Bobby Flay Offers Up Hellmann's Tips For Real Holiday Helpings

Last week, I had the opportunity to meet Bobby Flay and take part in a cooking demonstration alongside several NYC bloggers. The celebrity chef has teamed up with Hellmann's Mayo to come up with some amazing recipes we can use during this holiday season.

I don't really use too much mayo in my day-to-day cooking routine, so I was very interested to see what Bobby would come up with. I am SO happy I went because he opened my eyes to a brand new ingredient! Here is a list of what Bobby cooked for us.

• Roasted Green Beans with Almond Aioli
• Hot Italian Cheese Toast (holy moly)
• Tandoori Style Roasted Turkey
• Turkey Cuban Sandwich

Ah-mazing. I am absolutely going to make ALL of them. If you click on those links, you can get the recipes AND see a video of Bobby in action.

We also talked a bit about his plans for Thanksgiving. Each year, Bobby themes the holiday and this month is all about New England. He is going to incorporate lobster, clams, and blueberries. My mouth was watering just hearing it. Imagine going to eat Thanksgiving at BOBBY FLAY'S house? The Food Network star admitted that he has about 50 guests on the big day and no invitations are ever sent out. People just come and no one ever says no.

Throughout the demonstration, we got to ask Bobby a few questions and he offered up the following cooking tips for Thanksgiving:

Click on the continue reading link below to see what he had to say. Lots of great tips here!!

• Don't stuff your bird unless you are cooking for 4 to 5 people. Anything more than that and you should make the stuffing in its own pan. Doing it this way also allows you to add texture to the side dish. You can't get a crispy top inside the turkey.
• If you want to try to make your own stuffing, stale the bread 2 days in advance.
• Clean out your spice rack once a year. When you change your battery in your smoke alarm, head straight to your spice cupboard. Otherwise, they lose the flavors they are supposed to have.
• When using mayo, consider adding some type of citrus to it. It thins out the mixture and adds a punch.
• Don't brine the turkey. It's unnecessary and unless you have a huge restaurant kitchen, you probably aren't equipped to do it properly.

How does Bobby make his turkey on the big day?

Rinse, Clean, Pat, Dry, Season with salt and pepper. Chop carrots, celery, onion, chicken stock and butter - place on bottom on pan. Put turkey on top of mixture. Oven at 350 degrees and roast. Baste every 20 minutes and cook it slowly. Make a glaze and put it on the last half hour. Ta da! Don't go crazy. Keep it simple.

Let the bird rest for an hour before serving.

Tip of the day: HOT CHICKEN STOCK. Add it to everything before serving. It will warm up all the side dishes that have been out resting. It adds moisture back to the dishes as well.

If you are just cooking a turkey breast - start at 425 degrees for 20 minutes and then turn it down to 350 for an hour.

And don't forget to get a meat thermometer! Every cook should have one. 170 degrees and your bird is done.