The Five Thanksgiving Tools You Didn't Know You Needed

We're firm believers that the hardest part of Thanksgiving Day should be waking up early to run a Turkey Trot. Cooking up a feast is the fun part, if you're prepared. Whether you're hosting your first Thanksgiving or your 20th, these are the tools you need to cook the perfect dinner (and dessert!) without breaking a sweat.

1. Silicone Pie Shield

We're not fans of single-function tools. But we're even less of a fan of burnt pie edges. So when our pies are perfectly golden-brown on the perimeter but still have a little more cooking to do in the middle, we (carefully!) drape this shield over the edges. Ten to 15 minutes later? A pie that's golden-brown all over. (By the way, you can find metal pie shields, but we like this silicone model because it's adjustable and won’t burn your hands.)

BUY IT: Adjustable Silicone Pie Shield, $8 on Amazon

2. Regency Brining Bags

Tempted to brine your turkey in a trash bag? Resist! Trash bags aren't food safe, they might have weird odors, and they're definitely not built to hold that much liquid. Instead, use one of these brining bags, which are essentially oversized, heavy-duty freezer bags. Pro tip: They're just as handy for dry-brining, since dry-brined birds still give off a lot of moisture.

BUY IT: Regency Brining Bags, $12 on Amazon

3. Turkey Baster

If you want a super-juicy turkey to emerge from your oven, you have to baste it, baste it, and baste it some more. And for that, you need a great—wait for it—baster. We love this one, because the angled tip makes it easy to suck up cooking juices from the roasting pan—even if the pan is only halfway out of the oven.

BUY IT: Tovolo Dripless Baster, $9 on Amazon

4. Poultry Lifter

No matter how you cook your turkey, one thing is certain: You will have to lift that monstrous bird from its cooking pan to a carving board—hopefully without dropping the bird on your foot. You could wear oven mitts, but...do you know where those oven mitts have been? We prefer this scary-looking lifter from OXO, which makes lifting a 24-pound turkey as easy as (perfectly golden-brown) pie.

BUY IT: OXO Poultry Lifter, $10 on Amazon

5. Digital Instant-Read Thermometer

Why do we swear by this simple, no-frills meat thermometer? Because it's magnetized and sticks to the side of the oven. Because the probe is heat-resistant up to 480°F, which means you can keep it in your turkey while it roasts. And because when you unplug the probe, it turns into a simple battery-powered timer.

BUY IT: Fantast Magnetic and Electronic Probe Thermometer $7 at Ikea

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