The turkey’s in the oven… or is it? Organizing a big meal in a small kitchen
Big holiday meals are stressful enough at any time and in any place (and for almost anyone), but trying to cook and host them in a small apartment makes them even more difficult. When there’s no oven space for the turkey, no counter space for the stuffing, no refrigerator space for the leftovers, and (perhaps worst of all) no dining room for the family and friends, pulling off a successful holiday dinner can be tough. It can be done, however—I accomplished it myself last Thanksgiving and lived to tell the tale. I’m here to share a few general tips and life-savers learned from my own holiday cooking experience.
Plan ahead
Planning is crucial. Distributing food preparation duties is always a good stress-relieving idea, but it becomes a necessity when you just don’t have the space to prepare, make, and store everything in your own home. Having each guest bring just one dish takes a huge load off the host’s shoulders, and the more guests the greater the relief (until the guest list reaches the point of apartment-crowding, which isn’t hard to do!).
Rethink the turkey
Though the turkey is the quintessential ingredient of the Thanksgiving meal, it’s also one of the most demanding—if not in skill, in terms of space and time. A turkey is liable to hog your entire oven for five to six hours—not a convenience any way you slice it. It may seem like sacrilege, but ordering a catered turkey might be a real sanity-saver. It will certainly free up the oven to be used for baking pies, rolls, stuffing, and casseroles (green bean and/or sweet potato, both with the requisite toppings). Timing everything to get done within the same hour (or keeping things warm if they’re done early) is hard enough without working around a six-hour stint of no oven access.
Try something new
If the turkey’s out of the way, you can focus on other items, and perhaps even try to make a new dish for this Thanksgiving—of course you’ll need all the traditional ones as well, but if many of those are taken care of, you can tackle something that might have a little extra pizzazz. Whether it’s a chocolate mousse pie, a walnut risotto, or a savory squash, your new addition to the Thanksgiving table will (hopefully!) be a smash hit.
Prepare the battlefield… er, kitchen
Beyond clarifying what needs to be made and who’s making it, you can plan for your Thanksgiving dinner by organizing your kitchen. If your kitchen is really tiny—and particularly if it lacks counter space—you’ll want to use a table in another room for much of the preparation. You’ll also want to clear up your counter space and kitchen in general as much as you can. If you don’t already have one, a cart can be a great space-saving addition to your cooking experience. You can store lots of necessary items in and on it, and wheel it in and out of the pantry, a narrow space, or even a closet or another room when you need it. To maximize storage space, there are many in-cabinet organizers available . Don’t ever forget to think vertical, either. Hanging pots, pans, and even baskets (great for storing additional items) from the ceiling or walls is a great idea, and pole storage systems provide storage without taking up lots of counter space or horizontal area.
Having your kitchen organized before the big day will help immensely. If you can, consider bringing out utensils that you’re going to need and setting aside ones that you won’t—although, honestly, you might just need ‘em all! Pushing some of your “regular” food to the back of the pantry or refrigerator, or sticking a box of unneeded items in an out of the way place (perhaps your bedroom, the only sanctuary that will be free of food preparation) can free up space. As far as appliances go, there may not be many you don’t use, as the blender is a great way to make sauces and side dishes, the crock pot or slow cooker is an excellent alternative for making stuffing or many other dishes (thus freeing up stovetop and oven space), a toaster or toaster oven is great for warming bread or rolls, and you can probably find uses for other appliances as well. Still, if you’re not going to use your huge, ancient electric mixer or your food dehydrator (if you have one!), they don’t have to stay in the kitchen and take up space. You’ll also want to make a list of the bowls, pots or pans in which you plan to actually prepare and cook all of your dishes. It won’t do much good to have the ingredients and counter space only to discover that you’re going to have to mix up your biscuit dough in three separate soup bowls or bake your stuffing in a serving dish because you didn’t contemplate these needs beforehand. Particularly if you’re not a big cook, consider investing in some mixing bowls, baking dishes, and a basic set of pots and pans.
Make a recipe checklist
If Auntie Jane is bringing stuffing, Uncle Paul is bringing breadsticks, your parents take care of the cranberry sauce and green bean casserole, Grandma makes the pies (after all, you couldn’t claim to make pies like grandma), and the turkey’s being catered, you should have a manageable thanksgiving cooking-wise.
