5 Common Thanksgiving Emergencies (& How to Fix Them)

1. I forgot to thaw the turkey!

So you were supposed to thaw your turkey in the refrigerator ahead of time. But you forgot! What to do? You have two options, short of inventing a time machine and going back far enough to give the turkey a full day in the refrigerator for every four to five pounds of weight:

First, if you have five or six hours, you can defrost the turkey in cold water for 30 minutes per pound. Be sure to change the water every 30 minutes. Once thawed, pat the turkey dry, let it air dry for 30 minutes at room temperature, then roast according to your recipe.

Believe it or not, you can also roast a frozen turkey. It will take about fifty percent longer, but it’s doable. Season the frozen bird all over with salt, pepper, and any herbs or spices you like and place, breast-side-down, on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet or shallow baking pan. You want maximum air circulation here. To that end, do not stuff the bird! If you want dressing, bake it on the side.

Roast the turkey at 325℉ for two hours without opening the door. After two hours, take the turkey out. Try and remove the bag of giblets in the neck cavity. If it is still frozen solid, don’t force it. Likewise, if you can remove the neck from the abdominal cavity, do that. Brush the skin with butter or oil and return the turkey to the oven to roast for another 45 minutes to an hour. Remove and take out the giblets. The key is to get that bag out before it heats up and releases harmful chemicals. 

Continue roasting until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 160℉ to 165℉ (the temperature will continue to rise a bit after you take it out of the oven). The thighs should read 175℉. If you want to brown the skin on the breast of the turkey, turn the bird breast-side up for the last hour of cooking. Final cooking times will vary by the size of the bird and how frozen it is at the start, but here is a rough guide:

• An 8- to 12-pound turkey will take 4 to 5 hours
• A 12- to 14-pound turkey will take 4 1/2 to 5 3/4 hours 
• A 14- to 18-pound turkey will take 6 to 6 3/4
• An 18- to 22-pound turkey will take 6 3/4 to 7 3/4 hours

When cooked, remove the turkey from the oven, tent with foil, and let it rest 30 minutes before carving. 

2. I have more dishes to cook than my oven can fit!

A single residential oven can only do so much, especially if the turkey is taking up most of the space for multiple hours. Four strategies can help:

• Make hot sides ahead of time and reheat them as the turkey is resting. That would be your dressing/stuffing, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, etc.
• Use your grill as a second oven. Regulating the temperature of a gas grill is much easier than that of a charcoal grill and you will need to keep an eye on things, but most casseroles can cook quite well as long as they’re not set over a direct flame and you keep the lid closed.
• Emphasize stove-top sides like mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce, butternut squash soup, and glazed carrots, 
• Choose a few dishes you can serve at room temperature. Whether it’s a hearty vegetable salad, a make-ahead savory galette, a grain salad, or roasted Brussels sprouts, lots of dishes taste just as good if they’re not piping hot. 

3. The food won’t be ready for 3 hours and everyone is hungry!

Appetizers can feel like overkill when you’re making so much food, but dinner often takes longer than expected and it’s good to have a couple of recipes in your repertoire that you can make from pantry staples. My favorites: cheddar gougeres, Deviled eggs, garlicky cream cheese dip, and clam dip (made with canned clams). Do you have a can of chickpeas? Drain, rinse, and dry them, toss them with salt, pepper, paprika, and coriander or cumin to taste, and roast them on a rimmed baking sheet at 400℉ for 15 minutes, then drizzle with some olive oil, stir to coat, and roast for another 15 minutes. Crispy, delicious, and easy.

4. The turkey is dry!

Carve the meat and put it on a platter. Mix equal parts gravy and chicken (or turkey) stock. Pour a generous amount over the meat, then cover the platter with foil and put it in a 200℉ oven for 20 minutes. 

5. The mashed potatoes are gluey!

If you overwork your mashed potatoes by beating them aggressively or using an electric beater, the cells will rupture and turn your fluffy mash into a gluey mess. Fortunately, adding butter to the mix will fix the problem.Gently fold in 1 tablespoon of salted butter per pound of potatoes. Taste and add additional butter as needed.

Amy Traverso

Amy Traverso is the senior food editor at Yankee magazine and co-host of the public television series Weekends with Yankee, a coproduction with WGBH. Previously, she was food editor at Boston magazine and an associate food editor at Sunset magazine. Her work has also been published in The Boston Globe, Saveur, and Travel & Leisure, and she has appeared on Hallmark Home & Family, The Martha Stewart Show, Throwdown with Bobby Flay, and Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. Amy is the author of The Apple Lover’s Cookbook, which was a finalist for the Julia Child Award for best first-time author and won an IACP Cookbook Award in the “American” category.

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