Are You Prepared to Host a Great Thanksgiving Dinner?

By: Torrance Grey
Estimated Completion Time
5 min
Are You Prepared to Host a Great Thanksgiving Dinner?
Image: Shutterstock

About This Quiz

Oh, let's face it: None of us are ready! But the big day is bearing down on us fast, so we've prepared a quiz that will help you refine your Thanskgiving dinner know-how!
What is the minimum time in advance you should purchase the ingredients for your meal?
one week
five days
three days
Even fresh foods like fruits and vegetables will keep for three days. A shorter timeframe, and you run the risk of the stores running out of important staple foods.
one day

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Which of the following can be made a day ahead?
butternut-squash soup
Soups and stews are often better when the flavors have had time to mingle. This is in marked comparison to salads and vegetable dishes, which are best cooked from scratch the same day.
gravy
Caesar salad
stuffing

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A good cheese tray has a mix of textures: a soft cheese, a hard one, and one of medium texture. Which of the following is a medium-textured cheese?
Camembert
Cheddar
Camembert is soft, like brie. Parmesan and Manchego are both hard cheeses.
Parmesan
Manchego

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What herb best complements the taste of turkey?
cardamom
cilantro
parsley
sage
Turkey and sage go together like chicken & waffles. Actually, sage complements chicken really well, too. But not waffles. (There are limits).

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Why shouldn't you defrost a turkey in warm water?
the meat will be softened and mealy
the skin gets too hard
it's a food-safety risk
If pathogens are present in the meat -- they aren't always, but it's possible -- they will breed in warmer, quicker defrosting methods. Either thaw your turkey in the refrigerator or submerged in cool water.
it's a waste of water

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Which two ingredients are often cooked simultaneously, in the same oven?
turkey and pie
turkey and stuffing
The stuffing, of course, usually goes inside the turkey. It heats throughs, softens, and blends flavors as the turkey cooks. However, that leads us to ...
stuffing and gravy
none of these

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Which of these is a reason NOT to cook turkey and stuffing together?
bits of stuffing get in the pan juices
the stuffing can come out too soggy
a stuffed turkey takes much longer to cook
all of these
We've all stood around at at a Thanksgiving dinner where the turkey took much longer than expected to be done. Cooking the stuffing separately avoids that -- and as food writer Mark Bittman points out, can also avoid food-safety issues that arise with an undercooked turkey.

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To what internal temperature does turkey need to cook to be safely eaten?
about 140 degrees
about 165 degrees
To measure this, insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of a thigh, or well into the breast. Going all the way to bone can give you a false reading. When in doubt, ask a knowledgeable cook for help.
about 212 degrees
about 285 degrees

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The turkey's done, and you've just taken it from the oven. Where do you start carving?
along the breastbone
at the leg joints
at the wing joints
You don't! The turkey needs to rest first.
If you try to carve a turkey when it's right out of the oven, the juices will run right out, and the meat will become dry. A 10- to 14-pound turkey should rest at least a half-hour.

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Okay, the turkey has rested. Now where do you start carving?
the leg joints
the wing joints
along the breastbone
there's no one way to do this
Bear in mind, though that leaving the wings on can provide stability -- like little training wheels -- for a bird that can otherwise slip around on the cutting board. (Thanks to the Culinary Institute of America for this tip. FYI, they do a good series of videos on YouTube).

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Turkey gravy commonly includes finely-chopped giblets. What exactly are these?
pieces of turkey neck
turkey innards
Nobody said a traditional Thanksgiving was going to be easy! Anyway, you probably have these on hand if you bought your turkey whole.
toasted sage seeds
dried cacao nibs

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As you're making gravy, you'll need to scrape up browned bits of the drippings from the bottom of the roasting pan. What is this called?
braising
deglazing
It's somewhat similar to the scientific term "emulsifying." That simply means, "to suspend a solid in a liquid." Cooking and science go hand in hand.
lifting
emulsifying

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How long should it take to make gravy from scratch? (Not counting the time the turkey roasts).
five to seven minutes
15 to 20 minutes
Making gravy from scratch is an acquired skill. If you're a first-time Thanksgiving dinner host, you might want to make gravy from a dry mix instead -- and many of them are really tasty.
a half-hour
no more than three minutes

