ReadyMade: Instructions for everyday life

Thanksgiving For Idiots: Brined Turkey

by Jill Silverman Hough

Photos by Brian Bloom and James Chiang

Sure, it’s a big bird. And yes, you’ll be measured against everyone’s fondest childhood memories. But Thanksgiving dinner isn’t rocket science. Don’t let the Rockwell-inspired commercials and complicated recipes in the Sunday papers intimidate you.

What makes Thanksgiving scary--that sudden wave of panic around the third week of November--are two common pitfalls: thinking you have to make 87 different dishes, and thinking you have to make everyone’s favorite dish, the one that, to them, it just isn’t Thanksgiving without. Opt for the greatest hits--turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberries, maybe a vegetable--and it’s a walk in the park. Have other people bring pre-meal noshes and dessert (pumpkin and pecan pies are mandatory). Tell Uncle Buck that if he can’t live without creamed corn, he can go cream it himself.

Like all great feasts, Thanksgiving requires a plan of attack: 1) Be organized; 2) Cook basic recipes with the slightest twist; and 3) Get everyone drinking early on.

Not all turkeys are created equal. If you’re brining, get a fresh one, not a Butterball. (Those birds are already salted, and you’ll end up with an outbreak of hypertension at your table.) Figure on a pound per person, a pound and a half if you want leftovers. An unstuffed bird will roast faster. Cook stuffing separately in a casserole dish.