Websites like Epicurious, Small Kitchen Gourmet, All Recipes, and even good old Google will help you find more recipes for sweet potato casserole than you ever dreamed existed. Once you find your recipes, make sure to list all the ingredients you’ll need to make them. You don’t want to start making the sweet potato casserole and realize at the last minute that you’re out of that crucial ingredient, miniature marshmallows. Having lists of what you’re making, what goes into it, and what you’re going to cook or bake it in will help you be prepared and will give you more direction on the big day itself.
You’ve got the food… now where are the plates?
But just because the food is ready doesn’t mean your apartment is. Sure, your four plates, three bowls, and meager silverware set might be sufficient for yourself and the occasional small dinner party, but how are twelve or more people going to eat on that number of dishes? You’ll need to contemplate your plateware situation beforehand and find a solution. Can you borrow from your neighbors if they’re going out for Thanksgiving? Can you scour the local Goodwill for plates that don’t clash too badly with your existing sets (don’t think Grandma won’t notice mismatched dishes, even if she doesn’t say anything)? Be sure there’s a set of real dishes and silverware for everyone, and if anyone has to make do without, be sure it’s yourself or possibly the kids (plastic is golden in some cases).
Serve creatively
Don’t forget about serving dishes, either. You might not mind serving your spaghetti to yourself directly out of the pot, but Grandma or at least fussy Great-Aunt Esther will likely raise an eyebrow at the practice. Again, borrowing dishes from neighbors or friends going elsewhere for the holidays is not a bad idea, and perhaps asking your parents to have pity and bring one or two of their quality serving dishes would also be of assistance. Get creative, though—just because it isn’t labeled a serving dish doesn’t mean it can’t be one. Your colander could serve as a dish for rolls or a tossed salad (anything that won’t fall through the holes!), you can detach the bowl from your electric mixer and use it to your heart’s content, your slow cooker’s inner shell is probably pretty enough for presentation, and your more attractive pots might be able to squeak by as serving dishes.
Seat creatively
Even if you’ve got everything on the table, there’s always one final dilemma—where will everyone sit? Just like you probably don’t have enough plates to go around, you likely will be short on chairs as well. Again, borrowing from your buddies might work out, or you could resort to the dreaded folding chairs (preferably as few as possible, and preferably for the kids’ table only—which itself might have to be a folding card table or something of the sort). If you don’t have a kitchen or dining room table, you might end up arranging your guests around the coffee table in your living room—not ideal, but effective, and also helpful in that it allows your couches to instantly provide additional seating. I went this route when I had Thanksgiving in my small apartment—mostly because there was no other option—and everything worked out well. Remember that youngsters can always sit on the floor—they’re more flexible, and they’re starting out closer to the ground anyway. If you do sit kids on the floor, though, you may want to put down a tablecloth to prevent your carpet from being contaminated with a slew of spills.
Coping with the aftermath
Cleanup and leftovers are perpetual issues that are hard to address in any kitchen, but even more so in a small one. If you don’t have a dishwasher, you’ll have several on Thanksgiving Day—no relative (no female relative, at least—sadly, stereotypes sometimes perpetuate themselves when football’s on TV) will ever refuse to wash at least ten of your dishes on Thanksgiving, no matter how much you insist that you’ll take care of it. Being prepared for the occasion with some new sponges and scrubbers, a full bottle of dish soap, and some clean drying towels will be helpful. Likewise, buying some of those Glad containers for leftovers and pressing a container of something on each guest will go a long way toward freeing your fridge of clutter.
The above tips are by no means exhaustive, and there are always interesting situations that surface on Thanksgiving. Plan ahead, do your best, and most importantly keep a good attitude. No matter how you feel about it, your worth as a person does not depend on cooking the perfect turkey or baking pies to rival Grandma’s. If your kitchen ends up a spattered mess, full of failed dishes and broken plates, it’s okay to give up and make something easy or order in. Save your sanity so you can at least interact with your family members—that’s what the holiday should really be all about.
