Cooking icon Martha Stewart has issued a very divisive piece of advice about the perfect time to serve Thanksgiving dinner—insisting that anyone hosting loved ones this holiday would do well to follow her guidelines for ensuring no guest goes hungry on the big day.
Stewart, 84, has been doling out Thanksgiving tips and tricks for decades now, including an array of recipes, decorating suggestions, and ingenious methods for repurposing leftovers.
But her latest piece of holiday wisdom sparked something of a debate, after she revealed the exact time she believes the Thanksgiving Day meal should be served.
“Two o’clock in the afternoon,” she said during an appearance on the “Today” show, before elaborating: “People are hungry and they’re starting to circle the kitchen, if you have a bunch of guests. You don’t want to wait until it’s nighttime.”
Stewart went on to note that if you serve dinner on the earlier side, it will give everyone more opportunity to enjoy quality time together—suggesting that you can always hold back dessert until later in the day to extend the festivities.
“You can eat and then watch the big game, then have more drinks and have fun,” she went on. “And eat dessert later.”
While “Today” hosts Craig Melvin, Dylan Dreyer, and Laura Jarrett nodded along in agreement as Stewart shared her Thanksgiving schedule, some viewers were left stunned by the suggestion.
“What the hell, we’ve been eating at noon,” one person commented on a Facebook post featuring a video of Stewart’s advice.
“Straight up NOON! My mother is a stickler, Grace is said and we eat. You want it hot and ready [at] 12,” another added.
Others noted that, while they try to stick to a loose schedule, the timing of their meal is usually determined by one very important factor: whenever the turkey is properly cooked.
“My goal is 4:30, but the turkey decides! I baste a lot!!” one person revealed.
“I serve it when it’s done. When I’m ready. Don’t bother me until the parade is over … unless you have wine,” another commenter joked.
Others noted that 2 p.m. conflicts with “nap time” for their children, explaining that they have to schedule their meal around other important activities during the day.
However, when it came to scheduling the meal, there was one key consensus—that the timing be worked around the two NFL games taking place on the day.
This year will actually see three games taking place on Thanksgiving Day, including a matchup between the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions, which is due to take place at 1 p.m. ET, thereby conflicting with Stewart’s ideal mealtime.
The Kansas City Chiefs and the Dallas Cowboys are due to follow at 4:25 p.m. ET, while the Cincinnati Bengals and the Baltimore Ravens round out the day with their 8:20 p.m. ET game.
While Stewart did not reveal where she is planning to host Thanksgiving this year, she has previously welcomed friends and family to her 150-acre Katonah, NY, spread, which she purchased in 2000.
The lifestyle guru moved to the dwelling from her former home in Westport, CT—a farm known as Turkey Hill, which she owned with her ex-husband, Andy Stewart.
In 2007, the TV personality decided to place that home on the market, as she was spending more time at her historic property in Connecticut.
Stewart regularly shares glimpses inside her Katonah property, particularly around the holidays, when she opens the doors to the home to show off her festive decor.
Just last week, the cooking expert was able to get some new interior design inspiration when she was taken on a tour of a stunning $50 million Gilded Age mansion that was owned by late fitness guru Lucille Roberts.
Stewart was given a special tour of the property, which is the largest private residence in Manhattan, while getting a first look at the array of incredible items that are now being auctioned off by Roberts’ family, who have finally managed to sell the exercise icon’s home after a 13-year battle to find a buyer.
The extraordinary townhouse, which served as Roberts’ primary residence until her death in 2003, was first put on the market for the sky-high price of $90 million in 2012, when it earned the short-lived title of New York City’s most expensive townhome.
However, in the years since, it has undergone several very significant price cuts, with the latest list price placed at $49.9 million, although it is unclear whether the buyer actually offered that full sum.
According to property records that anonymous buyer went into contract on the 20,000-square-foot townhouse on Oct. 27—and Roberts’ family is now making preparations to clear out the dwelling and ready it for its new steward, starting with an auction of the fitness legend’s many personal possessions.
In a post shared on her Instagram, Stewart did her part to try to promote that sale, urging her followers to bid on the many unique lots, which have starting bids of up to $10,000 each.
“I took a little detour this morning on the way to work stopping at [4] East 80th Street at an amazing 27,000-square-foot mansion,” Stewart wrote, while sharing several photos from inside the townhome.
“My friend is the man chosen by the former owners to dispose of many of the contents of the house prior to the new owners taking ownership. Look online tomorrow to find out how to see the contents and how to bid on them.”
The second flick in Stewart’s carousel saw the man in charge of the auction, Frank Kaminski, standing in front of the sprawling building.
Stewart also gave her millions of followers a glimpse at some of the luxe items that would be on display at the auction, including a chic painting and a small gold sculpture.