Thanksgiving Heat & Feast

How to heat your feast

Name: Miz Kathi's Cotillion Southern Cafe & Sweetery
Address: 101 North Main Street, Wildwood, FL, 34785-4048, US
Telephone: (352) 748-1223
Price range: $$

Everything comes to you cold, packed in oven-ready foil pans, microwavable containers and deli containers. Here is how to get it all to the table hot at the same time, without drying out the turkey.

Download the printable guide (PDF)Questions? Call (352) 748-1223

Heat to 165°F in the centerEverything at 325°FTurkey goes in last

Read this first

Before you start

Keep everything in the refrigerator until you heat it. Don’t leave it out more than 2 hours.
The foil pans go straight into the oven with their foil lids. Never put a foil pan in the microwave.
Deli containers and the 28 oz containers are not oven-safe. Use the microwave, or move the food into an oven dish.
Check the center with a food thermometer: everything hot should reach 165°F.
Stir the smashed potatoes and mac & cheese halfway through heating.

What your food comes in
Container	Oven	Microwave
Foil pan (⅓, ½ or full size), with a foil lidAbout 3½ in deep	Yes	Never
28 oz microwavable containerAbout 1½ lb	No	Yes, lid vented
Pint deli container16 oz	No	Lid off, short bursts
Quart deli container32 oz	No	Lid off, short bursts

Plan by package size

How long it takes

Find your package, then count back from dinner time.

The sides in rounds, the turkey last

Everything hot heats at 325°F, covered, the turkey too, so you never change the oven temperature.
Plan on about 4 pans per oven at a time, two per rack. Count every pan, turkey included.
Allow about 1 hour per round of ½ pans, and about 45 minutes per round of ⅓ pans.
The turkey goes in the last round, covered, with ½ cup of broth or water in the pan, so it comes out at dinner time and never waits on the counter.
Cornbread, wrapped in foil, goes in for the last 10–15 minutes, in any open rack space. Or microwave it 15–20 seconds per piece.
Feeds 1–3: heat the turkey and the foil-wrapped cornbread together in the oven, and microwave the sides while the turkey heats.
Feeds 4–12: 2 rounds. Start round 2 (the turkey and the rest of the sides) as soon as round 1 (sides only) comes out. Round 1 waits covered, no more than 1 hour; if round 2 runs long, return round 1 to the oven for round 2’s last 10–15 minutes. If anything has cooled, rewarm it to 165°F.
Feeds 13–50: once a round is hot, it goes straight into hot-holding (see below). Never leave a round sitting out on the counter.

Keeping it safe until dinner

Keep finished pans covered. Hot food has to stay at 140°F or above until it’s served. A covered pan on the counter drops below that within about an hour.

Feeds 1–12: finished sides can wait covered on the counter, but no more than 1 hour before serving. The turkey goes straight from the oven to the table.
Feeds 13–50: you need a way to keep food hot. Use one of these:
- The free chafing dishes with Sterno. We strongly suggest them for big orders: tick the box when you order.
- A second oven, or electric roaster ovens, at about 170–200°F.
- Heat in waves. Put the turkey in the wave that comes out at dinner time. Heat only what fits in 1–2 rounds right before serving, keep everything else in the refrigerator, and heat it while the first pans are being eaten.
Never leave food out more than 2 hours in total.
Before serving, check that everything is at 165°F. If anything has cooled, rewarm it to 165°F.

Oven space for big orders

Plan on about 4 pans per oven at a time, turkey pans included.
Up to 40 has 4 turkey pans: they fill the last round. Up to 50 has 5: split them across the last 2 rounds (hold the first turkey round hot with the sides), or use a roaster oven.
Wrapped cornbread can go in any open rack space during the last round, or be warmed in the microwave (15–20 seconds per piece).

Start to table, by package
Package	Plan	Allow
The Intimate TableFeeds 1–3	Sides in the microwave; turkey and cornbread in the oven together	about 45 min
The Family TableFeeds 4–7	2 rounds (turkey in round 2)	1½–2 hours
The GatheringFeeds 8–12	2 rounds (turkey in round 2)	2–2½ hours
The HomecomingFeeds 13–20	3 rounds; hold each round hot	3–3½ hours
The ReunionUp to 30	4 rounds; hold hot	about 4 hours
The Grand ReunionUp to 40	5 rounds; hold hot	about 5 hours
The Big TableUp to 50	5 rounds; hold hot	5–5½ hours

A second oven or an electric roaster oven roughly halves the time.

