The third Wednesday in November is when people all over the country turn to each other and say, “This kitchen is too small!” The fridge is crammed, the counters are overflowing, and still, there’s more food to store. Zimmern suggested, “Stop grocery shopping for everyday refrigerated basics about a week before Thanksgiving, to make more room in your fridge and make space for the turkey.”
If it’s already too late for that, Wes Martin, director of culinary production at Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street, offered a smart way to create more cold storage: “A heavy thermal cooler is an under-appreciated tool,” he said. “Fill it one-third with ice to store salads, dips, cheeses, bottles of wine and fruits overnight,” he said. “That will take the burden off of the refrigerator and give you plenty of space to see what you have.”
A “cooler” can become a “warmer,” too, he said. “After many years of catering, I’ve learned how to use a heavy cooler as a hot box, too. You can transfer a freshly roasted turkey to a clean, empty cooler, close it up tight, and it will still be steaming hot when you’re ready to carve two hours later, after the rest of the meal is ready.”
Running out of cooking surfaces is a common Thanksgiving woe. Chef Adrianne Calvo had this great idea: “Use your slow cooker or Instant Pot,” she said. “They can be lifesavers for large gatherings, because they allow you to prepare large amounts of food with minimal effort, and they’ll keep food warm throughout the meal.”
