The Bottom Line
A first time hostess of Thanksgiving dinner will find this book is like a helpful friend guiding her through holiday preparations. An experienced host will pick up useful tips and interesting recipes to spice up the classic meal.
Pros
- This is a very complete guide to making Thanksgiving dinner.
- There's a good variety of recipes for each course.
- Rodgers includes a lot of helpful strategies for managing this meal.
Cons
- Only a few photos are included, and they're in the center pages of the book.
Description
- A compendium of Thanksgiving Day recipes ranging from cocktails, to stuffing, side dishes, breads and desserts.
- A comprehensive primer on turkey with information on choosing, cooking and carving the bird, as well as storing leftovers.
- General advice on managing a big meal such as this, and entertaining a large group.
- Every recipe comes with an introduction that will help you understand the dish before you cook it.
- A section is devoted to one of the big challenges of the day - making the gravy.
Guide Review - Thanksgiving 101 by Rick Rodgers
Thanksgiving dinner can be the best meal of the year, but also the scariest meal for the host. With so many courses and side dishes to prepare, let alone preparing the big bird which rarely makes an appearance in all its glory, timing and organization are of the utmost importance. This classic book by cooking instructor Rick Rodgers is a reassuring guide that takes you through all of the courses with recipes and suggestions for the classic dishes as well as more contemporary twists. Not only will you find a recipe for Bread Stuffing 101, there are creative alternatives such as "Tamale" Stuffing with Pork, Chiles, and Raisins. You'll find a lot of advice on preparing the star of the day, with several contemporary cooking approaches including brining, smoking and frying your turkey. Four suggested menus are included at the end of the book, and each one comes with a timetable for preparations. Generalized advice on managing the day includes preparing your grocery lists, setting up the "kids" table, setting the main table, and how to accept offers of assistance. This book will be a useful manual for novices and expert hosts alike. You'll discover why Rodgers has earned a reputation as "Mr. Thanksgiving."
