Does Thanksgiving stress you out? If so, you’re not alone.
According to a “Today” show survey, more than half of Americans agree, that thanksgiving is stressful.
Granted, while there’s nothing we can do about your in-laws and extended family, we do have a few suggestions that’ll save you time and energy in the kitchen – not just on Thanksgiving Day, but also during the holidays, your prep work, clean-up, and every meal thereafter.
Kitchenware’s to Make Your Holiday Food Preparation Fast and Easy
A food processor that acts as your own personal sous chef.
Breville Sous Chef 12 Cup Food Processor.
Ever wish you had another pair of hands to chop herbs, slice vegetables, or puree pumpkin soup? A food processor like the 12-cup model Breville Sous Chef Food Processor can perform almost all the tedious tasks such as vegetable slicing, herbs chopping and more with the push of a button.
We particularly loved the slicing attachment with adjustable widths, as well as the large feed chute. For more options, including a budget-friendlier choice, a detailed review showing the Best Food Processors might be of great help.
A roasting oven that’ll cook your turkey – and baste it.
Oster Roaster Oven with Self-Basting Lid.
A roasting oven might be the biggest time-saver of all, because it frees up your conventional oven for side dishes. And if you want to save even more time, a roasting oven that’ll cook your turkey — and baste it, too will help you a lot during meal prep.
The electric Oster Roaster Oven with Self-Basting Lid saves even more time thanks to a self-basting lid. Plus, you can simmer gravy right in the pan from your turkey’s drippings.
A cookware set that’s dishwasher-safe.
Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad Cookware Set.
If you’d rather not spend the rest of the holiday nights scrubbing pots and pans, a stainless-steel cookware set that’s dishwasher safe is just the right kitchen utensil you need.
The Tramontina Tri-Ply Clad stainless steel 10-piece cookware set can go right in your dishwasher. During our search for quality cooking pots and pans sets, we loved how light and well-balanced the pans felt in our hands.
An instant-read meat thermometer.
Lavatools Javelin PRO Duo.
The best way to stay healthy this Thanksgiving is to make sure your turkey is fully cooked.
The Lavatools Javelin PRO Duo backlit thermometer can read the internal temperature of just about anything – from meats, breads, fishes to coffee – in less than three or four seconds.
Pro tip: make sure to check your turkey’s temperature in multiple locations.
A budget-friendly chef knife.
Victorinox Fibrox 8-Inch Chef’s Knife.
A chef’s knife is without doubt, the single most important multi-tasker in your kitchen, from carving the turkey to slicing sweet potatoes. Unless you live under the grid, you might be surprised at just how expensive chef’s knives can get.
Since it makes sense to go for a budget friendly chef knife, we particularly love this 8-inch starter knife from Victorinox, the same people who’ve manufactured Swiss army knives since 1884. If you’re looking for something higher-end, we highlighted a few in our quest to find the Best Chef Knife.
A knife sharpener to keep your knife sharp at all times.
Chef’sChoice ProntoPro 4643.
If you carve a turkey with a dull knife, you’ll wind up with flaky, uneven slices. Not to mention, dull knives are actually more dangerous than sharp ones, since they’re more likely to get caught and slip.
Our favorite sharpener is the popular Chef’sChoice ProntoPro 4643 because it’s affordable, mechanical, and works on European, American, and Japanese knives.
A voice assistant to help track (and pass) the time.
Amazon Echo (2nd Generation).
Need to set timers for six separate dishes? A voice assistant can take care of that. Plus, you’re not going to do all that cooking in silence, are you?
We recommend the Amazon Echo (2nd Generation), which comes with plenty of downloadable cooking and recipe skills in addition to its music and podcast streaming capabilities.
An Instant Pot with customizable settings
Instant Pot Ultra.
You’ve probably heard about pressure cookers, hot air cookers and other multi-functional kitchen appliances. One of such small kitchen appliances is the Instant Pot. A multi-functional electric multi cooker that can slow cook, air fry, and even make yoghurt.
The Instant Pot Ultra increases your cooking modes from seven to 10, and allows for customizable cooking thanks to an LCD display. Now you can customize one for greater control and use it in different way such as, bake a cake, prepare eggs, and sterilize.
A family-size electric warming tray
Chefman Electric Warming Tray.
A warming tray can keep Thanksgiving dinner ready-to-eat for hours. Plus, heating up leftovers is easier than ever – just take your serving dishes out of the fridge and stick them right back on the tray.
This glass-top Chefman Electric Warming Tray will certainly come in handy during the holidays and other family gatherings.
A stand mixer to save you time and energy
Cuisinart Precision Master.
What’s the most physically exhausting thing you do in the kitchen? It’s probably hand-mixing batters.
A standing food mixer lets you outsource all that elbow grease, and ensures your cookies, cakes, and other baked goods come out smooth and consistent.
For beginners, we recommend the Cuisinart Precision Master, a budget-friendly stand mixer with stylish paint options.