Turkey, dumplings, mashed potato, greens and all manner of puddings festoon the table on this day of celebration. But what if you’ve never cooked before and you want to impress your guests?
Well, luckily there are plenty of thanksgiving cookbooks out there that will help you to prepare a feast that will have people talking for years afterward. All these cookbooks are written by women.
How many recipes come in each book? Well, we’ve compiled a list of some of our favorites to get you started on the long journey to your thanksgiving feast.
What Is Thanksgiving?
This is a national holiday in the United States Of America and Canada and it is meant to symbolize the first harvest feast that was shared by the English colonists and the Native Americans.
This is one of the busiest holidays of the year, with people often traveling vast distances to be at home with their families on the fourth Thursday of November.
There is always plenty of food on offer here and the classic Thanksgiving staples include turkey, pumpkin pie, cranberries, bread stuffing and mashed potatoes.
But how can you make a feast that is worthy of the original thanksgiving feast? Well, here are a few cookbooks that you can get stuck into that will ensure that your mash is extra creamy and your turkey slides off the fork.
This first book is by a number 1 New York Times bestselling author and food blogger, with a great collection of thanksgiving recipes written in a witty way.
There are plenty of traditional and startlingly new thanksgiving recipes that you can try(see also: 8 Female Chef Thanksgiving Cookbooks You Do Not Want To Miss). Some of these dishes include giblet gravy, broccoli, wild rice casserole and caramel apple pie.
But that’s not all, you can also whip yourself something more exotic, like a Resolution Smoothie, whiskey BBQ sliders, or Dr Pepper Cupcakes. Some of these recipes you can make at any time of the year.
Pros
Perfect for beginner and expert chefs
Easy to understand and quite funny in places
Well-written with plenty of pictures
Plenty of ideas for both Thanksgiving and Christmas
Side dishes are an extremely important part of your Thanksgiving feast, so why not get a book that specializes in the subject?
This will help you prepare the perfect mashed potato for your turkey or some aromatic green beans to contrast with the mint sauce.
This approaches things from a unique angle and does not always defer to the traditional ingredients to make your food stand out. This is the perfect book if you want to bring your side-dish A-game.
Pros
Focuses on one aspect of dinner
Great for Thanksgiving, Christmas or any large meal
A great book for mash potato makers
Comes with lots of gluten-free and sugar-free recipes
Next up, we have another book that is written by Monica Sweeney, this time focusing on dips. This covers everything from salmon canapes to creamy dips that you can serve with your cocktails.
This is a great book to have for making impeccable brussels sprout or cheese dips.
This comes with 50 recipes for dips, which might be overkill for a lot of newbie cooks, but we can guarantee after buying this you won’t need another book on dips again.
This also covers snacks like pomegranate goat cheese dip, chicken empanadas, cheesy puffs, and spicy onion bhajis.
Now we have a book that focuses on the main event in any Thanksgiving day feast: the turkey.
This book covers everything from basting to glazing, allowing you to craft the very best turkey imaginable. This comes with mouth-watering pictures that will keep you leafing through the pages.
This will also address some of the common mistakes that you can make in the kitchen when you are preparing your turkey.
By avoiding these errors, you can bump yourself from an amateur to an expert chef within a matter of weeks.
This next recipe is written by the very well-respected cookery writer Ina Garten, with over 85 sumptuous recipes all illustrated by some amazing photography.
This book details how you can make Thanksgiving dishes like hash browns on the waffle iron and cheesy grilled sandwiches. This is all solid, home-cooked food.
It also covers some of the most traditional staples of Thanksgiving, including sausage, peppers, and onions.
It’ll also teach you how to make desserts like Boston Cream Pie, Banana Rum trifle, and Black and White Cookies.
Pros
85 great recipes
Will help you graduate from amateur to professional
Some unique recipes you won’t find anywhere else
Cover breakfasts and evening snacks
Cons
Might be overkill for people who don’t know how to cook a turkey
If you are overwhelmed by the idea of prepping your Thanksgiving dinner, then this is a great book for you. Isa Chandra Moskowitz breaks it down for you in a way you can understand.
This is also entirely vegan, which is great if you want to avoid any animal products this holiday season.
It is always useful to have a vegan cookbook in the house, especially as more people are turning to this diet and the likelihood of a vegan coming to your home for the holidays is higher.
This also gives you a hand guide to allergy alternatives.
This next recipe book might not have a dedicated Thanksgiving section, but there are plenty of recipes in here that you could easily apply to your holiday platter.
You can cook slide-off-the-fork chicken thighs or vinegar radishes as sides for your main meal. There are 60 recipes in this book, ranging from fish dishes to vegetarian meals.
These are little big meals, so they are made for long shopping lists, which is great for anyone trying to save both money and time.
Pros
Great for meat-eaters and vegetarians
You can prepare some very healthy small-portion meals
This approaches cooking from a new angle
No more long shopping lists
Cons
Some readers have complained that the recipes are too simplistic
This is another cookbook that is not specially designed for the Thanksgiving dinner table, but there are plenty of recipes that you can adapt for the holidays as well as a general philosophy of gratitude and giving thanks to those we love.
This was a book written after lockdown and it is designed to unite people through the love of food, which is the spirit of Thanksgiving.
This is a great cookbook that you can give to someone that you know is struggling. It comes with some amazing recipes and plenty of delightful pictures.
Pros
Over 125 recipes
Can be adapted for both Thanksgiving and Christmas
Great for beginners
A number 1 bestselling book
Cons
Not aimed at Thanksgiving meals specifically
Conclusion
We hope that our list of great Thanksgiving cookbooks has given you the ammunition that you need to get down to the kitchen and try and make your spread.
Beginner cooks will find some of these recipes extremely helpful, while expert chefs will find plenty of dishes that they have never seen before.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are The Most Popular Foods At Thanksgiving?
Here is a list of some of the most popular dishes that you can get at Thanksgiving:
I'm Barbara Hunt, the founder of WomenChefs.org. Being a mom of two, I understand the challenges of meal planning and the monotony it can bring.
That's why I created WomenChefs.org, a platform dedicated to showcasing the skills and delicious dishes crafted by amazing women. My goal is to provide a space where women can find delectable recipes that tantalize their taste buds and ignite their senses.
I hope you'll join me in exploring WomenChefs.org and discovering your next favorite recipe. Let's embrace culinary diversity and try something new together!