What the hot food comes in, by package
Package	Turkey	Each hot side	Gravy	Cornbread
The Intimate TableFeeds 1–3	1 × ⅓ pan	1 × 28 oz container	1 pint	1 × ⅓ pan (6 pieces)
The Family TableFeeds 4–7	1 × ½ pan	1 × ⅓ pan	1 quart	1 × ½ pan (12 pieces)
The GatheringFeeds 8–12	2 × ½ pan	1 × ½ pan	1 quart + 1 pint	1 × ½ pan (18 pieces, stacked)
The HomecomingFeeds 13–20	2 × ½ pan	2 × ½ pan	2 quarts	2 × ½ pan (15 pieces each, stacked)
The ReunionUp to 30	3 × ½ pan	2 × ½ pan	3 quarts	2 × ½ pan (23 + 22 pieces, stacked)
The Grand ReunionUp to 40	4 × ½ pan	3 × ½ pan	4 quarts	3 × ½ pan (20 pieces each, stacked)
The Big TableUp to 50	5 × ½ pan	3 × ½ pan	5 quarts	3 × ½ pan (25 pieces each, stacked)

The five hot sides each come in the size shown. Gravy comes in pint or quart deli containers. Cornbread pieces are stacked in the pan when there are more than fit in one layer.

Step by step

Turkey and the hot sides

Herb-Roasted Turkey Breast

Heat it last, in the final round, so it comes out at dinner time. Oven at 325°F, covered.

Add ½ cup of broth or water to the pan, and cover it.
Whole breast: about 45–60 min, until the center reaches 165°F.
Carved slices: about 25–35 min.
Feeds 1–3 (a 2 lb piece): about 25–30 min, with the foil-wrapped cornbread in the oven beside it.
Check that the center is at 165°F, then serve it straight from the oven. It never waits on the counter.

Turkey dries out easily, so don’t overheat it. Carve a whole breast across the grain just before serving.

Garlic Smashed Potatoes

Make a well in the center and add milk:

¼ cup for a 28 oz container
½ cup for a ⅓ pan
¾ cup per ½ pan

Cover, heat at 325°F, and stir halfway. Microwave option for the 28 oz container: 3 min, stir, then 1-minute bursts.

Apple & Sausage Cornbread Dressing

Add broth or water:

¼ cup for a 28 oz container
½ cup for a ⅓ pan
¾ cup per ½ pan

Bake covered at 325°F. Uncover for the last 10 min if you want a crispy top.

Candied Pecan Sweet Potato Bake

Bake covered at 325°F.
Uncover for the last 5–10 min to re-toast the marshmallows.

Watch it closely: marshmallows burn fast.

Green Bean Casserole

Bake covered at 325°F.
Uncover for the last 5 min.

Baked Cheddar Mac & Cheese

Bake covered at 325°F.
Stir in a splash of milk if it looks thick.
Uncover for the last 5 min.

Roasted Herb Turkey Gravy

Put it in a saucepan with a splash of water (about ¼ cup per quart).
Heat over medium, whisking, until it simmers. Whisk out any lumps.
Microwave option: heat in a microwave-safe bowl in 1-minute bursts, stirring between bursts.

At a glance

Oven times

Approximate times at 325°F, covered, straight from the refrigerator
Container	Time
28 oz container moved to an oven dish	25–30 min
⅓ pan (3–4 lb)	35–45 min
½ pan (4–6½ lb)	45–60 min

These times are for one pan at a time. A full oven heats more slowly, so add 10–15 min and rotate the pans halfway through.

No oven needed

Everything else

Fixings

Orange Rosemary Cranberry Sauce: Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Whipped Honey Butter: Set it out 30 min before dinner so it spreads.
Cornbread: Wrap in foil and warm at 325°F for 10–15 min, in any open rack space during the last round (Feeds 1–3: in the oven with the turkey). Or microwave 15–20 sec per piece.
Harvest Salad: Keep it cold. Shake the dressing, then toss the greens, toppings and dressing together just before serving.
Dixie Dust: Sprinkle it on the turkey, potatoes, or leftovers. Then keep the bottle.

Pies

Keep them refrigerated.

Pumpkin and Sweet Potato: Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Pecan: Serve at room temperature, or warm 10 min at 300°F.
Cherry Yum Yum (Trifle): Serve cold.

Make-ahead tips

The night before

Clear room in the refrigerator before pickup day.
Use a thermometer.
Line up serving spoons the night before.
Leftovers keep 3–4 days in the refrigerator.

Questions while you heat? Call us at (352) 748-1223.

Download the printable guide (PDF)Back to Thanksgiving