She's the queen of home cooking and hosting, so who better to turn to for Thanksgiving cooking tips, tricks, and advice than the legendary Martha Stewart? From suggestions for cooking perfect turkey to advice on prepping ahead and notes on how to make your sides shine, here’s how to ace Thanksgiving according to Martha.
Hosting a Thanksgiving feast this year, or looking for ideas on what to make and take to your hosts' home? Scroll or click through our gallery to find everything you need to put together the perfect Thanksgiving meal.
It’s great to get pies off your to-do list (and avoid the floury mess among the turkey chaos). Martha suggests baking and freezing your crusts up to a week in advance and fully baking the pies at least a day before serving. This will let the flavors develop and help set fruit-pie juices or custards. She also advises freezing the complete pies for up to an hour before baking, as this will help single-crust pies keep their shape and prevent double-crust pies from collapsing.
There's no need to wait until you get your bird to make the turkey stock. Buy turkey wings or legs in advance and turn them into a flavorsome broth that can then be transformed into gravy on the day. Martha says the stock can be made a couple of days ahead and kept in the refrigerator, or frozen for up to three months. (So you could get really ahead and make extra for Christmas, too.)
Martha also says it’s absolutely fine to make your mashed potatoes a day or so ahead of time, keeping them in the refrigerator. To reheat, place them in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, and simply stir until the potatoes have warmed through. Add a splash of milk, if needed, to achieve the smooth and creamy texture you want.
When choosing a Thanksgiving turkey, you want to ensure there's enough meat to serve everyone – it's best to have more and save some for leftovers than to run out. Martha suggests working on the basis of around 1.5lb (680g) per person, so if you're serving 10 people, you'll need a bird that's around 15-20lb (7-9kg). Remember that smaller birds have a smaller meat-to-bone ratio, so if you're bird is less than 12lb (5kg), you'll need to factor in around 2lb (just under 1kg) of meat per person.
Defrosting a turkey can be a long process, but it’s a vital step to avoid disaster later (both for your feast and your health). Martha advises putting the frozen bird, still in its original packaging, breast side up on a rimmed baking sheet and placing it on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. Allow a full day of defrosting for every 4lb (1.8kg) of turkey, and remember to disinfect the shelf once the turkey is removed.
The easiest way to prep your bird ahead of time for maximum flavor and moist meat is using a dry brine, which is also quicker (and requires less clean up) than a wet brine. Follow Martha's example: rub your turkey with around 6 tbsp of kosher salt, let it sit in the refrigerator for 24 hours, then rinse before cooking.
The total cooking time depends on the size of the turkey, but Martha suggests first roasting the bird for 30 minutes in a 425°F oven, so the skin turns a lovely golden-brown color. After that, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and cook for around 2-2.5 hours for a 15-20lb (7-9kg) bird. When a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F, it's ready.
An experienced cook like Martha knows that ensuring the meat is moist throughout is the hardest thing about cooking a turkey – by the time the legs are cooked, it’s all too easy for the breast meat to have dried out. Martha’s genius suggestion is to roast your bird upside down, resting on a buttered loaf of ciabatta, which helps the meat to cook evenly.
Always rest your turkey for at least 30 minutes before carving it. Put the cooked bird in a warm place covered with foil; this will allow the meat to relax and ensure it stays moist, as well as making it easier to carve. If you slice it straight from the oven, the juices will run out and you'll end up with a dry turkey, despite all your hard work.
When it comes to carving your turkey, first pull each leg away from the body and slice between the breast and the drumstick; bend it back until the bone pops out of the socket and then cut through the joint completely. Cut between the joint to separate the thigh from the drumstick and then slice the wings off at the joint. Remove each breast with one deep slice down both sides, then place both on a cutting board and slice against the grain. This will not only look professional, but will ensure the meat stays moist.
According to Martha, the only difference between stuffing and dressing is in the presentation and cooking method. Stuffing is cooked inside the bird, while dressing is baked in a dish and served alongside the turkey. Traditionalists will love a simple sausage and pear stuffing, while a dried fruit and nut cornbread dressing can also be enjoyed by any guests who don't eat meat.
Even if your gravy looks and tastes like it can’t be rescued, Martha says the sauce can be saved. To fix lumpy gravy, pass it through a fine sieve. If it's too thick, gradually whisk in a little stock to loosen. Simmer thin gravy over a medium-high heat until it thickens, or whisk in a mixture of equal parts flour and butter. A splash of soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce, a scoop of store-bought demi-glace (French brown sauce), or a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper will add depth of flavor to a bland gravy, while a greasy gravy can be remedied by skimming off as much fat as possible with a ladle.
Side dishes are just as important as the turkey, and you'll have plenty of time to prep a few options while the bird is cooking. Martha is an advocate of keeping things simple and sticking to the classics; think creamy mashed potatoes, roasted root vegetables, sautéed greens, and other easy options that can be jazzed up with a béchamel sauce, brown butter, or a simple vinaigrette.
Whether you decide to use a masher, a ricer, or a stand mixer, Martha recommends using Russet, Yukon gold, or long white potatoes to make mashed potatoes. To ensure they aren't bland, season with plenty of black pepper, salt, and nutmeg – the latter will add a richer and more luxurious flavor. For a silky-smooth finish, incorporate plenty of butter.
