Whether you are a newly-wed woman or a mature house-wife, organizing and managing the whole Thanksgiving feast is always stressful & require special planning. Hopefully, below given tips might help you to manage the day smoothly, keep your wallet intact and your home much cleaner in no time.
There's no need to advice about how and what to buy as different foods & groceries for this Thanksgiving, but there are 3 important things which require heavy planning. These are :
A. Planing for saving energy cost
1) Install dimmer regulator for the dining room. It might cost you nearly $10 but once you use this , you can increase your bulb's lifespan twice as normal. It is suggested that you should use LED bulbs instead of CFL's , it will also saves electricity cost 25% less than normal along with brighter lights.
2) Reduce the temperature of your thermostat while preparing for cooking. The heat from the oven will keep the room warm. For smooth-flowing heat in every corner of the room, you can turn on the fan.
3) While roasting the turkey, also prepare the side-dishes which requires the same level of heat. If you cook dishes which needed same temperature, you are actually reducing the time of using the oven...it is time saving & energy saving too. Do not open the lid frequently because it will release the heat & can add extra minutes to your cooking.
4) Try to use microwave ovens instead of conventional ovens. Microwave ovens uses low energy along with shorter time to complete the dish than conventional ovens. If you are compelled to cook in a conventional oven, try to use glass pans or ceramic crockeries. These materials can retain sufficient heat even after turning off the oven. So, it will consume less energy than required. Don't forget to use convection feature of the oven, it will save up to 20% of the energy.
5) While cleaning the plates, use the dishwasher instead of hand-rinsing with hot water. Dishwasher uses less water & electricity if you try it wisely. Do not switch it on before loading it fully & dry the cleaned dishes normally instead of heat drier.
B. Planing for a quick clean up after Party
1) Instead of using light cookware & separate serving plates /bowls, you can use solid triple-useable cookware. You can use this kind of cookware while cooking, as serving dish & also for storing in freezer. To Give a unique look to your food, you can use edible things as container like scooped out papaya or winter squash or any other as per your choice, you can eat up entirely or can dispose it as compost. In both ways you can cut down your cleaning time.
2) Use disposable or recyclable plates & dishes for serving the food. Disposable party containers & dishes will cost you nearly $15 /15sets. But it will lose your headache regarding after meal cleaning.
3) Empty your refrigerator 2/3 days before thanksgiving. Gather only required food materials there & keep a separate self for thanksgiving food leftovers. Before starting cleaning, store the remaining foods in big containers instead of small bowls and put them into freezer. This will help you to clear out the mess asap & comparatively less dishes will be engaged.
4) To keep the pans & other dishes safe from food stains, use heavy-duty aluminum foil. It will save the heat & cook the food quickly as well as save the food from getting sticky with the pan.
5) Before starting the cleaning process, line up garbage & trash cans as per your requirement. Prepare a trashcan with soap-water & soak the dishes immediately after use. It will be helpful for cleaning your sink & also easier to remove stains from plates. Ready all the dishes for washing in dishwasher at once. It will save time & electricity cost as well.
C. Planing for avoiding sudden disasters
1) One of the most shocking situation is if your oven doesn't heat. The oven is the most required appliance in any party or occasion. If it will stop working midway while cooking or doesn't work at all, the whole meal of the party , i.e from roasted turkey, duck, ham & other food will get ruined completely.
So, before the party, call a experienced technician to check the oven & repair it if required. Do it 1 or 2 days before the party as it will be hard to find the right person in holidays. Most importantly, do not self-clean the oven, you might damage the pipes or thermostat by mistake. As a last minute resort , arrange another oven if available but before the party of course.
2) In this cold season, your guests would like to feel the warmth of the Thanksgiving & of course your hosting. But if your rooms doesn't heat up enough to make them comfortable, all the fun will be at stake. So, before the party, make an appointment with the expert & repair/replace your furnace filter & HVAC system. Make sure your freezer lines are intact & not damaged, if it is then replace it with new ones.
3) If your freezer doesn't functioning properly, all food stuff can get contaminated & go sour. It was very sad to through away the yummy leftovers if you can't save these for few days more. In that case use a thermometer & make sure each self of the freezer must stays below 40 degree. Also check the condenser is working properly or not, there shouldn't be any dust over the coils.
4) After party you might find out your sink clogged with food & junk. Oily foods & leftovers can easily get solid & chock the drainage. If you have a garbage disposal, on it before using it but do not dump any fibrous, starchy or stringy or it will get easily clogged out. Try to use hand-pipe cleaner tools & do not use harsh acid based cleaning solution or it will damage your sink pipes.
5) To avoid clogging toilet, do not flush out anything other than sewage from pipes. Make sure to ask your guests to do the same.
Hopefully above given tips might work for you. I have used it several times & it works pretty well. Make sure whatever you plan , do not forget to enjoy this holiday along with your friends & family.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you :)