Will this be your first year making a Thanksgiving meal for the family and you don’t know what you’ll need? There’s no need to worry because I have the list of ‘must-have’ Thanksgiving kitchen tools to make meal prep easier!
Making Thanksgiving dinner for the first time can be a terrifying task. I know my first year making a Thanksgiving meal was quite the kitchen event. I didn’t think about the kitchen tools I would need and just winged it – big mistake! I didn’t realize that having the right kitchen tools would make such a HUGE difference, so to help you avoid my mistake, I’ve put together this list of ‘must-have’ Thanksgiving kitchen tools to add to your stash. Remember, think of your kitchen tools as your toolbox. You wouldn’t build a house without the right tools, so why cook a meal without the right tools?
‘Must-Have’ Thanksgiving Kitchen Tools
For each item, I have listed a minimum of 3 options to help fit any budget – inexpensive to high-end. I highly suggest reading the reviews on these products to determine which is the best product to fit your budget.
Roasting Pan
Investing in a roasting pan is a good idea. Most come with easy to grab handles to help make transporting a heavy turkey from the oven to the table/counter safer. In addition, many can be used as a lasagna pan or stove-top vessel (read descriptions to verify).
Cooking Twine/Ties
Trussing is a personal thing and isn’t really necessary. Most do it for appearances, so if you are planning a party and want the turkey legs positioned a certain way, truss away!
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Fat Separator
If you plan on making your own gravy from the turkey drippings, you’ll need one of these. Trust me, it makes separating the fat from all the good bits SO much faster and easier.
Turkey Baster
I tried using a spoon to get to the drippings and almost cooked my hands and scorched my face – ouch! Using a turkey baster will allow you to get all the drippings without giving yourself an unwanted heat treatment.
Potato Masher
Nothing beats a side of fresh hot buttery mashed potatoes – yum! I’ll admit, I’ve used my kitchen mixer head as a mashing tool, but when you’ve got 5 lbs. of potatoes to mash you’ll want a larger surface area to mash potatoes. And since mashed potatoes is serious business at our house, a potato masher is a must for us. I often enlist the help of my little kitchen helpers and using a potato masher quickly turns 5 lbs. of potatoes into their favorite side in a few minutes.
Thermometer
The turkey is the main star and nobody wants to serve a dry overcooked turkey, but how do you know when it’s ready? Take the guessing out of the equation and make sure your turkey is cooked to perfection by using a thermometer to ensure it’s done just right!
Timer
Keeping track of multiple cook times can be difficult with one oven timer. Pick up another timer for side dishes, pies, and any other dish that might be going into the oven together to make sure it comes out at just the right time.
Baking/Casserole Dish
I just recently broke one of my baking dishes and I already miss it. Lucky for me, I had two 9″x 13″ dishes and losing one wasn’t the end of the world. But baking dishes are great for preparing vegetables, stuffing, and so much more! Plus, it’s great to vessel to go from the oven to the table.
If you aren’t able to buy all the tools, slowly build your stash and buy the best you can afford to make cooking a fun adventure.
What are your ‘must-have’ Thanksgiving kitchen tools?
More fall ideas –
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Erlene, this was a great idea for a post! And I was glad to see the roasting pans with fixed handles. I have the Calphalon stainless steel and love it. Newer cooks should make up their minds right now to spring for a good stainless roasting pan that can be used on top of the stove, too, for the deglazing and gravy making. Don’t make-do with disposable foil pans or other cheap pans. And I love the OXO Good Grips potato masher. That big squishy handle really saves the hand when mashing huge quantities.
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Great list of products! I have a box that I keep all my thanksgiving stuff in so I know it’s all together when its timw
Thanksgiving dinner is always held at my house and I’m still in denial that it’s almost here! This list reminds me that I need a new potato masher!
Oh wow, what great kitchen tools! We don’t have thanksgiving here in the UK but they would be perfect for Christmas. I love Amazon too as they deliver super fast if you have Prime membership!
Louise
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So much fun getting ready for Thanksgiving! I love having a nice sized cutting board and I can never have enough casserole dishes!
I am happy to say i am not cooking this Thanksgiving. We are going to Disney instead. So excited.
That is exciting! My oldest daughter loves Disney and would enjoy having Thanksgiving there.
We try to a holiday every year at Disney. Last year we did Christmas this year it’s Thanksgiving so we are excited.
Such a great compilation of must-have tools and gadgets! I’m slowly building up my cabinet, buying a few new pieces every year. Bookmarking this to refer to again and again!
It’s always the twine and trussing items we don’t have! I have taken precautions and already purchased those for this year!
Baking dishes and thermometers get a workout in our kitchen for Thanksgiving!
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The roasting pan is so important! I also like to have a nice big wooden carving board.
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