Photo: Courtesy Chef Alyssa Wilen

From common mistakes to perfect gravy to deciding how many dishes to make for a meal, we asked experts for their advice in order to share their wisdom with you. We interviewed chef Alyssa Wilen, Chris Coleman (House of Goodyear), Leah & Louise co-chefs Courtney Evans and Brandon Staton, private vegetarian chef Joya, and chef William Dissen (Haymaker).

The response has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Chef Alyssa Wilen: Let your turkey rest!

Chef Chris Coleman: There are two common mistakes.

Chef Courtney Evans and Brandon Stutton say that overcooking turkey and dry macaroni and cheese are the two most common mistakes.

Chef Joya encourages you to adhere to the basic principles. Just because the dish you see on social media looks cool, doesn't mean you should deal with it for the first time on Thanksgiving.

Dissen: Many people who don’t cook often are very excited about Thanksgiving and try to cook at once. Take time to plan a meal out. You can do many things beforehand, such as cutting vegetables or marinating turkey. Thanksgiving is not so much a hoe as a symphony.

Chef Alyssa: The portion from 6 to 8 is plenty.

Coleman: My favorite side dish of all time is the old-school mung bean casserole with mushroom white sauce (canned mushroom cream is also delicious) and canned crispy onions. Thanksgiving is about nostalgia, pure and simple.

Evans: I like to choose. This is how we grew up.

Staton: There should be 5-7 dishes to grab.

Chef Qiaoya: A good and complete Thanksgiving may be between 6 and 8.

Disen: I want them all. For me, Thanksgiving is a day to use all your tricks. I like the perfect buttery mashed potatoes and the very good turkey gravy.

Chef Alyssa: Between 3 and 5, depending on your crowd. A few pies, maybe a cake, and then add some fresh fruit or chocolate to balance them. 

Evans: 2-3 is enough for me. The first thing I want to run is definitely banana pudding. If it doesn't have Nilla wafers, you are doing it wrong. 

Staton: Usually 2 types of desserts (for example, 3 servings of each) are sufficient. No matter what time of year, my dessert is apple pie! 

Chef Joa: You must have at least two desserts.

Dissen: Make all of these. This is a day to celebrate; worry about calories later. I like a good bourbon pecan pie, or a good pumpkin pie with graham crackers or cornmeal crust.

Chef Alyssa’s Thanksgiving Pie (provided by Chef Alyssa)

Chef Alyssa: Roasted pork tenderloin or small birds like pheasant or quail can be used as a substitute for turkey to complement the side.

Coleman: Ham or roast beef? Or just load it on the side because they are the best part.

Evans: Thanksgiving in my house is a bit different. We do not make traditional Thanksgiving protein/noodles. We will make jerk chicken or curry chicken on rice.

Staton: I usually prefer to cook braised/slow roasted turkey wings.

Chef Joa: I made it more like turkey tenderloin.

Dissen: My wife is an Indian immigrant and does not eat meat. We can make pigeon peas, split yellow lentils, or we can make a bean dish.

Chef Alyssa: I always prepare sweet potatoes, and those that are always roasted whole and with the skin before peeling and mashing.

Evans: Make sure to add hot cream and room temperature butter instead of water when making mashed potatoes.

Staton: I personally think that if you are not the best chef, it is okay to use boxed mashed potatoes. Just follow the instructions to use butter and cream instead of water.

Chef Joa: Boil the potatoes with their skins. People tend to peel the potatoes before boiling, but they should be boiled with the skins and a lot of salt added to the water.

Dissen: I'm a calm cook, but one thing I do feel upset is that someone made a mess of mashed potatoes. Make sure there is enough water in the pot. This will help the potatoes cook evenly.

Chef Alyssa: Boxed things are not good.

Evans: I grew up in a box. You can modify it, but homemade is always better.

Staton: I like cornbread fillings, but I only eat any homemade or boxed fillings.

Chef Joa: Until about two years ago, I always made my seasoning from scratch.

Coleman: I like homemade cranberry sauce, but to be honest, the canned one tastes better.

Dissen: Self-made 100%. I have a recipe that I seasoned for Cranberry and Grand Marnier. It contains fresh cranberries, oranges, thyme and flambé Grand Marnier wine. You will want to eat that with every piece of turkey.

Provided by chef Alyssa’s kitchen

Chef Alyssa: I used to always serve food at 5 pm, but in the past few years, I have improved this. It has something to do with the two children in the family (a toddler and a baby)!

