Every month I try to do a post for my In the Kitchen with Laura series. This month I’m going in a different direction and we’re in the kitchen with America’s Test Kitchen. If you’ve never watched it, the idea is sort of like Fannie Farmer’s The Boston Cooking School Cookbook on steroids. They hold there is one best way to cook anything and so they experiment (and experiment and experiment and experiment) to come up with best (easiest, tastiest) way to make each dish. Their recipes aren’t always winners, for example their version of Lighthouse Potatoes isn’t nearly as good as the recipe we found from someone who worked in the restaurant they’re named for. However, their way is normally worth trying at least once so you can experiment or combine recipes from there.
America’s Test Kitchen also sometimes do little science behind why things work the way they do bits. My personal favorite are their experiments with kitchen tools (which is the best, which is a cheaper priced almost as good versions) and ingredients. Both of which I can highly recommend. We haven’t been sorry with any tool or ingredient we’ve tried on their say so even if we sometimes decide it isn’t worth it to us to get it again. (The single exception to that is their favorite chocolate ice cream which was pretty lousy, obviously they don’t know good Midwestern ice cream.)
So in honor of Thanksgiving, here are THEIR recommendations on how to do a Thanksgiving feast!
Turkey
How to Thaw a Turkey:
Quick Thaw:
Should I Baste My Turkey:
Take Temperature:
Pop Up Timer:
Let Turkey Rest:
Reheat Turkey:
Side Dishes
Brussels Sprouts:
Chop Celery Quickly:
Sweet Potato Topping:
Mashed Potatoes
Gravy:
Mashed Potatoes Warm:
Roux Emergency:
Pie
Cut 1st Piece Perfect:
In a Pinch Pie Plate:
Fix a Pie Crust:
Pecan Pie in Advance:
Improvise more cooling racks:
Happy cooking! And enjoy a great Thanksgiving Day!
Sarah S. Uthoff is a nationally known Laura Ingalls Wilder authority and has presented at five of the Wilder homesites, many times at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, many conferences and numerous libraries, museums, and events around the Midwest. She is the main force behind Trundlebed Tales fighting to bring the History, Mystery, Magic, and Imagination of Laura Ingalls Wilder and other greats of children’s literature and history to life for a new generation. How can you help? Attend one of her programs, schedule one yourself, watch her videos, listen to her podcast, look at her photos, and find her on Facebook , Twitter , LinkedIn , SlideShare, and Academia.edu . Professionally she is a reference librarian at Kirkwood Community College and former director of the Oxford (Iowa) Public Library.
Sarah's Notebook 