Helpful links:
Small kitchen appliances
General tips for small kitchen efficiency
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Cooking "The Big Meal" in Your Small Kitchen
The turkey’s in the oven… or is it? Organizing a big meal in a small kitchen
Big holiday meals are stressful enough at any time and in any place (and for almost anyone), but trying to cook and host them in a small apartment makes them even more difficult. When there’s no oven space for the turkey, no counter space for the stuffing, no refrigerator space for the leftovers, and (perhaps worst of all) no dining room for the family and friends, pulling off a successful holiday dinner can be tough. It can be done, however—I accomplished it myself last Thanksgiving and lived to tell the tale. I’m here to share a few general tips and life-savers learned from my own holiday cooking experience.
Plan ahead
Planning is crucial. Distributing food preparation duties is always a good stress-relieving idea, but it becomes a necessity when you just don’t have the space to prepare, make, and store everything in your own home. Having each guest bring just one dish takes a huge load off the host’s shoulders, and the more guests the greater the relief (until the guest list reaches the point of apartment-crowding, which isn’t hard to do!).
Rethink the turkey
Though the turkey is the quintessential ingredient of the Thanksgiving meal, it’s also one of the most demanding—if not in skill, in terms of space and time. A turkey is liable to hog your entire oven for five to six hours—not a convenience any way you slice it. It may seem like sacrilege, but ordering a catered turkey might be a real sanity-saver. It will certainly free up the oven to be used for baking pies, rolls, stuffing, and casseroles (green bean and/or sweet potato, both with the requisite toppings). Timing everything to get done within the same hour (or keeping things warm if they’re done early) is hard enough without working around a six-hour stint of no oven access.
Try something new
If the turkey’s out of the way, you can focus on other items, and perhaps even try to make a new dish for this Thanksgiving—of course you’ll need all the traditional ones as well, but if many of those are taken care of, you can tackle something that might have a little extra pizzazz. Whether it’s a chocolate mousse pie, a walnut risotto, or a savory squash, your new addition to the Thanksgiving table will (hopefully!) be a smash hit.
Prepare the battlefield… er, kitchen
Beyond clarifying what needs to be made and who’s making it, you can plan for your Thanksgiving dinner by organizing your kitchen. If your kitchen is really tiny—and particularly if it lacks counter space—you’ll want to use a table in another room for much of the preparation. You’ll also want to clear up your counter space and kitchen in general as much as you can. If you don’t already have one, a cart can be a great space-saving addition to your cooking experience. You can store lots of necessary items in and on it, and wheel it in and out of the pantry, a narrow space, or even a closet or another room when you need it. To maximize storage space, there are many in-cabinet organizers available . Don’t ever forget to think vertical, either. Hanging pots, pans, and even baskets (great for storing additional items) from the ceiling or walls is a great idea, and pole storage systems provide storage without taking up lots of counter space or horizontal area.
Having your kitchen organized before the big day will help immensely. If you can, consider bringing out utensils that you’re going to need and setting aside ones that you won’t—although, honestly, you might just need ‘em all! Pushing some of your “regular” food to the back of the pantry or refrigerator, or sticking a box of unneeded items in an out of the way place (perhaps your bedroom, the only sanctuary that will be free of food preparation) can free up space. As far as appliances go, there may not be many you don’t use, as the blender is a great way to make sauces and side dishes, the crock pot or slow cooker is an excellent alternative for making stuffing or many other dishes (thus freeing up stovetop and oven space), a toaster or toaster oven is great for warming bread or rolls, and you can probably find uses for other appliances as well. Still, if you’re not going to use your huge, ancient electric mixer or your food dehydrator (if you have one!), they don’t have to stay in the kitchen and take up space. You’ll also want to make a list of the bowls, pots or pans in which you plan to actually prepare and cook all of your dishes. It won’t do much good to have the ingredients and counter space only to discover that you’re going to have to mix up your biscuit dough in three separate soup bowls or bake your stuffing in a serving dish because you didn’t contemplate these needs beforehand. Particularly if you’re not a big cook, consider investing in some mixing bowls, baking dishes, and a basic set of pots and pans.
Make a recipe checklist
If Auntie Jane is bringing stuffing, Uncle Paul is bringing breadsticks, your parents take care of the cranberry sauce and green bean casserole, Grandma makes the pies (after all, you couldn’t claim to make pies like grandma), and the turkey’s being catered, you should have a manageable thanksgiving cooking-wise.
