Thanksgiving 911: ‘Chopped’ Chefs Answer Your Last-Minute Turkey Day Cooking Questions
Need some help in the kitchen on Thanksgiving? These chefs can help.
— -- Happy Thanksgiving! If you’re going somewhere for dinner, you can relax. If you’re cooking dinner, the pressure is on!
Chefs Alex Guarnaschelli, Geoffrey Zakarian and Amanda Freitag, who are judges on “Chopped,” the Food Network’s intense cooking competition, were in the "Good Morning America” studios live today to answer the last-minute cooking questions submitted by viewers on social media.
More Thanksgiving Dinner and Dessert Recipes
The chefs also offered up some turkey, stuffing and dessert recipes that you can make for your friends and family today.
The Questions and Chefs’ Answers
Q: How do I cook turkey to get the skin crisp and brown without drying out the meat?
A: Guarneschelli, chef of the newly opened Driftwood Room in Miami, had the answer. Rather than wrestle with the whole bird, people can cook turkey parts in different ways, she said. For example, you can roast some turkey breasts for extra white meat or wings and thighs for crispy bits of tasty dark meat. Click HERE to get the recipe.
Q: What is an easy go-to dessert to make after you realize you've run out of time to prepare anything elaborate?
A: Freitag, who co-hosts "American Diner Revival," had the answer to that question, sharing the recipe for her peanut butter blondies. Click HERE to get the recipe.
Q: One viewer who is making homemade sausage stuffing for the first time asked whether it was okay to bake the stuffing by itself or whether it needed to be baked inside the turkey.
A: Zakarian, chef/partner of The Lambs Club in Manhattan, shared the recipe for his fennel sausage and cornbread dressing – which is not baked inside a turkey. Click HERE to get the recipe.
Q: What is a good fall alternative to pumpkin pie?
A: Freitag offered up a recipe for deep dish apple rhubarb pie. Click HERE to get the recipe.
Q: Besides doing a brine, what is the best way to keep a turkey moist and juicy?
A: Guarnaschelli described the benefits of a pre-salted, unbrined turkey. Click HERE to get the recipe.
Q: What's an interesting way to dress up sweet potatoes for the holiday?
A: Zakarian explained how to add flavor with his whipped sweet potatoes dish. Click HERE to get the recipe.