Thanksgiving: How to Cook It Well: A Cookbook

This is your no nonsense cookbook. If you just want to know how to cook the best Thanksgiving meal this is the book for you. Its also a great read which is part of the cookbook experience. It covers the turkey, sides, dessert, table setting and even tips on getting everyone to help with the clean up! I bought a couple as gifts and am going to buy a few more, anyone who celebrates Thanksgiving would be a happy recipient of this book…a must have!

This is a small book and it's more about nostalgia than covering every holiday scenario; this book is about how Sam Sifton makes Thanksgiving. It takes in appetizers and turkey and table settings and instructs you, calmly and with charm, to make one very specific Thanksgiving dinner well. It's a New York inspired meal that would fit into an issue of Southern Living just fine. This isn't how my house does Thanksgiving at all. But it's an excellent book and everybody who loves the holiday should enjoy it.

The author and I agree exactly on Thanksgiving. This is not a holiday for innovation: I have found that people want the same thing they had last year. They want a meal they can count on. They do not want to sit down at Thanksgiving dinner, visions of drumsticks and stuffing dancing in their heads, only to find the host decided it would be "fun" to serve sashimi tacos and chili this year. That's the kind of thing that leads to dark hours spent on a therapist's couch. Nor do guests want to be guilted on the one day a year devoted entirely to eating yourself into a food coma, when the host serves up lettuce leaves with cranberry juice and water, insisting that all that butter is bad for you. Well, hell: we KNOW it's bad for us, but on this day of days, a day of feasting, a day honoring the harvest... eat the butter. There are 364 days for penance. There are plenty of cookbooks out there (not to mention the November issue of food magazines) telling the reader how to spruce up those "tired old standards" with dubious recipes guaranteed to evoke, "Hmmm, that's interesting..." from the diners. Sifton has it right: no appetizers, no salad. Do the basics. Make them delicious. That's all you need. P.S. What is it with reviewers complaining about the lack of photos? This is brilliantly written with a wickedly dry sense of humor. You don't need photos.

Lots of information to share with folks. Much fun and full of good anecdotal comments. An interesting read, especially if you have ever prepared and served a Thanksgiving dinner.

All I can say is that for me this book perfectly encapsulates the true meaning of Thanksgiving. Being an ardent proponent of Thanksgiving day I have read this book many times, usually once a year. I am fully in agreement with Sam Sifton's view on the 'slow, careful preparation' of the Thanksgiving meal. It is an annual experience that is to be cherished and enjoyed. Mr. Sifton provides useful and valuable information for this wonderful day. I agree with many of the rules that are espoused in this book such as no salad or appetizers on Thanksgiving. I have a family that devours appetizers with reckless abandon. Mr. Sifton's writing style is lighthearted, witty & concise. I begin reading this book several weeks before the holiday in anticipation. I truly think the neophyte Thanksgiving host will have much to gain from the pages of this book. The more seasoned November chef will find the charm and wisdom of Mr. SIfton's work. I'm so glad I discovered it back in the day.

I bought this for my wife , because she loves to cook…..and I’m a big fan of Sam Sifton . She will have it out now each year , week of Thanksgiving on the table , to read parts over , and get in the spirit of the holiday. I highly recommend this one.

I purchased this book after listening to an author interview on NPR and received it two days before Thanksgiving. Fortunately, I'm an experienced home cook and have made many Thanksgiving dinners; while this book is interesting and makes some helpful suggestions, if you are expecting it to be the Thanksgiving Bible, you will be disappointed. In its favor, I can say that it is a good read and definitely puts you in the holiday mood. The author's emphasis on traditional dishes is refreshing; I don't want fru-fru food on my Thanksgiving table, either. He explains how to cook a basic roast turkey clearly and gives excellent advice for carving the bird. However, his very first recipe, for quick turkey stock, which is pure simplicity, fails to mention how much water goes into the pot or whether it should be covered. If I put a turkey neck, large onion, carrot, and celery in a pot with enough water to just cover it and simmer it all day, I'm going to end up with a very dry pot, I'm afraid. His simple roast turkey calls for mirin and soy sauce, not exactly "traditional" Thanksgiving cooking items. He has a nice recipe for brine but doesn't say how to prepare the turkey after it's soaked for up to three days. Unless the turkey is left to dry overnight, it's going to be one soggy bird with flabby skin. He doesn't even mention how to roast a stuffed bird; his "dressing" is cooked in a separate pan. I actually used his Fresh Bread Dressing recipe and it was delicious. The addition of the chopped apple really made it something special. Even though he specifically denounces the use of garlic on Thanksgiving, his braised Brussels sprouts call for 4 cloves of the pungent ingredient and the scalloped potatoes call for a clove, as well. There were a few other non-traditional ingredients in his traditional recipes: anchovies, chipotle sauce, hot peppers, and cilantro to name a few. His pumpkin pie recipe is pretty much the same as the recipe on the can of pumpkin puree. I'm not sure apple pizza is a traditional Thanksgiving dessert but the kids would probably like it. And in the section on leftovers, how could he have left out a recipe for turkey soup? All in all, I feel like this book doesn't quite hit the mark on any front; not detailed enough to be a beginner's guide but not innovative enough for a seasoned cook, looking for something new. The author makes a strong case for tradition but his recipes aren't really traditional (at least not where I come from). It's a nice preamble to a Thanksgiving dinner, but make sure you have a basic cookbook or two handy, as well, to fill in the blanks.

Full of great, easy to make recipes even if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving. Good price too.