Thanksgiving equipment essentials
12 recommendations to ready your kitchen
The right kitchen tools can shave precious minutes off Thanksgiving dinner preparation. We spoke with Marguerite Preston, an editor at Wirecutter — a New York Times company that tests and reviews products for people who quickly want to know what to buy — and two writers for the site, Lesley Stockton and Michael Sullivan, for their Thanksgiving equipment recommendations and tips.
Serrated Knife
While nothing will beat a chef's knife for cutting raw meat, a serrated knife is an all-around workhorse for prep work as Thanksgiving approaches. Wirecutter's upgrade pick, the Tojiro bread knife, has scalloped edges that will not leave a zigzag pattern in sliced meat. It also makes easy work of bread, fruits and root vegetables. › Tojiro Bread Slicer, $58.
Flatware
You don't have to spend a fortune on extra silverware for guests who come over only a few times a year. Wirecutter suggests an inexpensive set by Ikea if you just need a few place settings to get you through the holiday. The Wirecutter flatware review includes eight more recommendations for modern and › traditional designs. Ikea Fornuft 20-piece flatware set, $7.99.
Knife Sharpener
“Before Thanksgiving Day, it's something you should think about: Are your knives sharp?” Preston said. Dull knives can be dangerous. Wirecutter picked this Chef's Choice portable sharpener as testers found it to be the easiest to use › for novice cooks. Chef’sChoice 4643 ProntoPro, $49.95.
Food Processor
The 2016 blade recall does not affect this 14-cup food processor from Cuisinart. “It's a classic design that hasn't really been beat in our test,” Sullivan said. Beyond the tasks you may already use it for — making pie dough, chopping garlic, grating cheese — put the food processor to work as a prep cook the day before Thanksgiving. It can dice mirepoix, slice potatoes and make dips and › spreads faster than you. Cuisinart Custom 14-Cup Food Processor, $199.
Table Linens
“Napkins and tablecloths are probably the cheapest and easiest way to elevate your dining table,” Stockton said. Wirecutter's top picks for both napkin and tablecloth are from Williams Sonoma. Both are 100 percent cotton, and reviewers preferred the heft of the tablecloth and softness of the napkins over the scores of other linens they tested. ›
Williams Sonoma Hotel Dinner Napkins, six for $42; Williams Sonoma Hotel Tablecloth, eight sizes, $49.95 to $79.95.
Sheet Pans
“You will never have enough of these pans in your house,” Stockton said. Wirecutter's top choice is made of heavy-gauge aluminum that resists warping at high heat. The pans, available in half and quarter sizes, are perfect for roasting vegetables, baking pies and toasting nuts. Line them with paper towels and they become a drying station for cleaned herbs or, with the addition of a folded kitchen towel, a countertop resting place for tomatoes and easily bruised › fruits. Nordic Ware Baker’s Half Sheet, $19.50.
Kitchen Towels
Towels tend to toil in the kitchen until the moment they are so stained and frayed that they have to be called rags. Even if few guests will see the ones in your kitchen, consider buying a new set. Wirecutter's top pick, from Williams Sonoma, comes in eight colors and has a waffle weave on one side and terry cloth on the other. “They have the absorbency of terry without looking like a bath towel,” Stockton › said. Williams Sonoma All-Purpose Kitchen Towel, four for $19.95.
Bluetooth Speaker
This portable waterproof speaker, the UE Roll 2, will help time fly while you're prepping for dinner, as it can connect to your phone to broadcast music, podcasts or the radio. “It's a lot more fun to cook with music,” Sullivan said. “It makes it a lot less tedious, especially when you're just prepping one thing after the › next.” UE Roll 2, $99.99.