useful and informative, and saves time in the day.” Plus, she adds, “You can add some chicken broth or poultry seasoning for an extra ‘turkey’ flavor.”
Who has time to stop everything, step out of the kitchen and start making cocktails when guests arrive on Thanksgiving Day? You have a turkey to care for and parties to oversee! A helpful solution: Prepare seasonal sangria in advance so guests can enjoy it while you do whatever needs to be done. Thanksgiving sangria recipes – like this and this or, damn, this or this — there are many on TikTok, so you can definitely find one that suits your taste. “Sangria is a great Thanksgiving drink because you can pass it on,” Neal agrees. “I love the fall-inspired versions with cider and cinnamon. You’ll probably have some left over after picking the apples, so this is a great ingredient to add to.”
TikToker hosts a Mya Hansel dinner party (@hanselkai) shares this fun tip “so she can focus on the food and the reception at the same time”: She makes an ingredient list and sets up a mini-bar so her guests can make their own drinks. for myself. “It’s cute — and very convenient for homeowners,” says Neal. She suggests adding “some easy-to-assemble drinks, such as a bottle of wine, a few beers, and some non-alcoholic beverages” to your DIY bar area.
Why give your guests a regular vegetable tray when you can provide them with a tray with vegetables ordered in the shape of a lovely turkey? Well, we totally do this for Thanksgiving this year. Neal loves the lightness and freshness of this appetizer, especially in contrast to the rest of the holiday meal, and offers an extra tip for this super cute idea: Prepare in advance. She advises: “Make the sauce and refrigerate, then chop all the vegetables.
With all the baking and cooking you’ll do for your Thanksgiving party, the last thing you need is to get complicated with your appetizers. So keep it simple with a few easy three-ingredient recipes, such as this delicious-looking recipe shared by easy recipes expert. @jlodonohue. Neal endorsed this pivotal moment. “Always a great choice for Thanksgiving – or any holiday,” she says, “you can use another dry cured sausage and roll with any of my favorite spices.”
Not all Thanksgiving meals are formal affairs. Maybe you’re hosting a gathering where guests just pick up a plate, serve themselves, and sit anywhere. (We love those, too.) But if you’re dining on a more luxurious meal, you might want to review table etiquette. In that case, Neal agreed, This videoincluding some cool tips that can be “very useful.”
Napkins are not only useful and neat — with just a little fold, they can elevate your dining table decor. And you don’t need anything fancy to get an attractive look. This video offers three different napkin folding techniques and ideas for taking them to the next level. Each one is “super cute — and very doable,” says Neal. “I also love that you can personalize with different colored napkins, or stick a few sprigs of fresh herbs, such as rosemary or thyme, to make things more festive. .” Agreed!
This “Thanksgiving Life Hack” TikTok videos, promises to teach you “how to tie a bag!” highly entertaining. It will also show you how to butterfly your bird by cutting off the backbone and flattening it to cook hot and faster. Desarae Legros (@Cooking_comedy_chaos) happily reassured. Legros performs with a chicken, but the technique will be similar to a turkey. “This is a good preparatory step to know and understand because it helps the turkey cook evenly,” says Neal. However, she warns, it’s much harder to peck whole turkeys than chickens – and you may just want to have your butcher cut your turkey for you to save your trouble. If you decide to make your own and try to cut your turkey at home, Neal recommends that you “dry the turkey thoroughly to make it less slippery and make sure to use very sharp kitchen shears.”
Lately, TikTokers have been enamored with fusion avocados (see also: butter board). in this video (and this, if you’re looking for a recipe variation), butter is seasoned, rolled into a log, wrapped in cling film, and frozen. (Personally, I would avoid putting ice directly in the freezer, especially before receiving guests, for fear of having a strange taste and would choose to place the ice elsewhere in the freezer.) After removing the ice from the freezer, Synthetic butter logs are sliced into small pieces and slid under the turkey skin for flavor and moisture. “Mixed butter is a great way to season a turkey,” says Neal. “Plus, you can prepare in advance, so there’s less to prepare on Thanksgiving. And you can personalize it with your own dried herbs and spices.”
