Behind every beautiful meal is a kitchen filled with essential equipment. Thanksgiving is the Super Bowl of cooking for home cooks. It’s important to make sure all of your knives are sharp, meat thermometers work, and all of your equipment is in good shape for the holiday.

I learned the hard way how important it is to make sure your tools are ready to go. I’ve had Thanksgiving prep go terribly wrong with a dull knife or pulling my beautiful bird out of the oven only to discover my meat thermometer’s battery had died! UGH.

Here is my list of 10 Essential Thanksgiving tools to help make your work in the kitchen easier, faster, and more enjoyable.

Enjoy!

1. baking sheets  I use these baking sheets to roast vegetables, bake, roast nuts, and prep. I find them indispensable and have them in various sizes.

2. glass bowls  I love stacked glass bowls! They are easy to store and perfect for every day use and event cooking like Thanksgiving dinner.

3. zester  Sometimes it’s the unsung little tools in the kitchen that make the biggest different. I use a zester for a hit of citrus and even a quick grate of parmesan cheese.

4. all clad roaster I use All Clad pans in my kitchen. I like the way they evenly distribute heat and last a lifetime. This is dream cookware!

5. cutting board A great cutting board is critical in a busy kitchen. This one is functional, beautiful, and sits on my counter all day ready to go.

6. plastic containers Use these quart containers to keep stock measured and ready to go! I also use these to store my prep work and send guests home with leftovers.

7. glass water bottles I keep these simple glass water bottles on the table for guests. The last thing you want to do after you make a beautiful Thanksgiving dinner is have to pop up to refill water glasses!

8. meat thermometer The best way to know if meat is cooked to the right temperature. 

9. kitchen scale I use my digital kitchen scale for precise measurements in baking and measurement conversions. 

10. napkins Don’t forget cocktail napkins for the bar! These napkins are fantastic to keep on hand. They are washable up to 6 times are look very elegant.  They come in various sizes like cocktail, lunch, and dinner. 

Thanksgiving is my Super Bowl. For the food obsessed, a holiday that focuses on a great meal is pretty much everything. It’s the most indulgent holiday with tons of starchy sides, veggies that are dressed up for the occasion, and an insane amount of dessert. When it comes to Thanksgiving, I’m all in.

As soon as the calendar flips to November, I start planning Thanksgiving. Nothing crazy but I do invite my guests and start sketching out a preliminary menu. If I need rentals for seating, I make sure to get that order in to secure what I need.

Since Thanksgiving is on my mind, I thought I would share a great tip with you. You know how you have that one weak spot in your entertaining game? Mine is that I always forget cocktail napkins for the bar. Seriously, I have everything ready to go and an hour before guests arrive I realize I need cocktail napkins. My friend turned me on to these napkins and they are a game changer. No more running around town hoping to find the right cocktail napkin.

 

These perfect napkins are reusable and come in a wide variety of colors.  They are 100% cotton, look like nice linen, and you can wash and re-use them up to 6 times. They come on a roll with a perforated edge and you tear off what you need. The napkins come in sizes for cocktails, lunch, and dinner. They are super practical and very elegant. I order these online and always have them on hand for guests.

Enjoy!

Cotton Cocktail Napkin found here.

Cotton Dinner Napkin found here.