The night before Thanksgiving meltdown is a universal experience (or at least that’s what I tell myself, elbow-deep in butter, wondering if my turkey is raw, burnt, perfectly browned, or if I need to check my kitchen lighting). Feasting with family and friends is all fun and games, but from the math of quantity calculations and the science of Maillard reactions to the history of dining through the ages and the lore behind table settings, so much goes into making it come together seamlessly…so you can have the perfect impassioned argument about religion and politics over pie. 

ICYMI, my name’s Saanya Ali and I’m the founder of SOIRÉE, a platform, supper club, newsletter, and social community dedicated to reviving the “lost art of entertaining” and making food, and the culture around it, FUN…as it should be. Follow along on TikTok, and Instagram for more video deep dives!

Why You Can't Stop Picking at the Turkey Skin

Remember learning about control variables and chemical reactions in chem and thinking “When the hell am I going to use this in real life. I’m literally going to be a writer?” Well, turns out that's what's happening when you're obsessing over achieving the perfect golden-brown on…everything you’re cooking. 

The Maillard reaction (named after French chemist Louis Camille Maillard) is essentially a love story between amino acids (proteins) and sugars. When heat enters the chat (typically between 280°F and 330°F), they create hundreds of different chemical flavor compounds, producing that distinctly nutty, roasted, umami, complex flavor that makes you arm wrestle your cousin over the last of the glazed carrots (recipe below).

But why do we universally love this? Essentially, because…evolution. 

Browned foods typically indicate that they're both safe to eat and have achieved peak deliciousness (yes, for my intents and purposes, that is the correct scientific term). Our caveman brains basically developed a built-in quality control system—if it's golden brown, it's probably not going to kill you and often indicates higher nutritional value. The Maillard reaction is also responsible for why bread forms a crust, why coffee beans turn brown when roasted, and why seared steak tastes different from boiled meat.

How to Master the Maillard

1. Keep your food dry (moisture is the enemy of browning)

2. Use higher heat (but not too high that it’s burning!)

3. Don't overcrowd the pan (steam is your nemesis)

4. Be patient (good browning takes time)

5. Season properly (salt actually helps promote the reaction)

Beyond the Bird: Three of my Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes

Miso Butter Roasted Turkey

The umami-rich miso creates an even better Maillard reaction—because science!

Brown Butter Sage Cornbread Stuffing with Roasted Chestnuts

The nutty brown butter amplifies the cornbread's natural sweetness

Cardamom-Honey Glazed Rainbow Carrots

The cardamom bridges the gap between sweet and savory

What to Gift the Chef, Mixologist,& Hostess in Your Life

You can find all of the links for the below and more, here and here!

Home Cook Gift Guide

Gifts for the Hostess Who Has Everything

Gifts for the Host That’s Got it All

Mixologist Gift Guide

Foodie Gifts Under $30

Wild Stories from Historical Dinner Parties that You Can Bring Up at Your Next One

Cleopatra's Pearl Dinner (41 BCE)

To win a bet with Mark Antony, Cleopatra dissolved a priceless pearl in vinegar and drank it like a shot. The dinner also featured an incredibly diverse (if that’s even the right word) menu of flamingo tongues, peacock brains, and fresh flowers (worth millions today) scattered across gold plates. (video)

The Roman Feast of Trimalchio

Based on Petronius' Satyricon, this feast featured edible silver utensils and live birds released from artificial eggs. Courses included dormice dipped in honey and sows' wombs stuffed with live birds.

The Field of the Cloth of Gold (1520)

Henry VIII and Francis I's diplomatic summit required building a temporary palace and consumed 2,200 sheep. Guests drank from a fountain flowing with red wine while sampling delicacies like whale meat and porpoise pudding.

The Chinese Manchu Han Imperial Feast

This three-day celebration featured 108 unique dishes that required years of preparation. Delicacies included bear paws, camel humps, monkey brains, and bird's nests served in intricate patterns representing imperial symbols.

Marie Antoinette's Wedding Feast (1770)

Eighty chefs prepared 22 main courses for 2,000 guests at Versailles. The menu included ortolans (tiny songbirds eaten whole—Anthony Bourdain has an amazing story about eating illegal ortolans in his book, Medium Raw), dishes shaped like garden scenes, and a wedding cake taller than some guests.

The Last Dinner of Pompeii

Preserved by Vesuvius's eruption, this feast featured exotic garum sauce and imported African fish. Archaeologists found half-eaten meals including eggs, fish, and bread still on the tables.

The Grand Duchess Dining Experience (1912)

The Titanic's last first-class dinner featured 10 courses including oysters, foie gras, and lamb. The dessert course included ice cream molded into a miniature Titanic, unaware of the irony to come. (video)

Einstein's Nobel Prize Dinner (1922)

Each dish was inspired by scientific principles and featured early molecular gastronomy concepts. The menu included "Theory of Relativity Roast" and "Quantum Quail," with explanatory cards linking each dish to Einstein's work.

The Dark Academia of Dinner Parties: When Etiquette Meets Psychology

The psychology behind formal dining is fascinating. Studies show that eating from proper place settings actually changes how we perceive flavor. But also…it can feel a little pretentious and inaccessible. Who really cares what fork I use for my salad? And if different cultures have such vastly different practices—the French do a course by course service à la russe, in China, a Lazy Susan is used for sharing, in Japan, you have individual place settings, but middle eastern cultures emphasize communal platters, etc.—how is one meant to keep it all straight?

But here's the thing about traditional dining rules—they're meant to be understood so they can be thoughtfully broken. Essentially, sometimes it matters to know where each fork should go, but as a 20-something living in a New York City one bedroom apartment, I am not putting out (or even owning) fish knives.

The Backstory

The modern table setting is a relatively recent invention. Before the Renaissance, people typically ate with their hands or shared utensils. The evolution of dining etiquette mirrors societal changes:

• Medieval Period: Shared plates, few utensils

• Renaissance: Individual plates introduced

• 17th Century: Individual utensils become common

• Victorian Era: Complex place settings emerge

• Modern Era: Simplified but formal rules remain

The Psychology

Research shows that dining formality affects our perception of food:

• Heavier cutlery makes food taste better

• White tablecloths increase perceived value

• Crystal glasses enhance wine enjoyment

• Proper lighting affects portion control

• Table positioning influences social interaction

Crazy Facts About Turkeys (That Big Turkey Doesn't Want You to Know)

• Turkeys were once considered such a luxury in England that they were walked from Norfolk to London wearing little booties to protect their feet? These turkey drives could take up to three months.

• Turkeys aren't from Turkey. They're native to the Americas, and the name confusion comes from a case of mistaken identity with guinea fowl, which were imported to Europe through Turkey.

• Wild turkeys can fly at speeds up to 55 mph

• Benjamin Franklin preferred the turkey to the bald eagle as America's national bird

• Native Americans used turkey feathers to make arrows more accurate

• Turkey bones were used to make early American jewelry