Coleman: I started cooking 3 days ago: take a roast chicken from the grocery store, dinner that night, and use its carcass to make a great chicken soup. You need it to make gravy.

Evans: Depending on how much you do yourself, starting in the morning is a viable method.

Staton: Start cooking one day in the morning and serve around 5-6 pm.

Chef Joya: At least the day before, especially when you are cooking for a lot of people.

Dissen: I usually start cooking on Tuesday. On Thanksgiving, I want to have a drink, the children run around, play football on TV, and I also want to have time to run around outside. I hope most of the time will be completed ahead of schedule.

Chef Alyssa: Well-made turkey soup is the secret to making gravy and fillings.

Evans: The best way to start making gravy is to use the water droplets in the pan. You want that taste.

Staton: People just complicate the gravy. All you need is flour, butter, chicken/turkey soup, salt and pepper, and patience.

Chef Joa: My mother always makes gravy like a look (Ashley: Same, chef. Same. I don't know how they make it). If this is your first time making gravy, one thing you can do is to make the mud and put it out of the pot.

If you are a little more advanced:

Chef Alyssa: I usually make a cheese and charcuterie plate and dip it.

Coleman: Pickles, olives, Triscuits and cheese sauce. Simple things can be thrown on the plate, people don't want to fill it up.

Evans: Dipping sauce is definitely a good way. I use pita bread for the buffalo dip. Other good choices are fruit and pasta salads.

Staton: I usually don't make Thanksgiving appetizers. A good snack may be something light, such as some fruit and some biscuit dip of your choice.

Dissen: I like good deli and cheese boards-kimchi, crackers, mustard, bell pepper cheese and crackers.

Cheese and charcuterie trays from Mere's in Dilworth (Axios Charlotte file photo)

Chef Alyssa: No matter what I need to prepare for this meal, I will leave Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes to prepare with my cousin. This is the sweet time we spent together before meals. As my own children get older and older, I also look forward to their help.

Coleman: My wife Ashley and I have been married for 17 years, and we hold Thanksgiving every year. Every year is special.

Evans: It's always my family's skating/dancing class. We have a mini skating rink in our backyard, so we took out our skates and started playing! If you don't have some, you will definitely be disappointed in your own way.

Statton: My favorite memory is sitting and chatting, chatting with family members that I don't usually meet or hear.

Dissen: When I was growing up, we always went to the farm of my grandparents in West Virginia. They live on land, they canned and preserved, and did all these wonderful things that made me a chef. My grandmother made all these buttermilk biscuits, and I remember watching her cooking, everything was delicious.

Provided by chef Alyssa’s kitchen

Preparation time: 45 minutes (if baking cornbread requires extra time)

1 batch of cornbread (recipe below)

2 ½ cups chopped shiitake and mushrooms

3 cups turkey or chicken broth

A few sprigs of each fresh herb: thyme and sage

Salt and pepper to taste

Make a 6×9 inch deep casserole

Coleman: This is the first year that my wife and I have hosted Thanksgiving, and my family requests it every year.

1 large piece of rustic white bread, torn into bite-sized pieces, 1 piece of butter, 1 large white onion, thinly sliced ​​2 shallots, thinly sliced ​​4 cloves of garlic, chopped 8 ounces of cream mushrooms, thinly sliced ​​2 celery ribs, Thinly sliced ​​2 sprigs fresh thyme 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms

Prepare in advance: spread the bread on a rimmed baking tray, then bake it in a 250 degree oven until golden brown and dry. cool down.

In a large high-side frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add onions and shallots and season with a little coarse salt. Boil on low heat, stirring every 5 minutes or so, until the onions are soft, sticky and brown. If onions start to brown too quickly (that is, they brown before they start to soften), add water as needed.

Add garlic, cream, celery and thyme and cook until the mushrooms release and absorb their own liquid, and the whole mixture is soft and sticky.

At the same time, heat 4 cups of water to a boil, then add the dried porcini mushrooms. Allow to soak until the dried mushrooms are soft and plump. Chop the mushrooms and add to the vegetable mixture.

After the vegetables are caramelized, add toast and mushroom tea (pour the porcini water into the pot through the coffee filter to catch the sediment). Remove thyme sprigs. Stir everything together, season with salt and black pepper, then transfer to a casserole. If needed, refrigerate overnight. Remove the casserole from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before baking.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until the top becomes yellow and brittle.

Charlotte Thanksgiving Day Parade (profile photo)