Thanksgiving is the underrated holiday. A wonderful, relaxing day full of great company and convivial conversation. And then it’s capped off by a delicious dinner. What’s not to love about it? Plenty if you’re the one making dinner – especially if you’re cooking dinner in a small kitchen.
This is not your average meal. There are way more components when it comes to Thanksgiving dinner. When you add those up, even the roomiest apartment kitchen can seem cramped when all of the ingredients are laid out. Don’t worry! You can do it!
You don’t need a supersized kitchen like you see on TV. Cooking in smaller spaces is no problem for Thanksgiving meals. You just need to approach it a little differently than those top TV chefs.
If you’re cooking and hosting this holiday tradition in your apartment, just follow these helpful hints. You’ll be surprised how simple cooking dinner in a small kitchen can be!
Clean The Kitchen and Accessories
This is a simple task that will save you time. And it’ll make for more effective prepping and cooking, too! To create the main meal, various side dishes and desserts, you’ll need clean surfaces, countertops, cutting boards, cutlery and accessories. Instead of losing time cleaning the kitchen and the various culinary tools on Thanksgiving morning, do it in advance.
Take some time to clean your kitchen countertops and surfaces the weekend before the big day. Then look at your various recipes. See what kitchen tools and accessories you’ll need. Take an inventory and then make sure everything is clean and ready to go. Haven’t used that large mixing bowl in awhile or that pie plate? Give them a good wash. Then organize everything so it’s where it should be for Thursday. That will save you time trying to track down that elusive can opener or lemon zester!
Advance Prep Work
This is another time-saving technique. A majority of the time-consuming tasks for cooking Thanksgiving dinner is all of the prep work. The slicing. The dicing. The soaking. The thawing. All of these little things add up!
Take some time during the days leading up to Thanksgiving day to start your prep work. Clean those veggies. Slice those carrots. Peel those potatoes. Boil those eggs. Soak those breadcrumbs. And most importantly, thaw that turkey! If possible, do a little bit of the prep work each day. You’ll have more time on Thanksgiving day. You’ll save valuable counter space. It’ll be easier to clean up. And the whole process will run smoother!
Choosing the Right Turkey
This is key no matter what size kitchen you’re cooking in. Choosing the right size turkey really depends on two things: how many people are going to be joining you for dinner; and how big ius your oven.
If you’re hosting dinner in your apartment, odds are you are not inviting over too many guests. If you’re cooking dinner for 2-6 guests, then cooking a turkey breast may be best. Rather than cook a whole turkey, you can enjoy the best part of the bird. This will take less time. Craving the turkey will be easier. And you won’t have a mountain of leftovers. Plus, if you own an air fryer, you can cook a delicious turkey breast in very little time – and with very little clean up needed.
You also don’t have to go the traditional turkey route. You can serve a hearty turkey stew. Serve up delicious turkey and veggie kabobs. Bake a hearty turkey meatloaf. Or serve a plant-based, vegan-friendly turkey substitute.
Create Extra Space
Small kitchens. Big kitchens. Enormous kitchens. They all have one thing in common when it comes to cooking Thanksgiving Dinner: not enough counter space!
While preparing in advance will help free up countertops and surfaces on Thanksgiving, you may still need a little more space for extra pots, pans, plates, ingredients, etc. Having a portable, folding card table and some extra trivets on hand will help create the extra space you need.
Having a helpful assistant who cleans up after you as you cook will help free up space, too. They can remove mixing bowls and prep plates after you’re done with them. Then they can wash, dry and store them out of the way.
There you have it! Now you’re set to cook Thanksgiving dinner in an apartment kitchen. Just follow these helpful tips and your day will run smoothly. Don’t forget: Everyone is supposed to enjoy themselves on Thanksgiving – and that includes the chefs and hosts. Don’t forget to indulge in the dishes you made and enjoy the company of those you love.
From everyone at 363 Bond Street, we wish you, your family and friends a very Happy Thanksgiving!