the social kitchen

One aspect of Thanksgiving that will be sorely missed this year will be the socializing of the cooks in the kitchen. Seeing as we are "going it alone" or at the most having a potluck, there will only be my wife and myself in the kitchen preparing food. Many of our favorite dishes require extensive preparation, which isn't so much of a chore when you share it with your relatives. But being alone, it isn't much fun spending an entire day in the kitchen trying to get things done just right. in fact, one might even be tempted to cut corners. Is this so wrong?

Is it wrong to buy a pre-sliced smoked turkey, instead of stuffing and cooking it yourself? Is it wrong to replace hand-mashed potatoes with potato flakes to make our traditional garlic mashed potatoes? Is it wrong to buy cranberry sauce in a can? Does any of it really matter when you can't taste the difference? Or is there a happy medium that will satisfy the traditional purists and those who value their time?

For the turkey, instead of buying the pre-sliced, we'll probably opt for the smoked turkey that requires an additional hour or two of cooking. That way, we get to finish the cooking ourselves and slice it ourselves. Although slicing a turkey is still a chore, it isn't so bad, and it has become something of a tradition in my family for many of us to circle the benevolent carving-meister like buzzards looking for a sample of the feast to come.

For the mashed potatoes, instead of mashing them in a big pot by hand, we could always try using a mixer to beat them automatically. It goes against the tradition, but as long as we still use the same ingredients, it *should* taste the same, right? I guess we'll find out soon enough. Within the fist five minutes of supper, if the potatoes are "off" in any way, I'm sure we will hear of it. Our family has always been good at speaking their mind, and this garlic mashed potato recipe has been in the family for years. Even though we won't be eating with most of our family members this year, our kids have had it every year so they are connoisseurs by now, as well.

Unfortunately, our mixer doesn't work so great at such things, and the bowl is pathetic, so we'd probably have to get a new mixer. As much as I like to think of myself as a neo-luddite in a quest for old world humanity, there are certain situations where mechanical assistance just makes too much sense. Would I prefer to sit in a kitchen for several hours mashing potatoes by hand, alone? Or would I prefer to pick up a new mixer and have it done in minutes, thereby allowing me more time out of the kitchen, and with my family? It's a hard call. I've heard the saying that anything worth doing is worth doing right, but what's wrong with a little assistance? After all, we don't wash our clothes by hand with a washboard anymore.

Among all of the fancy electric mixers out there, I'm pretty impressed with the Eclectrics® Mixer by Hamilton Beach®. It won't break the bank like the KitchenAid stuff, but it looks just as nice and has the same features. Best of all, the mixing bowl is HUGE and looks like it will work fine for mashing potatoes. One of the most frightening things that can happen when you use a cheap mixer (like the one we have now) is if the mixer blades get caught on your potatoes and it sends the bowl spinning. This explains why this Hamilton Beach® Mixer has a locking bowl. It's something that, in my opinion, should come standard with any electric mixer, for safety reasons.

So am I going to get lynched by my mother-in-law if she discovers that we have "modernized" her recipe by running the potatoes through a new Hamilton Beach® Stand Mixer? Perhaps, but I think she'll be too busy in her own kitchen this year beating her potatoes by hand to do anything about it.

Not to add insult to injury, but here's her recipe below. Enjoy!

Garlic and Basil Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:
2 pounds of peeled potatoes, sliced or diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and mashed
3/4 cup of 2% milk
5 Tbsp real butter
2 Tbsp sour cream
2 Tbsp crushed basil

Directions:
Boil potatoes until tender.
Drain potatoes and mash them up in your mixer (or by hand).
Reheat pan and add butter and garlic.
Lightly brown garlic on medium heat, then add milk and sour cream.
Bring to a boil and add potatoes and basil.
Mix well, lower heat and add salt and pepper to taste.