“A fridge is basically just a big, cold box with a few shelves in it, right? Well…” — J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

We host Thanksgiving in my mother's apartment in New York. I don't know if you've seen many New York apartment kitchens, but they are not known for spaciousness.

When planning a Thanksgiving menu, it's always a balancing act between representing all the classics and satisfying all the members of your family.

The key to a successful Thanksgiving is planning. Know what needs to get done, when it needs to be done, and how much effort and time it's going to take you.

No matter how many great things you say about Jacques Pepin, there's always more. Through his books and videos, he taught me the importance of technique in the kitchen, but, more significantly, he showed me what it means to be a great teacher and educator.