This Thanksgiving, I decided to stir things up a bit and rank a variety of Thanksgiving foods. For a more precise ranking, I decided to rank the foods that were on my family’s table this year, so there might be some foods that may not be considered specific to Thanksgiving. As I rank these foods, I am going to be using a five-point system (1-5), with one being absolutely dreadful and five being turkey licking good. Other things that I will be considering in my ranking is the taste, texture, and overall quality of the food. So without further ado, let’s get into it!
1. Dinner Rolls 4.5/5
Starting out with the dinner rolls, the rolls were topped with a pinch of salt, soft, easy to bite into, and were even better with a little bit of butter. The only thing that I think would make the rolls taste a little better would be if the rolls were also topped with an herb such as thyme. Overall, the rolls were tasty and made for a great start to the meal.
2. Turkey 4/5
Next in this ranking is the turkey. One of the things that I like about turkey is that it can be paired with a variety of side dishes that add to the flavor of the turkey. However, the texture of the turkey can vary depending on whether you prefer white or dark meat. Personally, I prefer dark meat to white meat, as the texture is juicy and tender, which makes the turkey easier to bite into. Although, white meat can taste amazing with cranberry sauce and gravy, I find that it can sometimes be too chewy and dry for my taste.
The turkey that my family makes every year for Thanksgiving is cooked in a homemade herb butter, along with slices of apple and onion, as well as some other vegetables. Overall, the turkey was tasty and flavorful, but I found that the white meat was lacking a little bit in flavor and was a little dry and chewy.
3. Mashed Potatoes and gravy 4/5
No Thanksgiving is complete without mashed potatoes and gravy. Mashed potatoes and gravy is in my opinion the best Thanksgiving side dish and what I had this year lived up to my expectations. The potatoes were soft, fluffy, a little bit chunky but that is okay. Like the potatoes, the gravy was just as delicious, but it was a little thin for my liking.
4. stuffing or dressing 4/5
Although not everyone’s favorite side dish, I look forward to having stuffing as part of my Thanksgiving meal every year. What I like the most about stuffing is the herbs that make up the flavor, however the texture can be chewy, which can sometimes make the stuffing hard to eat. Overall, I enjoyed the flavors that went into the stuffing this year.
5. candied sweet potatoes 4/5
Over the past few years, candied sweet potatoes have become a staple in my family’s household during Thanksgiving. If you don’t know what candied sweet potatoes are, they are sweet potato slices that have been baked in butter and sugar until golden brown. The candied sweet potatoes that my family made this year were no different, they were sweet, rich, buttery, and fluffy. However, the only thing that I believe would make my family’s candied sweet potatoes better would be if a savory flavor was added to balance out the sweetness.
6. cranberry sauce 4/5
When it comes to cranberry sauce, my family, especially my stepfather, is particular about the cooking process of the sauce. The cranberries must be whole cranberries, not dried or canned, the actual fruit. The cranberries must then be cooked into a sugar sauce with no other added flavoring. Although I would much prefer an additional flavor added to the cranberry sauce, such as a citrus flavor, I very much enjoy my family’s cranberry sauce especially with turkey every year.
7. boiled onions 3/5
This may be different from what many people would consider having on Thanksgiving, but it has become a tradition that my stepfather has brought into our family. Every year, my stepfather boils whole onions in water and serves them up as a side dish. Boiling onions in water causes them to become soft and sweet, which can be paired with the flavors of the other side dishes. My only critique with this dish is that the onions should also be cooked in a cream sauce that would give the onions more flavor than what they have by themselves.
8. pumpkin pie 5/5
My favorite part about Thanksgiving is the pie. What I like in pie is a delicious filling with a flaky butter crust. The pumpkin pie this year lived up to my expectations. The pumpkin pie filling was flavorful and the crust was buttery and flaky.
9. apple pie 4.5/5
My favorite pie this year was the apple pie. The filling was rich, tart, and heavy to cinnamon, while the crust was flaky. The reason why I gave the apple pie a 4.5/5 was because the crust was not as buttery as I would have liked it to be. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the flavor and overall quality of the pie.
Is there a Thanksgiving or holiday dish that I did not include that you wanted to see? Or would you like to see a ranking of Christmas foods? If so let us know at Her Campus CWU.
XOXO Her Campus