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A time-saving way to cook poultry is to split the breast and flatten it on a grill or under a broiler. This is called ______.
emeriling
denuding
spatchcocking
This is a good option if you don't want to bake the stuffing inside the bird, nor the giblets. A variation on this is a Tuscan style of grilling which flattens small hens under -- we're not making this up -- a brick.
Tandoori grilling

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An alternative to traditional turkey gravy is mole poblano sauce, a Latin American specialty. Which of these is not traditionally an ingredient in mole sauce?
chiles
chocolate
cinnamon
raisins
they're ALL commonly included
A good mole poblano sauce is a multi-ingredient affair. Fortunately, mole sauce in jars can be found at most supermarkets now.

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If you're going for a comfort-food Thanksgiving, making chicken and dumplings would be a good choice. In what are dumplings usually cooked?
boiling water on the stove
Dumplings don't have to be cooked in water. Asian-style dumplings, like shu mai or gyoza, are pan-fried or steamed in a bamboo steamer basket.
a terracotta roaster in the oven
a pan under the broiler
in chicken broth in a wok

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Which harvest vegetable tastes great when glazed with maple syrup?
carrots
With Thanksgiving having its roots in the foods and traditions of New England, it's no surprise this pairing was made. To be fair, maple syrup can complement other winter vegetables, so feel free to experiment! Just maybe not on Thankgiving Day itself.
Jerusalem artichokes
turnips
corn

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According to traditional etiquette, is it ever appropriate to eat asparagus with your hands?
Of course not!
Incredibly, yes
This actually used to be a fairly common practice. To be safe, always look to your host and hostess for a cue. This means if you're the host, you get to decide.

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Homemade cranberry sauce includes cranberries, sugar, water and what?
cloves
orange peel
gelatin
salt
none of these
Seriously, it's nearly as easy as making Jello -- and every package of whole cranberries in the store has the instructions on the back! However, you can always improvise -- thinly-sliced pear and crystallized ginger, for example, make great additions.

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If you want your dinner to be classically North American, which of these grains would be best?
'forbidden' black rice
red rice
wild rice
WIld rice is only a distant cousin of Asian rice. It grows in shallow water in cold climates, and was important to Native American tribes like the Ojibwe.
quinoa

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True or false: A white wine, like Chardonnay, is a perfect choice for a Thanksgiving turkey dinner.
true
false
According to many sommeliers, a dry, oaky Chardonnay won't stand up to the rich flavors of a Thanksgiving dinner. Whether red or white, they recommend something fruity.

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Okay then, what type of wine should you serve with Thanksgiving dinner?
a syrah with cherry and cinnamon flavors
a sweeter zinfandel
a German Riesling
whatever your family and friends will enjoy
A wine should first and foremost be "drinkable," so Thanksgiving isn't the time for real connoisseurs to uncork an acquired-taste wine. Also, watch the alcohol content: people tend to overindulge at holidays, and you don't want your guests to get plastered.

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Which of these apples is NOT considered a good choice for an apple pie?
Honeycrisp
Granny Smith
Empire
Petite red Empires are great to eat fresh, especially straight from the stand. But the other varieties offer a better mix of sweetness and tartness and don't get mushy when baked.
Jonagold

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Other than cinnamon, which spice can be added to hot apple cider?
allspice berries
cardamom pods
whole cloves
any of these
Cider is a great drink to experiment with. Cinnamon and nutmeg are its traditional spices, but clove and cardamom wil give you a Middle Eastern flavor.

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Many pie-crust recipes call for a pastry blender. If you don't have one, you can use which more common kitchen item?
a slotted spoon
a ricer
a potato masher
two butter knives
You'll use your two knives to cut in a crossways motion through large chunks of shortening and flour. After enough blending, the dough should be in crumbles about the size of peas.

