10 ways you’re doing Thanksgiving wrong (and how to fix it) – CNET

My mom always taught me to wash my turkey before I prep it for roasting. I bet you do, too. According to the USDA, all washing does is spread bacteria, possibly contaminating other foods in your kitchen. This Thanksgiving, save some time and skip the rinse.

Yes, it’s a tradition, but stuffing your bird can make it cook more slowly and less evenly. If you just have to have the yummy flavor, use the juices from the turkey pan to make your dressing.

If you bake your cookies on a cookie sheet, you’re missing out. Cooking them in a muffin tin can make chewier, yummier cookies. Here how to make them.

Instead of stuffing your oven full (which can inhibit heat circulation) or cooking things in shifts, utilize other appliances. For example, use your toaster oven set on bake for making dressing and your slow cooker for side dishes like green bean casserole.

Try sous vide cooking with a machine like the Joule. The water bath and plastic cooking bag keep foods moist and the food’s temperature consistent throughout the item while it cooks.

Though aluminum foil has at least 21 nifty uses, it shouldn’t be your only go-to. For example, foil sticks to just about every kind of food, so you’re better off lining your pans with parchment paper.

Reheating bread in the oven is your ticket to dried-out city. Instead, pop your bread in the microwave for 30 seconds. If it’s already on the stale side, put a mug of water in the microwave with the bread. Mmm…warm and moist.