“I wouldn’t have had Thanksgiving without Mrs. Pat’s corn soup,” speak Teri Turner (@nocrumbsleft). Using pantry items like Jiffy corn muffin mix and a tin of creamed corn, along with some other fridge and freezer staples, this recipe is super easy and looks great. yummy. “That’s a great trick for the Jiffy corn mix,” says Neal, adding that the one-bowl element is also appealing. “You can top it with grated cheese or add a dash of cayenne pepper to cool off,” she suggests. “Um!”
Here classic recipe looks so good we had to include it. “It’s Thanksgiving week and you have to have a mac & cheese recipe – or you’ll be kicked out of the family this week,” says Chef Law Cannon (@lawcannon). We’ll also recommend our own tip: Prepare this the day before Thanksgiving, to minimize the day’s work. You can “make mac and cheese and put it on a baking sheet, then bake it just before serving,” says Neal. Your go. The Mac…has been hacked!
included above word @halfbakedharvest To be again The makeup side dish looks super delicious. “I love the garlic grill tip,” says Neal. “It’s something you can do ahead and add a lot of flavor to many dishes – sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, garlic bread, vinegar, etc.”
This video, which emerged last year, teaches you how to make adorable little “turkeys” out of strawberries, marshmallows, cookie sticks (we think) and chocolate. “People love a strawberry covered in chocolate,” Neal said with a laugh. “These check a lot of boxes because they’re adorable and easy to make.”
If the trash bag hack below is by Shannon Doherty (@athomewithshannon) favorite Thanksgiving hack, this one dessert tips do it better: She says turning a $6 cake at the grocery store into cute cupcakes and pumpkin pie is one of her favorite tricks of all time. Neal concurs: “It’s very clever to turn a store-bought cake into something more sophisticated just by using a cookie cutter. “I also appreciate that she used the remaining cake as well.” Neal notes that this trick can be done with sweet potato pie, pumpkin pie, and even pecan pie. However, she cautions, “I would avoid any cake with a double crust, as the top crust will look sloppy when cut.” note!
“Music is the most important part of a beautiful dinner party,” speak dinner party enthusiast Mya Hansel (@hanselkaI). Hansel creates a moody vibe during cocktail hour and when everyone is sitting down to dinner, a playlist is chock full of Brazilian, Portuguese and Spanish tunes. Neal agrees that music is an essential part of setting the tone for a holiday gathering. “A lot of people love to create playlists on Spotify, and playing some sad music during your Thanksgiving meal helps create a fun atmosphere,” she says. As for songs to put on your playlist, “any track is really appropriate,” advises Neal, with a caveat: “Leave clear tunes for friends celebrations – This playlist is for family meals.”
“Easiest way to send guests home with leftovers? Try the box of muffins,” says TikToker @brunchwithbabs, who calls herself “everyone’s grandma.” Babs recommends creating a “takeout station” using a box of muffins for guests, noting that they can then serve themselves “a little bit of each” and heat all of the dishes at once with how to put them in the oven when they are ready to eat them. So smart! Neal calls Babs’ suggestion “a smart and convenient trick to using single-use aluminum cans,” but notes that she will choose reusable containers instead to create less waste. than. However, she notes, “this can be helpful if you have guests who can’t return the reusable containers in time” – such as those coming from afar for a Holiday party. Your thanks.
“If you only remember one Thanksgiving hack, this is it,” speak Shannon Doherty’s @athomewithshannon. her hack? Turn the Command Hooks upside down on either side of your trash, then stack three clean trash bags in the bin, securing each one under the Command Hooks. Then, when one bag is full, you can take it out and have another ready without having to pause in the middle of the party to get a new bag. Neal also found another advantage of the Commando Hook hack: It’s useful “to keep the trash bag in place when you’re dumping heavy food, such as a turkey carcass,” she notes. Correct!