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If you're disturbed by the color and texture of shortening, you can use what instead?
butter
Butter might seem like a more palatable choice while you're actually cooking. But be warned: That melt-in-your-mouth pie crust you had at an old-fashioned diner? Almost certainly made with shortening or lard.
heart-healthy butter spread
well-chilled half-and-half
corn starch

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Guests-with-dietary-restrictions round, Part 1: Which of these traditional dishes would have to be avoided by someone on a gluten-free diet?
the turkey itself
artichoke dip
mashed potatoes
stuffing
It can be very hard to do any version of stuffing that doesn't include bread. The other dishes are usually gluten-free -- but watch out for additives containing wheat gluten. For example, gravy or dip from a dry mix might easily contain some.

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Guests-with-dietary-restrictions round, Part 2: One of your guests has advised you he's vegan. What does this mean?
essentially, it's the same as vegetarian
he avoids not only meat, but animal products like milk and eggs
According to Merriam-Webster, the word "vegan" has older roots than many might think, first turning up in print in 1944. Vegans often refuse to buy any animal products whatsoever, like suede or leather clothing. The main point is to keep animals from being harmed for any commercial reason.
he eats only fruits and vegetables in their raw state
he eats fruits and vegetables and wild-caught fish

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Guests-with-dietary-restrictions round, Part 3: If you're making your own vegetarian broth -- to moisten stuffing, for example -- what should NOT go in it?
bay leaf
onion
celery
tomato
Tomatoes are acidic, which can adversely effect the flavor of a broth. An excellent faux-chicken broth is simply celery, onion and sage, as these flavors are commonly paired with chicken anyway. Add salt to taste.

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Guests-with-dietary-restrictions round, Part 4: What takes the place of eggs to hold together a vegan pumpkin-pie filling?
creamed cashew
almond milk
silken tofu
A classy alternative to pumpkin pie is a pumpkin-flavored cheesecake. This too can be made vegan, if you use vegan cream "cheese."
mashed avocado

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Guests-with-dietary-restrictions round, Part 5: Which of these grains is NOT safe to serve a gluten-free guest?
amaranth
couscous
If you said that couscous isn't even a grain, you're right! It's a very tiny round pasta, made from wheat. In Middle Eastern cooking, people with celiac disease often substitute quinoa, which is a grain native to Bolivia but similar to couscous in size and texture.
quinoa
teff

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For Thanksgiving rebels, Part 1: You're making a pork roast, not turkey. Which of these vegetables is NOT a good choice to cook in the pan alongside the meat?
broccoli
Broccoli won't hold up well to long roasting, nor complement the pork. The other three are great, combined, especially with an apple-cider glaze.
sweet potato wedges
onion quarters
quartered apples

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For Thanksgiving rebels, Part 2: People who live in warm-weather areas might want to cook their turkey on the grill. What device allows them to start a fire without using lighter fluid?
butane igniter
chimney starter
These look like a large metal can with a handle. You put crumpled newspaper in the bottom and briquets on top, then light the newspaper. The coals slowly catch, by being exposed steadily to flames from below. This technique can take time to master, so don't try it for the first time when guests are coming over.
LED starter
flamethrower

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For Thanksgiving rebels, Part 3: Speaking of grills, what's the name for the technique that allows you to use your grill like an oven?
direct grilling
indirect grilling
This involves keeping the hot coals all around the perimeter, and clearing a space for a foil-lined drip pan in the middle. The meat goes over the pan, and then you'll put on the lid (with the ventilation holes open). This is a preferred method for large cuts of meat like roasts or whole birds. Bear in mind, you'll need a large grill to do this with a turkey -- a little hibachi won't cut it.
grilling a la Espagnol
this can't be done

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For Thanksgiving rebels, Part 4: Which of the following was a big Thanksgiving trend among millennials in the 2000s?
deep-frying whole turkeys
This involved gallons of oil, very high temperatures, and sometimes even an A-frame ladder to use as a kind of derrick. Were there a few 911 calls as a result? Do you even have to ask?
Middle-Eastern turkey kebabs
vegan Thanksgiving dinners
"progressive" dinners

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Which of the following books provided information for this quiz?
"How to Cook Everything: The Basics" by Mark Bittman
"Vegan Holiday Cooking" by Nava Atlas
Williams-Sonoma "Grilling"
all of these
All of these books were helpful, and recommended, as well as Sunset Magazine and the previously-mentioned Culinary Institute of America. We hope this quiz helped you a little with your holiday plans. Happy Thanksgiving!

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You Got:
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