© 2026 WEKU
NPR for Central and Eastern Kentucky
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
The Fall Pledge Drive has concluded! Thanks for your support. You can still donate and get the brand-new WEKU Travel Mug. Click here to support fact-based journalism and balanced reporting. Thanks!

Getting a Time-Saving Jump on Thanksgiving Dinner

The recipe for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner includes a pinch of frenzy, a dash of angst, and a sprinkle of panic. It's a race against the clock to get everything baked, broiled, simmered and sautéed before friends and family arrive.

Christopher Kimball, host of the public-television show, America's Test Kitchen, offers Renee Montagne and Steve Inskeep a guiding hand in making sure the big dinner turns out just right and on time — with a little planning. The key, says Kimball, who's also the founder of Cook's Illustrated magazine, is to prepare some of the dishes in advance.

His time-saving advice includes cutting mashed sweet potatoes into cubes a day ahead of time, and serving no-bake pumpkin pie. He also suggests butterfyling the turkey — splitting it in half lengthwise — to cut the cooking time in half.

Read some Thanksgiving recipes from the editors at America's Test Kitchen below.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

WEKU depends on support from those who view and listen to our content. There's no paywall here. Please support WEKU with your donation.
Related Content