Websites like Epicurious, Small Kitchen Gourmet, All Recipes, and even good old Google will help you find more recipes for sweet potato casserole than you ever dreamed existed. Once you find your recipes, make sure to list all the ingredients you’ll need to make them. You don’t want to start making the sweet potato casserole and realize at the last minute that you’re out of that crucial ingredient, miniature marshmallows. Having lists of what you’re making, what goes into it, and what you’re going to cook or bake it in will help you be prepared and will give you more direction on the big day itself.
You’ve got the food… now where are the plates?
But just because the food is ready doesn’t mean your apartment is. Sure, your four plates, three bowls, and meager silverware set might be sufficient for yourself and the occasional small dinner party, but how are twelve or more people going to eat on that number of dishes? You’ll need to contemplate your plateware situation beforehand and find a solution. Can you borrow from your neighbors if they’re going out for Thanksgiving? Can you scour the local Goodwill for plates that don’t clash too badly with your existing sets (don’t think Grandma won’t notice mismatched dishes, even if she doesn’t say anything)? Be sure there’s a set of real dishes and silverware for everyone, and if anyone has to make do without, be sure it’s yourself or possibly the kids (plastic is golden in some cases).
Serve creatively
Don’t forget about serving dishes, either. You might not mind serving your spaghetti to yourself directly out of the pot, but Grandma or at least fussy Great-Aunt Esther will likely raise an eyebrow at the practice. Again, borrowing dishes from neighbors or friends going elsewhere for the holidays is not a bad idea, and perhaps asking your parents to have pity and bring one or two of their quality serving dishes would also be of assistance. Get creative, though—just because it isn’t labeled a serving dish doesn’t mean it can’t be one. Your colander could serve as a dish for rolls or a tossed salad (anything that won’t fall through the holes!), you can detach the bowl from your electric mixer and use it to your heart’s content, your slow cooker’s inner shell is probably pretty enough for presentation, and your more attractive pots might be able to squeak by as serving dishes.
Seat creatively
Even if you’ve got everything on the table, there’s always one final dilemma—where will everyone sit? Just like you probably don’t have enough plates to go around, you likely will be short on chairs as well. Again, borrowing from your buddies might work out, or you could resort to the dreaded folding chairs (preferably as few as possible, and preferably for the kids’ table only—which itself might have to be a folding card table or something of the sort). If you don’t have a kitchen or dining room table, you might end up arranging your guests around the coffee table in your living room—not ideal, but effective, and also helpful in that it allows your couches to instantly provide additional seating. I went this route when I had Thanksgiving in my small apartment—mostly because there was no other option—and everything worked out well. Remember that youngsters can always sit on the floor—they’re more flexible, and they’re starting out closer to the ground anyway. If you do sit kids on the floor, though, you may want to put down a tablecloth to prevent your carpet from being contaminated with a slew of spills.
Coping with the aftermath
Cleanup and leftovers are perpetual issues that are hard to address in any kitchen, but even more so in a small one. If you don’t have a dishwasher, you’ll have several on Thanksgiving Day—no relative (no female relative, at least—sadly, stereotypes sometimes perpetuate themselves when football’s on TV) will ever refuse to wash at least ten of your dishes on Thanksgiving, no matter how much you insist that you’ll take care of it. Being prepared for the occasion with some new sponges and scrubbers, a full bottle of dish soap, and some clean drying towels will be helpful. Likewise, buying some of those Glad containers for leftovers and pressing a container of something on each guest will go a long way toward freeing your fridge of clutter.
The above tips are by no means exhaustive, and there are always interesting situations that surface on Thanksgiving. Plan ahead, do your best, and most importantly keep a good attitude. No matter how you feel about it, your worth as a person does not depend on cooking the perfect turkey or baking pies to rival Grandma’s. If your kitchen ends up a spattered mess, full of failed dishes and broken plates, it’s okay to give up and make something easy or order in. Save your sanity so you can at least interact with your family members—that’s what the holiday should really be all about.
Helpful links:
Small kitchen appliances
General tips for small kitchen efficiency
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