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To cook or not to cook? That seems to be a popular question at Thanksgiving. With so many restaurants offering catering, you may be tempted to have someone else do the cooking this year. However, there are pros and cons to this option. Before you pick up the phone, consider the ups and downs of having your Thanksgiving dinner catered.
Saves Time
Without a doubt, having someone else do the cooking save hours of prepping and cooking. All you have to do is drive to the restaurant and pick up the food. Some companies may even deliver the food in serving dishes, saving you even more time.
May or may not Save Money
Whether or not you’ll save money having your Thanksgiving dinner catered will depend on a number of factors. It will depend on what you normally serve, what restaurant you’re ordering from, whether or not you’ll have to cook any sides or do any baking to complete the meal, etc. In other words, you’ll need to run the numbers and see what it will cost.
Reduces Stress
If you’re the type that becomes frazzled while cooking a large holiday meal, chances are you’ll want to hand the reigns over to someone else. Having the dinner completely catered, even down to the dessert, can make your life simple. You may not even have to break out any serving dishes and cleanup will be a breeze.
May not be as Good as you’d Hoped
One of the biggest cons of having a Thanksgiving dinner catered is you may be disappointed in the food. Let’s face it. Not many restaurants compare to home cooked meals. With that in mind, go into the meal expecting so-so food. If it turns out better than expected, you’ll be surprised rather than disappointed.
Quick to Serve
In most cases, all you’ll have to do is open the packages. If you want a pretty presentation, you can transfer everything to serving dishes. Either way, you’re not going to be stressed or pressed for time.
May require Reheating
The last problem you may encounter is reheating. In most cases, you will pick up your meal several hours before your dinner will take place. This means you’ll need to reheat everything and this can effect the flavor. Turkey can be especially tricky to reheat so that it tastes as good as freshly baked. Ask the restaurant for tips on properly reheating everything so that it tastes as good as possible.
Choosing to cater your Thanksgiving dinner may or may not be the best idea. Yes, it can save time and stress, but you may end up with a disappointing meal. Instead of getting the entire meal catering, you may want to choose to get a few things catered from foody direct or another service, such as the side dishes and desserts. That way you have complete control on the quality of the star of the show – the turkey. Either way, remember that there are pros and cons to having your Thanksgiving dinner catered.