Thanksgiving Success: Last minute solutions & substitutions

How to thicken gravy? Is pink turkey safe? We've got answers + sides you can make without a trip to the store! [America's Test Kitchen - 25 Years] [View in a browser]( [Thanksgiving Success Series: The Joyous Host. 2 days until Thanksgiving.]( [Thanksgiving Success Series: The Joyous Host. 2 days until Thanksgiving.]( No. 7 Last Minute Solutions & Substitutions Thanksgiving is almost here! We’re dreaming of creamy mashed potatoes, crisp-skinned turkey, and flaky pie crust. Our recipes are planned. Our make-ahead dishes are waiting in the freezer or refrigerator. Our turkey is defrosted—shoot, is our turkey defrosted? Home cooks tend to be busy people, and sometimes life happens. Be prepared for anything with these kitchen hacks that will help you be calm and confident in the kitchen so that you can focus on the most important part of Thanksgiving: the friends and family around your table. Get instant access to 30 years of expertise trusted by millions of cooks. Start your free trial now to unlock all our recipes and ingenious hacks, plus unbiased ingredient reviews, just in time for that last-minute grocery trip. Our 5-star-rated members’ app gives you access to ALL of it, from wherever you are. Read up on cooking tips from our Thanksgiving Guide, watch how-to videos, or create recipe notes that only you can see, all on the go. Say goodbye to cooking stress and hello to kitchen confidence. [Start 14 days free now →]( Thaw a Frozen Turkey at the Last Minute If you wake up on Thanksgiving to a frozen or only partially thawed turkey, you’ve STILL got this, friend. While it’s more labor intensive, it is possible to thaw a turkey at the last minute and still get dinner on the table. [Thawing a turkey]( Place the turkey in its original wrapper in a large bucket filled with cold water and let it thaw for 30 minutes per pound; a 12-pound bird would therefore take 6 hours. Here’s where it takes some work and vigilance: You have to change the water every half hour. (If the water warms up, bacteria can start to grow in the bird.) You can use this method on Thanksgiving (assuming you start early in the day) or on Wednesday. Better still, mark your calendar so you remember to let the bird thaw, fuss-free, in the fridge for as many days as needed. Keep Mashed Potatoes Warm at the Table Since mashed potatoes cool off faster than anything else, we went looking for a way to keep them warm. Enter the slow cooker. Simply put your prepared potatoes in the appliance and turn it to the warming setting. If the potatoes get a bit dry as they sit, you can adjust their consistency with milk or cream every once in a while. If you’re cooking another dish in your slow cooker, not to worry. You can instead [rely on your sous vide machine to keep mashed potatoes warm](. [14 Days Free! Trusted recipes. Stress-free holidays. Get Instant Access >]( Sides That Can Be Made with Ingredients You Already Have Skip that last-minute trip to the grocery store. [Check out the collection →]( [Screenshot of the recipe collection]( Substitute Dried Herbs for Fresh No fresh herbs at the grocery store? It can be tempting to sub in dried herbs for fresh. [Find out when dried herbs can be used in the place of fresh herbs and how to make the swap.]( [Watch the video: substituting dried herbs]( Fix Seized Chocolate Nothing ruins a satiny smooth chocolate frosting quite like gritty, grainy chocolate. What causes chocolate to seize? When chocolate is melted, its ingredients—mainly cocoa powder, sugar, and cocoa butter—disperse evenly, creating a fluid mass. But if even a tiny amount of moisture is introduced, the liquid and the sugar will form a syrup to which the cocoa particles will cling, thereby creating grainy clumps. Here are [two tips to prevent seizing.]( If it's too late, and [your chocolate has already seized,]( we have a solution to fix that too. [Fixing seized chocolate]( Make a Quick Roux to Thicken Gravy at the Last Minute Roux, a cooked mixture of flour and fat, is often used to thicken gravy; cooking takes the raw edge off the flour and gives it a nutty, toasted flavor. But what happens if you find that your gravy is too thin at serving time? Rather than dirtying another pan, you can make a quick roux in the microwave and then add it to the gravy to achieve the desired thickness. [Here’s how we make a quick roux for gravy →]( [Watch the video: thickening gravy with a roux]( Hoping to make your gravy ahead instead of waiting on the turkey drippings? Skipping the turkey this year but still want gravy for the potatoes? Our All-Purpose Gravy recipe uses a vegetable fond to [create a meaty and rich gravy without drippings.]( Is Pink Turkey Safe to Eat? When it comes to turkey, go by temperature, not color. As long as the interior of your turkey was cooked to a safe temperature, pink color in meat is perfectly fine. In some cases, you’d have to cook it to an internal temperature of at least 220 degrees to tone down that pinkness. At that point, the turkey would be so dry you wouldn’t even want to eat it. So why can [cooked turkey still look pink?]( During the week where every hour counts, enjoy immediate access to ALL our expert resources. [Start 14 days of free access now]( for more last-minute advice plus clever cooking hacks you can rely on all year long. Our Guide to Your Perfect Thanksgiving The test kitchen works for you, so we’ve packed our Thanksgiving Guide with expertly tested recipes and valuable tips. You’ll also find our recommendations for top kitchen equipment and tools, from the best chef's knives to rimmed baking sheets. A digital membership gives you full access to all of it, plus the confidence to turn your cooking into a source of joy instead of stress. [Get instant access now with your 14-day trial and browse the Thanksgiving Guide free]( of paywalls. [Screenshot of the Thanksgiving Guide]( What we’ve covered so far: [No. 1: Planning YOUR Perfect Thanksgiving →]( [No. 2: Let’s Talk Turkey →]( [No. 3: Make-Ahead Sides & Non-Oven Recipes →]( [No. 4: Foolproof Pies & Other Dessert Superstars →]( [No. 5: Love Cooking. Ace Thanksgiving. →]( [No. 6: What can I bring? Navigating surprise menu additions →]( [View the web version]( of this email. This offer expires November 28, 2024. All prior sales excluded. No substitutions. [Forward this email]( to a friend. [Unsubscribe]( or manage your [email preferences.]( We sent you this email because our records indicate that you requested to receive email from America's Test Kitchen. 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