As you prepare for the big turkey day, there are some things that you can get for your kitchen that will make your life so much easier. Time is important when preparing for a big meal. So having the right tools at your disposal will save you time and stress. Some of these things are pretty obvious, while others are things you might not have thought of before.
1. Roasting Pan
You need something to cook your turkey in, that is where the roasting pan comes in. Most come with a rack that you can place the turkey on to make taking it from the oven to the plate you will carve it on easy. Pick a heavy duty roasting pan. Don't go for the dirt cheap ones you find so often this time of year. Thin pan don't distribute heat very well. So this is an item you want to invest you money in. You can use these pans for more than just turkey, they are great for beef roasts or whole chickens. You can also place them over two burners to use as a really wide pan, great for making gravy with your pan drippings.
2. Electric Knife
This item differs from the roasting pan in that it is alright to go with a cheaper model. Alton Brown (of Good Eats fame) even recommends picking one up at your local hardware store. You don't want to be carving the turkey without one of these things. It's a must have. They are also great for slicing any roast and even cutting up a loaf of bread.
3. Probe Thermometer
In a post earlier this week, I spoke about those pop-up timers found in turkeys (click here to read that post). I recommended that you ignore the pop-up timer and use a probe thermometer instead. This will tell you exactly when your turkey is done and you can watch the progress as it cooks. I also use them for any meat I roast in the oven.
4. Electric Skillet
Whenever I am find myself in a situation in which I have to bring a side dish to a potluck or family meal, I think to think of a way to use my electric skillet. This enables me to heat or re-heat my food easily in the last minute, so that is it pipping hot when it is time to eat. One dish I cooked for last Thanksgiving was Alton Brown's Creamed Corn.
5. Heating Pad
You might not think of this one, but a heating pad is great to have for Thanksgiving. Just like the electric skillet is a way to keep food warm, so is a heating pad. Let's say you are making some yeast rolls. You can set them on a heating pad turned to low and keep them warm until it's time to eat. Keeping all the food warm is one of the biggest challenges on Thanksgiving day, so it's great to have tools that you can use to accomplish this.
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