The food is usually the main star of the Thanksgiving table. However, days of planning and hours of prep work lead up to the main feast. I’ve been hosting Thanksgiving dinner for years since it’s one of my favorite holidays. From baking homemade pies to spatchcocking a turkey, there are a few tricks and tools that I always make sure I have on hand to make the dinner a success.
15 Must-Have Thanksgiving Dinner Tools
Here are some of my favorite Thanksgiving dinner tools that come in handy while preparing the big feast.
1.) Mixing Bowls
I love having a set of beautiful mixing bowls that are multi-purpose. Obviously, they are using for mixing ingredients. But, if you go with a pretty set of mixing bowls, you can also use them as serving dishes.
2.) Serving Platters
One can never have enough serving platters for Thanksgiving dinner. I prefer to stick with white serving platters in order to make the food the main star of the feast. I have serving platters in all shapes and sizes to accommodate the different types of recipes being made for Thanksgiving dinner.
3.) Serving Utensils
Be sure to have enough serving utensils to go with each of your serving platters.
4.) Roasting Pan
A few years ago, I discovered the deliciousness that is a spatchcocked turkey. Haven’t heard of it? Try this recipe this year. When I prepared this recipe a few years ago, my husband said, “You are never going to cook a turkey the old way again.” And I haven’t since. The meat is juicy, the skin is crispy, and the cook time is short. What’s not to love?
5.) Baking Sheets
From baking rolls to roasting veggies, having plenty of baking sheets on hand will help you quickly and efficiently prepare all sorts of side dish recipes throughout the day.
6.) Butter Dish
Be sure to set out the butter a bit in advance so that you have soft butter for the Thanksgiving dinner rolls.
7.) Gravy Boat
There’s nothing better than putting all of the food on the plate and then drizzling gravy over the turkey and mashed potatoes. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Find a gravy boat that is deep enough to hold all of that yummy gravy.
8.) Dish Towels
Preparing Thanksgiving dinner can create quite a mess. I find myself running the dishwasher a few times throughout the day, as well as hand washing a lot of the cookware items. It’s important to stay on top of the mess so that you don’t get overwhelmed. Having plenty of dishtowels on hand can help you tackle the mess in no time and get you back to the more important tasks … like checking on the pie.
9.) Pie Dish
I love the pie dishes that have the edges to them. Why? Because bending and folding the pie crust into decorative shapes and patterns is not my forte. The pie dishes that already have the decorate design along the edge are perfect for beautiful pies.
10.) Textiles
Place a table runner on your table or set out place mats at each table setting. Also, I love using linen napkins during special occasions. You could even set out flour sack towels to serve as napkins during the big feast. Here are 20 tips and ideas for rustic table settings that will be perfect for Thanksgiving dinner. Hosting a dinner party can be stressful. You have to consider the menu, the seating arrangements, the table decor, the flower arrangements … the list can go on and on. One thing that I have found over the years is that if I get the task of table setting out of the way first, everything else falls into place nicely. Here’s my favorite tip for setting a table. Also, throw on an apron to help catch the spills and splatters.
11.) Water Glasses
I’m all about the rustic table setting so I often opt for setting out mason jars to serve as water glasses. Mason jars are the perfect way to add a bit of rustic charm to any table setting.
12.) Water Pitcher
Instead of having to get up from your seat to serve people water, have a pitcher on the table filled with water so that dinner guests can easily pour more water into their glasses throughout the meal.
13). Wine Glasses
Because, wine. After a day of cooking, that first sip of wine will hit the spot. Need I say more?
14.) Wine Decanter
If you’re serving red wine during the feast, be sure to open up the bottle in advance of the dinner. Pour the wine into the decanter to allow it to breathe a bit before sipping.
15.) Music
We recently purchased an Amazon Echo and can’t imagine life without it. Seriously, the sound quality is amazing and the convenience is plain awesome. No, I’m not getting paid to say all of this. If you don’t want to purchase an Amazon Echo, then find a way to have some music playing throughout the day to keep you going. Also, be sure to play music during the dinner to create the perfect ambiance.
These are just a few of the items that have helped me prepare Thanksgiving dinner over the years. They are must-haves for me as I work to make every Thanksgiving dinner a success.
What are some of your must-have Thanksgiving dinner tools?
Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links.
Leave a Reply