Do You Know How To Fix These Common Thanksgiving Cooking Mistakes?

If you forgot to thaw the turkey a few days in advance, your Thanksgiving isn't necessarily ruined. A completely frozen turkey will take significantly longer to cook than a thawed turkey, but it's safe to put a rock solid bird in the oven and let it cook from frozen. You'll need to roast it at 325°F until the turkey's temperature is at least 165°F. According to The Kitchn, it should take you about 4-7 hours, depending on the size of the bird.

Brining means soaking the bird in a very salty solution for a period of time in order to maximize flavor and texture. The finished turkey will taste moist, juicy, tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. You should brine the turkey the day before Thanksgiving.

Don't freak out, but according to chef Alton Brown, "when it comes to turkey, stuffing is evil." Why? You must get the stuffing to a minimum of 165°F in order to kill food borne illnesses. But getting the stuffing to 165°F means you'll likely overcook the turkey (aka a big Thanksgiving no-no). The better solution: Cook the stuffing separately and then stuff the turkey after it's cooked.

OK, so you overcooked the turkey, but you don't need to panic. All you have to do is add moisture back into the bird. According to The Kitchn, you should cut the turkey into slices and pour warm chicken or turkey stock over it (you can add some melted butter, too). Then, cover the sliced turkey with aluminum foil or put it back in a 250°F oven just to keep it warm. After about 10 minutes (and with the help of some gravy) your turkey will taste less dry.

You don't want your stuffing to be dry, but you certainly don't want it to be overly soggy. For a happy medium, you'll want to carefully watch how much liquid you're adding to the stuffing mixture. Add 1/2 cup of stock at a time and wait for the bread to absorb it before adding more. When the stuffing is moist but not overflowing with broth, you've added enough liquid.

You want your potatoes to be buttery and creamy, of course, but the potatoes will absorb dairy easier when it's at room temperature. Let your butter and cream sit out for a bit before adding them to the potatoes so you can easily work them into the mash and achieve that super fluffy, creamy taste and texture.

You don't want lumpy gravy and you don't want gravy that's as thin as water. If your gravy is looking a little too thin, you can thicken it up with two simple ingredients. Combine equal parts softened butter and flour into a paste (called beurre manié), then whisk it into the gravy and bring it to a simmer. Keep adding the butter and flour mixture until you've reached your desired consistency.

The key to super tender and flaky pie crust is making sure the dough stays chilled before baking. The simple solution: Pop the butter and flour in the freezer before making the pie dough. You can even put the assembled (unbaked) pie into the freezer for 15 minutes or so before baking it in the oven.