Home Cooking – "Thanksgiving, Part 1: Sage Wisdom"

Hosts: Samin Nosrat & Hrishikesh Hirway
Guest: Demi Adejuyigbe
Date: November 11, 2020

Episode Overview

The twelfth episode of Home Cooking kicks off a Thanksgiving two-parter focused on guiding listeners through the holiday—especially in a year complicated by quarantine and smaller gatherings. Samin and Hrishi answer listener questions about classic Thanksgiving dishes, offer advice on reinventing or improving traditions, and welcome comedian/baker Demi Adejuyigbe to discuss scratch-made pumpkin pie and quarantine baking. The episode is lively, humorous, and peppered with practical tips for making Thanksgiving both delicious and special—no matter your circumstances or cooking anxiety.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Holiday Math & the Thanksgiving Meal Structure

• The episode is part of a two-part Thanksgiving arc within a four-part series, which delights and confuses Hrishi:
  • “Wow, that was a lot of math.” – Hrishi (01:04)
• Samin plans the Q&A to follow the meal's sequence: appetizers, sides, mains.

2. Reimagining Green Bean Casserole ([02:09]–[06:06])

Listener Question: Anna from Brooklyn asks how to make a less processed, more wholesome green bean casserole.

Samin’s Approach:

• Use fresh green beans, lightly blanched
• Make a thin béchamel as a lighter alternative to canned cream of mushroom soup
• Sauté mushrooms and onions for the sauce
• Herbs like parsley or thyme add freshness
• Make homemade crispy shallots instead of canned fried onions
• Bake with homemade elements for a "lighter, more modern" casserole

Notable quote:

• “That's the thing that's making it too gloopy... You can leave all that out and just have a homemade béchamel.” – Samin (04:21)

Hrishi’s Reaction:

• Appreciates Samin’s improvisational verve:
  • “It's just exhilarating to witness.” (05:32)

3. Cranberry Sauce: Team Trash Goblin vs. Team Tart ([06:22]–[17:45])

Competing Listener Questions:

• Sean dislikes canned cranberry sauce—wants a great homemade version
• Liz loves canned cranberry sauce—wants a homemade recipe with that jellied texture

Samin’s Advice:

• For tart, vibrant sauce: combine cranberries, sugar, water, and—optionally—quince and bay leaf (a Persian touch, as Samin cherishes acidity for balancing Thanksgiving’s richness)
• For canned-like texture: purée homemade sauce, use more sugar and less water, chill in a can-shaped mold (even reusing a can for shape!)
• How to zhuzh up canned: Heat with orange juice/zest, bay leaf, acid (maybe a spice), a pinch of heat like cayenne or dried chili

Notable quotes:

• "Team Cranberry Sauce is the only team to be on on Thanksgiving, and I will explain why shortly." – Samin (07:11)
• “When you make cranberry sauce, you’re making a really simple jam... depending on how much sugar and how much water you use and how long you cook it, that’s gonna be what determines the texture.” – Samin (10:33)
• “I want every bite that I eat to have cranberry sauce on it, because that’s what wakes up my palate.” – Samin (11:39)

4. Marshmallow-Topped Sweet Potatoes: Alternatives ([17:45]–[23:45])

Listener Julio: Hates marshmallow sweet potatoes; what can replace them?

Hosts’ Reactions:

• Both are puzzled and amused that sweet potatoes with marshmallow count as a vegetable
• Samin shares roasted sweet potato methods that use coconut oil, brown sugar, or maple syrup for flavor
• “Hasselback” sweet potatoes: Slice almost all the way through, fan out, fill with spiced butter/sugar for drama and texture
• Encourages caramelization and earthy fats over candy-like toppings

Notable quote:

• “It is wild that that's considered a...vegetable.” – Hrishi (18:31)

5. Vegetarian Thanksgiving Mains ([24:00]–[28:28])

Listener Katie: Wants a special vegetarian main; okay with non-traditional.

Hrishi’s Idea: Pumpkin ravioli with sage and brown butter, or roasted squash lasagna (ricotta, béchamel, amaretti crumbs for depth).

Samin’s Story:

• Inspired by her friend Aaron, she suggests stuffing a flavorful squash (like kabocha) with cheesy, vegetables-and-bread stuffing, prunes soaked in white wine.
• Roast whole so you can “slice” and serve with stuffing integrated.

Notable quote:

• “It was one of those things where at the table you never felt like you were not getting something. You just felt so satisfied.” – Samin (28:17)

6. Logistics, Timing & Oven Drama ([28:28]–[33:20])

Listener Casey: Never cooked a full meal, nervous about timing, and has a problematic oven. What can be prepped ahead? What if the oven fails mid-turkey?

