The Answers to All Your Thanksgiving Questions

Get my books (including The Food Lab and my new book, The Wok) here: https://www.kenjilopezalt.com If you like my stuff, follow me over on Patreon, where you will find every new recipe video published ad-free along with fully written step-by-step instructions: https://www.patreon.com/kenjilopezalt More links in the pinned comment. I tried to answer as many questions as I could! 0:00 Introduction 0:10 TURKEY 0:15 Tips for optimal cooking and browning. 1:18 Should I cook my turkey upside down? 2:10 Why you should use a sheet tray, not a roasting pan. 2:25 How a pizza stone will improve your turkey 2:59 How do I convince my family to let me spatchcock the turkey? 3:40 How dangerous is it to try a turkey? 5:05 How can I save overcooked turkey? 5:15 Dry-brining vs. wet brining 7:18 How salty should my brine be? 7:48 Can you use baking powder to make turkey skin extra crispy? 8:03 2007-era Kenji and a Dutch angle 8:55 How do you make turkey less boring? 10:04 How long should I let my turkey rest before carving? 10:55 How to cook a turkey for two. 11:50 How to make a “turchetta” (porchetta-style skin-wrapped boneless turkey breast 13:05 STUFFING 13:10 How to make extra-moist stuffing 14:18 What do you think about Stove-Top? 15:00 Is there a difference between stale bread and dry bread? 16:33 What should I put in my stuffing? 17:35 POTATOES 17:40 Can I make mashed potatoes ahead of time? 18:45 What's the best potato for mashed potatoes? 19:40 SIDES 19:45 Vegetables for folks who hate vegetables? 20:42 Can I used canned cream of mushroom soup in recipes? 21:59 What's a good Pacific Northwest flavor I can bring to Thanksgiving? 23:05 Whole cranberries in your sauce, or smooth? 23:42 What's a good cranberry sauce alternative? 24:33 What's the best bread for Thanksgiving? 25:08 My favorite Thanksgiving side? 25:48 How can I "elevate" my cranberry sauce? 26:45 How can I make a good fast gravy? 27:50 How do I prevent my gravy from getting lumpy? 29:24 What are some non-traditional dishes you recommend? 30:11 How fix broken gravy? 30:30 America's Test Kitchen suggests Better than Bouillon over boxed broth. Do you? 31:27 A PLANT-BASED Thanksgiving 31:35 What's a great vegan main course? 31:39 How to make great vegan gravy 33:44 PIE 33:49 How do I make a great pie crust? 35:55 How to give your apples great texture for pie 37:15 How to pick the right apple for pie 37:50 Canned vs. fresh pumpkin? 38:45 What's the deal with canned pumpkin? 39:40 LEFTOVERS 39:49 My favorite things to do with Thanksgiving leftovers 41:27 PLANNING 41:40 What can be made ahead? 43:50 How would you simplify Thanksgiving? 45:24 What are some bright dishes to go with Thanksgiving? 46:23 Go easy on yourself 47:05 THANKSGIVING FOR NON-AMERICANS 47:13 What are Thanksgiving essentials? 48:14 How does Thanksgiving compare to Christmas? 49:02 If you could redesign Thanksgiving, what would you change? 50:10 What is more common, turkey or ham? 50:41 RANDOM QUESTIONS 50:50 Traditions other than food? 51:47 Can I eat expired food? 53:12 Are brownies cookies? 54:20 My rule of thumb for determining if food [x] belongs in group [b] 54:48 I like Jacques Pépin's pie recipe. Should I try something new? 55:53 What's my go-to Thanksviging pot-luck gift? 56:51 Why does food taste better when you aren't the one cooking it? 58:31 That time Kevin Bacon wrote my name on his hand. 58:36 Kevin sees me. I know.