Blog Posts by Andrew Knowlton, BA Foodist, Bon Appetit Magazine

With the holidays here, the last thing you need right now is another task, another recipe, another thing to put on your to-do list. But this is worth it, honest. You can offer your guests Champagne, wine, or beer to drink--all perfectly acceptable though expected. Why not offer them a cocktail? Something festive, something appetite stimulating...something made with cranberries. Most likely you've got some extra berries sitting around anyway. Here are three cranberry cocktails to get your evenings started on the right note.


Cranberry Daiquiri
(6 servings)
Dissolve 1/2 cup sugar in 1/2 cup water in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 cinnamon stick and 1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel; bring to boil. Mix in 1/2 cup cranberries and cook until cranberries begin to pop. Cool; discard cinnamon. Pour mixture into jar; add 1/2 cup light rum. Chill. Strain syrup into pitcher; reserve cranberries. Add 6 tablespoons each dark rum, light rum, cranberry juice, and lemon juice to pitcher.

We all have one dish that says Thanksgiving. For some it's canned cranberry sauce. For others it's sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows. For me it's my mom's chicken liver pate. Or maybe it's her oyster dressing. Without either of those dishes, Thanksgiving wouldn't be Thanksgiving. With that in mind, I asked thirty of my favorite chefs what dish they couldn't live without. I learned a few things: chefs love stuffing, they don't love turkey, and, of course, their mom makes the best pumpkin pie in the world. One chef even gave props to his mother-in-law. That must be some seriously good dessert. Take a look at their top dishes and let us know yours too.

Not Cooking? Check out the Top 10 Restaurants Cooking Thanksgiving Dinner Near Your City.

José Andres, Chef, The Bazaar, Los Angeles
"Stuffing, Catalan-style, which has pork sausage, prunes, dried apricots, pine nuts, and dried figs"

Michael Symon, Chef, Lola, Cleveland
"Gotta have roasted dates with pancetta and almonds, and the

1. The Bigger the Turkey, the Better

When I was a kid, my mom took me to the supermarket a week before Thanksgiving and let me pick out the frozen turkey. I went for the one with the biggest breasts. Done laughing? Here's the thing, the ones with big breasts don't have much flavor. According to Rick Rodgers, cooking teacher and author of Thanksgiving 101, you should compare the size of the breast to the size of the rest of the bird. "Larger-breasted turkeys are new breeds that were created to produce a larger amount of meat--not a better flavor. The smaller the ratio of breast meat to whole bird, the closer the turkey is to the original model and the more old-fashioned its flavor will be," he says. My advice, go with a fresh heritage turkey or crossbreed turkey.

Turkey Buying Guide: Everything You Need to Know About Buying and Cooking Turkey

2. Fresh Pumpkin is Better Than Canned Pumpkin

"Canned" isn't a bad word. Canned tuna and canned tomatoes have a place in the pantry of any

Thanksgiving is so close you can almost smell the stuffing. If you're cooking the feast this year, it's high time to get organized. By now you've considered what kind of turkey to order, the guest list, and, perhaps, what to do with Uncle Phil if he gets out of line...again. Here's your next step: Make sure you have the five essential tools for a successful feast. No, an electric carving knife doesn't make the list, but here's what does:

Digital Kitchen Timer
Timing is everything, especially at Thanksgiving. You've got turkey, dressing, and potato gratin all in the oven, and they'll all be done at different times. This is no time to depend on that cute little wind-up timer or, even worse, your memory. You need a timer that can track the progress of all three and tell you what time it is. You need something like this Presto four-in-one Electronic Clock/Timer.

6 Steps to a Stress-Free Thanksgiving

A Sharp Knife
I've said it before and I'll say it again, there are two things you should

Dear BA Foodist,

Cooking Thanksgiving dinner puts me on edge. In addition to making sure that everything reaches the table on time and hot, there's wine to pour, silverware to set out, and children to watch. Got any suggestions for reducing stress on November 26?
Elizabeth Wickham, Iowa City, Iowa
-----

Dear Elizabeth,

I love cooking. I love how everyone gathers in the kitchen at a party. I love all this except on Thanksgiving. If it's the fourth Thursday of November and I'm cooking, leave me alone. In that spirit, I've got some dos and don'ts for Thanksgiving dinner that might help you this year.

1. Lovely guest, this is no time to chat with me about little Timmy's academic problems or the Super Bowl. Most people, myself included, cook best when there's relatively little talking. Walk into many great restaurant kitchens and, despite what you may have seen on reality TV, it's quiet. Everyone's head is down, and the cooks are concentrating on peeling the potatoes or mixing the

Dear BA Foodist,

I have a dirty secret: I hate turkey. And I want to do something about it. Can I just forgo the fowl this year?

-Josephina Mccarthy, Gallup, NM

Dear Josephina,
You traitor. Of all the unpatriotic acts to commit, I know of none more severe than not serving turkey on Thanksgiving. It's what the Pilgrims served, and it's what our grandchildren will serve.

I'd load the musket and demand you take back what you said-if only I didn't feel the same way.

Not Hosting? 16 Perfect Dishes to Bring to Thanksgiving

The Foodist hates turkey. There, I admit it. I've always had turkey on Thanksgiving. I've had it roasted, brined and roasted, deep-fried, smoked, and stuffed with a chicken and a duck (Turducken). No matter what kind of turkey I cook-factory-farmed, wild, heritage breed-it always underwhelms, even when it's perfectly cooked with juices flowing. What would turkey be without gravy or

Dear BA Foodist,
I love wine, but I hate buying it. Most wine stores, with their enormous selections and often unknowledgeable staffs, can be intimidating. Any tips for navigating a wine store?
Belle Eisner, New York

Read more from BA's Restaurant Editor, Andrew Knowlton, as he shares tips, trends and his take on eating out.

Dear Belle,
Despite what all the experts say, buying wine will always be a daunting task. During the holidays, the stakes are even higher. Nothing beats good old fashioned wine knowledge but I've got a couple of tips for selecting imported wines that may help you.

Rule 1: Beaujolais Nouveau is never a good idea. Yes, it's inexpensive, but if you want candy, eat candy. Beaujolais-Villages wines, on the other hand, are fine.

Another mystery for some restaurant goers may be valet parking. BA gets the dish about this fancy restaurant service from L.A.'s most prominent valet.

Rule 2: Know the importer. If you look on the back label of the bottle, you'll almost

Dear BA Foodist,

Recently, I was eating out with three friends. We had finished our desserts and were chatting away when the manager told us it was time to leave. Apparently, there was a group waiting for our table. What gives? Can't I stay as long as I want?

--Edmund Rutherford, Philadelphia

Dear Edmund,

I hear about check-dropping incidents all the time. Unless you're at the local diner, it is never okay for a waiter to drop the check without your asking for it.

5 Tips for Handling a Bad Waiter

Restaurants generally allot couples an hour and a half to eat. For four people, it's two hours. Of course, much depends on the pace of the meal--how quickly you get your appetizer, entree, dessert, and so on. Any good restaurant will give you adequate time to wrap up your meal; if you've finished your cheesecake and coffee and someone is waiting for your table, it is not all right to linger. However, if you're being rushed (the manager's constantly monitoring your progress, you've had