Welcome to The Cheater’s Guide to Thanksgiving. While there are plenty of tips out there for folks making scratch desserts and artisan loaves, the Cheater’s Guide focuses on the person who could use a helping hand—even from some unconventional sources. Some might call it “cheating” (like that’s a bad thing), but there’s nothing wrong with using modern technology and supermarket know-how to help you make a bangin’ traditional feast—with much less of the traditional work.
While the conventional oven might be the most traditional way to prepare a Thanksgiving feast, we have a few transformative modern appliances available now, and it would be silly to leave them on the sidelines. The three that I’ve incorporated into my holiday routine are the slow cooker, air fryer, and microwave. Supporting the leadership of my conventional oven, this team of appliances spreads out the tasks and makes an overwhelming menu almost feel light.
How to use a slow cooker for Thanksgiving dinner
I have two slow cookers: a large one (an eight-quart) and a small one (a two-quart). You certainly don’t need two but I like having the little one around for warming sauces. I use the large slow cooker to handle any large side dish. It has changed from year to year: One time I used it to take care of the stuffing, and another time I did the mashed potatoes in the slow cooker. For me, the point is that large side dishes are often the most annoying to have in a pot on my stovetop burner or the most cumbersome to try and puzzle into the oven. It helps to get that one high maintenance dish out of my hair, and the slow cooker is exactly the appliance to get the job done. You dump the ingredients in, and hours later, finish it off. No need to stir, whisk, boil, or tend to it.
For a dinner party like Thanksgiving, I recommend a large one like either of these to handle popular sides because you’re probably making a large batch.
How to use an air fryer for Thanksgiving dinner
You’ll hear me go on and on about the air fryer. It’s the latest to join my roster of Thanksgiving worthy appliances, and it’s my star player. It’s a countertop convection oven, which is the type of oven many restaurants and bakeries use for fast, even cooking. Not only does it give you restaurant-grade cooking power, but they’re mobile, and every year they get more and more affordable.
Since I have a rather small kitchen, I might not have space to cook one dish while I prepare another. With an air fryer, I can actually move it to a different plug, counter, or different room entirely if I need the kitchen space. I can toss the veggies in the air fryer in the living room, and free up the kitchen counter to cool two pies. Plus, it speeds up the cooking of anything you put in it. You can crisp, roast, and air fry half of your side dishes in the time it takes you to bake a single casserole in the conventional oven. When I’m done, I unplug it and store it away to set up the table for guests.
I like the Instant Vortex for a small kitchen where you see yourself moving the appliance around, and the Ninja DoubleStack for cooking multiple things independently and simultaneously.
How to use a microwave for Thanksgiving dinner
She isn’t new on the everyday scene, but for Thanksgiving, the microwave is often forgotten. It’s literally the fastest cooking machine, and most people already have one. While you shouldn’t be cooking roasts from scratch in the microwave, you can be smart about how you use it for planning ahead. Knowing you can reheat in the microwave allows you to pre-cook sauces or side dishes. I use my microwave for quick solutions when it’s crunch-time—heating broth or milk for a roux-thickened sauce, melting butter for numerous uses, or cooking crispy bacon for my Brussels sprouts.
The best microwave for Thanksgiving is definitely the one you already have. If you don’t have one or you’re looking to upgrade (besides finding one that’s the right size), you can check out the following, or spring for a combi microwave—a mashup of a microwave and an air fryer.
While you don’t need to have all three appliances firing to have a delicious Thanksgiving, I do recommend delegating at least one or two side dishes to any of these modern wonders. Check out more of The Cheater's Guide to Thanksgiving to see what recipes you can make in each one. You’ll be pleased to see how a little help removes a lot of stress.
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