Martha often uses big, bold flavors to lift sautéed or roasted greens that can otherwise be a bit bland and boring. Some of her favorite tricks include glazing Brussels sprouts in brown sugar and bacon, adding umami-rich shiitake mushrooms to a warm spinach salad, and combining crispy shallots and punchy lemon with buttered green beans. You could also try infusing creamy roasted broccoli with garlic, chilies, and anchovies.
With several roasted dishes and the turkey as the centerpiece, the Thanksgiving table can often end up looking rather beige. To add a pop of color, Martha suggests serving an array of vibrant vegetables such as roasted radishes, braised celery, and rainbow carrots and parsnips with a mint yogurt sauce.
A Thanksgiving feast usually calls for butternut squash (or similar), but getting the skin off the vegetable is time consuming – so do as Martha does and roast your squash with the skin on. There's a lot of flavor and vitamins in the skin, and plenty of squash varieties can be eaten unpeeled. Plus, it will look beautiful when served. You could also do this with sweet potatoes, carrots, and even beets.
Yes, the idea of a relish tray might be old-school, but there are ways to bring it back with a modern twist. Make like Martha and add kimchi for a bit of heat or capers for a salty kick. For a quick pickle, combine 2 cups rice vinegar with 1/2 cup sugar, 2 bay leaves, and 1 tsp mustard seeds in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, then simmer until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat, leave to cool, and use to pickle everything from cucumbers and cauliflower to carrot strips and radishes.
Thanksgiving just wouldn't be the same without a tangy cranberry sauce. Martha's classic sauce pairs whole berries with cinnamon and orange juice and zest, and only takes 25 minutes to make. Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan (you'll need a cup of orange juice for every 6 cups of cranberries), add sugar, salt, and cinnamon to taste, and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the berries burst and the sauce thickens.
If you want to upgrade your pie crust and make it look picture-perfect, there are a few quick and easy tricks to try. Use a fork to create crosshatch marks or simply flatten the fork along the crust, mark twice with an inverted spoon, or just pinch to crimp. For a more elaborate design, braid thin strips of dough and attach with egg wash. When making your pie base, Martha highlights the importance of taking the pastry ingredients out of the refrigerator at least half an hour in advance. This will allow the ingredients to come to a room temperature and ensure a perfectly flaky crust.
Martha has a number of other tips for achieving pie perfection. She says that double crust pies will benefit from being generously brushed with a beaten egg to add a gorgeous shine, while a sprinkling of coarse sugar is the secret to a crunchy upper crust. For single crust pies, make sure to blind bake the shell, as this will eliminate the possibility of soggy bottoms. Don't forget to pierce the surface of the pastry with a fork, to prevent it from puffing up in the oven.
Apple and pecan are among the most popular Thanksgiving pies (apart from pumpkin, of course), and whether you decide to stick to the classics or try new flavor combinations, Martha has a top tip up her sleeve. For apple pies, go for firm apple varieties – these won't turn to mush and will give your pie a more intense apple flavor. You could also add blueberries to the filling, or make your pecan pie even more indulgent with the addition of dates.
If you really want to take your pumpkin pie to the next level, and gift the dessert a more pronounced pumpkin flavor along the way, Martha says you need to try swapping out some of the flour in the pastry mix for toasted, ground pumpkin seeds. This will also ensure the pie crust has a lovely crunchy texture.
You could also always borrow a trick from classic crème brûlée preparation and top your pumpkin pie with a crunchy caramelized sugar layer. You'll need a small kitchen blowtorch for this, and it'll add a wonderful show-stopping element to the dessert. Sift 2 tbsp of fine sugar evenly over the top of the pie. Use a blow torch to caramelize the sugar, ensuring it doesn't burn, and then repeat with another 2 tbsp sugar. If your caramelized top is starting to look too dark, move the blowtorch further away.
Martha swears by using canned pumpkin for the pie filling. After having tried roasted, steamed, mashed, puréed, and even reduced pumpkin in her pie fillings, Martha says nothing compares to the smooth, dense purée from the can – and who are we to argue?
Martha recommends pouring any leftover gravy into muffin tins or ice cube trays and freezing. Once frozen, the cubes can be removed from the molds, popped into a bag, and retuned to the freezer, ready for whenever your roasted chicken or open-faced sandwich needs a bit of extra flavor. The same goes for cranberry sauce, which can be used to lift other cooked meats, both hot and cold.
Martha has numerous ideas for making the most of leftover turkey, which is best eaten a day or two after cooking. Add the meat to Mexican-inspired quesadillas, bake into a savory leftovers pie with stuffing and cranberry sauce, shred for breakfast tacos, or turn it into a spicy and fragrant curry that also incorporates any leftover squash.
Definitely don't put the turkey carcass in the trash. Martha suggests saving the bones after you've carved your bird and using them to make a simple stock. Add carrots, onions, celery, and seasoning, and cook as you would any chicken stock. You can then freeze it for up to six months and use in sauces, risottos, gravies, and soups.
Martha notes that pretty much all roasted vegetables and vegetable dishes lose their appeal once frozen, so it's best to quickly repurpose the cooked veg into other dishes. One of the best ways to use up any leftover vegetables is incorporating them into a cheesy pastry tart – use store-bought pastry, pile in the vegetables, and top with plenty of grated cheese.