Thanksgiving - are we good at it, or just lazy?

Sorry if I didn't notice that someone else already mentioned this: the last page of Sunday's Tribune magazine offers, among other statistics, this: "Region where home cooks spend the least time preparing for Thanksgiving (1 to 3 days): THE MIDWEST."

My first reaction to this was that Midwesterners must not be as intimidated about finding and cooking turkeys and sweet potatoes and cranberries and pumpkin pies as East and West Coasters are. What do you think it means?

Hi,

Maybe we are just efficient.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

Maybe we are just efficient.

Regards,

I agree, with a full time job, a long commute, and a family, I will spend about a day and a half like I usually do. However I am also a pretty experienced cook from my years toiling away in restaurant kitchens.

Grocery shopping was done on Sunday, & we are picking up the Turducken Wednesday afternoon( I luckily have made stock the last 3 weekends so I have a bit in the freezer). After that Wednesday night will be spent making the 3 layers of my carrot cake, and pumpkin pies. Up at the crack of dawn(not that unusual with a terrible 2 daughter at home) on T-giving day,, and back in the kitchen. I really wouldnt want to prepare any of what I cook ahead of time, other than the baking the night before. I personally think the quality suffers.

Yesterday I shopped, made stocks, cranberry sauce, cleaned and salted the turkey. Wed. night I plan to make the stuffing.

Pretty much everything else can be done on the day of, but I've picked some easy things to do, too.

I wonder if they counted shopping in that estimate. I've been keeping my eyes open for Thanksgiving dinner ingredients for a couple of weeks, and had everything I needed as of last Friday. I'm only cooking for a few, but I feel it'll unfold without much trouble without me having to start anything before Wednesday afternoon.

Katie wrote:My first reaction to this was that Midwesterners must not be as intimidated about finding and cooking turkeys and sweet potatoes and cranberries and pumpkin pies as East and West Coasters are. What do you think it means?

To me, it is all a matter of prepreparation and planning. My mother would prepare most of the food the day before Christmas and would have everything ready to go into the oven on Christmas Day. All the meals (with one notable exception) were on time and surprisingly unhurried.

When I ran a hospital kitchen, we used to give free meals to the employees on the holidays. For 3rd shift, the cooks would have everything laid out ready to cook off. The pharmacist and I would then prepare and put out the meal.

if you are preparing a meal, the key trick is to lay out a menu a week in advance and to have everything ready to work with. I have seen people need 2-3 "emergency" trips to the market.

Hi,

I try to do my holiday shopping at odd hours. I was at Jewel from 11 PM to midnight closing Sunday with practically the store to myself. No lines. Everyone is stocking shelves available to answer questions.

I have gone Christmas shopping on evenings there is a traffic jam snow storm. Nobody in the stores except those who work there, which gives me a quick in-and-out.

Regards,