A Stress-Free Thanksgiving Is Possible With This Expert Advice

If you're hosting Thanksgiving this year, you may be worried about the impending stress of the big day. After all, there's a lot to get done — a whole turkey to make and a range of side dishes to prepare, as well as the task of entertaining your guests. Luckily, there are a few tips that you can keep in mind to try to make the holiday as stress-free as possible. Daily Meal spoke with an expert — Jessie-Sierra Ross, the cooking and home entertaining author of "Seasons Around the Table; Effortless Entertaining with Floral Tablescapes & Seasonal Recipes" – to find out the best advice.

Ross says, "If you are feeling overwhelmed with the kitchen duties or you have a very large crowd to feed, it's perfectly fine to outsource some of the cooking." This may mean asking a friend or family member to provide one of the Thanksgiving side dishes or even opting to buy dessert from a local bakery instead of going with something homemade — or both. Ross adds, "Supporting local artisans is very important, and it can relieve some of the cooking burden on you."

Essentially, even if you're hosting, you shouldn't feel pressured to cook everything from scratch. Plus, letting your guests bring their own sides is a great way to include a dish that you're not familiar with making, and will make your spread more interesting and dynamic.

Jessie-Sierra Ross also suggests reconsidering your cooking methods in order to ease your load. While you may think that you need to make the Thanksgiving turkey the traditional way of roasting in the oven, Ross says that you should consider sous vide. She explains, "Turkey breasts can be cooked beautifully in a sous vide, and are often available separately packaged from the store. This technique will have the turkey waiting for you, instead of the other way around!"

This idea is especially perfect if you have a smaller guest count, as there's no need to make a full turkey if you're only hosting, say, three or four people. On the other hand, this method can also work for a larger party, as well. Recipes for one sous vide turkey breast can feed six people.

Otherwise, if you're going to cook everything yourself, you can make things easier by preparing some of the dishes ahead of time.  Many side dishes can be made a day or two in advance, such as cranberry sauce or mashed potatoes, as well as plenty of desserts. Another tip is to set the table a day early to give yourself one less thing to do on the big day. You can even invite a friend to co-host with you to take away some of the pressure and stress while still getting the experience of hosting.