Samin’s Tips:

• Work backwards from serving time; make a “schedule” for oven and prep
• Focus menu on dishes succeeding at room temp (roasted, marinated veg salads, pie early in the day)
• If oven is unreliable, consider buying a cooked turkey and making sides yourself
• Suggests using her detailed past blog posts as guides

Notable quote:

• “Any time I enter a kitchen, I think about what’s the ultimate sort of constraint. For Thanksgiving…it’s oven space.” – Samin (30:48)

7. Buttermilk-Brined Turkey ([33:29]–[39:59])

Listeners Rachel & Siri: Can Samin’s famous buttermilk chicken recipe be used for turkey?

Samin’s Process:

• Yes—she just published a buttermilk-brined turkey for NYT (whole, spatchcocked, or just the breast)
• It’s as simple as marinating in salted buttermilk for up to two days, then roasting; yields juicier meat and crisp skin
• Spatchcocking (removing backbone, flattening) shortens cook time and makes storage/marinating easier
• Also safe/easy to downsize by buying breast or legs only

Notable quotes:

• “The sugars [in buttermilk] help create this beautiful golden brown skin.” – Samin (35:10)
• “Honestly, the entire reason I care about turkey is for the leftovers.” – Samin (36:45)
• “This is going to be a year we look back on… it’s okay if this meal is different.” – Samin (39:46)

8. Downsizing Thanksgiving ([37:58]–[40:17])

Listener Polly: How to make a small-batch, special Thanksgiving alone or for two?

Advice:

• Consider parts (breasts or legs) instead of whole turkey; stores may offer small cuts
• Meal can be split with neighbors—safe if careful (food containers not a COVID hazard if clean/dry)
• “It’s okay if this meal is different.” – Samin

Notable exchange:

• “Yeah, the whole year has an asterisk. So your Thanksgiving can, too.” – Hrishi (40:02)

Featured Segment: Baking with Demi Adejuyigbe ([43:44]–[54:45])

Demi’s Quarantine Baking Journey

• Started baking with friends; kicked off during quarantine, now has a growing notebook of recipes, bakes for others as a joy and a way to give
• Decided to make pumpkin pie start-to-finish from scratch (including the filling), motivated by a fall movie night wish from friends
• “Can I make it? Could I make it? YEAH, I can make it.” – Demi (46:14)

Pie Details:

• Found recipe via Google (typical approach), made own crust (all butter)
• Intimidated by pie lore, Samin notes his "blissful ignorance" prevented anxiety or paralysis about pastry-making
• “There’s a lot of lore around pie crust…for me, I had built a real fear of pie crust.” – Samin (47:59)
• Demi: Blissful: “If it’s good, it’ll work. Let’s go.” (45:54)

Highlights:

• Demi bakes to share—a motivation fueled by wanting to surprise and delight friends and coworkers
• Favorite bakes: apple turnovers, lemon cakes
• “All you gotta do is ask—everybody, follow Demi on Instagram, send him your wishlist.” – Hrishi (53:34)

Camaraderie & Humor:

• Episode peppered with comic exchanges—e.g., Samin promising banana bread for Demi or Hrishi’s playful jealousy about not receiving turnover deliveries
• Listeners get a sense of Demi’s baking-for-friends philosophy: “Pick a thing” and he’ll try it.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “Team Cranberry Sauce is the only team to be on on Thanksgiving.” – Samin (07:11)
• “This is a children’s show.” – Samin scolding Hrishi’s tart joke (11:22)
• “You're like a little stick of butter. You're like a stick of butter with a goatee.” – Samin, ribbing Hrishi (40:26)
• “If you want, you can pour [homemade cranberry sauce] into a can and unmold it…You can have your own homemade cranberry sauce from a can in the shape of a little cylindrical glop.” – Samin (15:15)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Topic | Start | End | |--------------------|-------------|-------------| | Green Bean Casserole| 02:09 | 06:06 | | Cranberry Sauce Qs | 06:22 | 17:45 | | Marshmallow Sweets | 17:45 | 23:45 | | Vegetarian Mains | 24:00 | 28:28 | | Kitchen Logistics | 28:28 | 33:20 | | Buttermilk Turkey | 33:29 | 39:59 | | Downsizing TG | 37:58 | 40:17 | | Demi Adejuyigbe | 43:44 | 54:45 |

Tone and Style

Tone: Warm, light, and playful—punctuated by friendly teasing, helpful cheer, and culinary empowerment
Style: Conversational, practical, solution-oriented, with personal and cultural riffs that make the show feel homey and inclusive

For Listeners Who Missed It

This episode not only demystifies classic Thanksgiving cooking dilemmas—modernizing green bean casserole, maximizing cranberry sauce, skipping marshmallow-topped yams, rethinking vegetarian mains—but also models how to adapt, delight, and stay connected to others (even if distanced). The hosts' humor and camaraderie are a recipe for comfort in themselves, and the addition of Demi Adejuyigbe injects both genuine baking insight and infectious generosity.

Full recipes and links mentioned are available on the Home Cooking website.