Stocking up on essential kitchenware ahead of time will facilitate an easier cooking process on the day of. Whether you already have some of these supplies lying around, or you’ve never hosted Thanksgiving before and are starting from scratch, here are seven kitchen tools that will help you prepare the perfect Thanksgiving feast.

Roasting Pan

A roasting pan is essential for big holiday gatherings, whether you’re whipping up a Thanksgiving turkey, a Christmas goose, or even an Easter ham. When it comes to material, stainless steel roasting pans are the way to go, as they provide durability while also being easy to clean. This Cuisinart 16-inch roasting pan is a reliable option, as it’s large enough to fit a substantial bird in the event you’re cooking for a crowd. The stainless steel provides even heat distribution, and the elevated metal rack allows fat to drain off the turkey into the pan below, which you can use to make a flavorful gravy.

Turkey Fryer

While roasted turkeys are a Thanksgiving staple, you may want to switch things up and prepare the bird a different way. We recommend deep frying your turkey and using this propane-powered turkey fryer from Char-Broil to do so. Deep frying the turkey offers a wide range of benefits that traditional roasting fails to provide. First and perhaps most notably, it’s quicker — you can cook an entire bird in less than an hour. The oil also produces crispy, crackling skin that’s absolutely delicious.

Pie Dish

Thanksgiving isn’t complete without a pie ( … or three or seven), so it’s important to stock up on plenty of pie dishes. This sleek glass pie plate from OXO is microwave-safe, oven-safe, and dishwasher-safe, and it can be transferred from the cool freezer to the hot oven without cracking. It also comes with a tight-fitting lid to protect your freshly baked pecan pie en route to Friendsgiving or keep it warm while you take a post-dinner, tryptophan-induced nap.

Meat Thermometer

Just because a turkey looks crisp and golden on the outside doesn’t mean that it’s heated all the way through. There’s arguably nothing worse than taking a turkey out of the oven and carving into it, only to realize that it’s completely raw. Rather than risk sending your guests home with salmonella poisoning, use a meat thermometer to guarantee the turkey has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees. This NutriChef meat thermometer not only gives accurate temperature readings but also features Bluetooth technology so you can check the temp from an app on your smartphone. Forget about opening the oven every few minutes to check — you can keep tabs on the turkey from the comfort of your couch.

Carving Board and Knife

When it’s finally time to carve the turkey, a standard cutting board and a dull knife simply won’t do. You’ll need tools that are sturdy enough to handle the job, like this extra-large bamboo carving board from Greener Chef. This durable carving board comes with built-in spikes that keep the turkey stationary as you cut it, as well as a reservoir and pour spout to catch any natural juices. As for the knife, this electric carving knife from Hamilton Beach features a 120-watt motor and a serrated, stainless steel blade to easily cut through turkey, bread, or even soft cheeses. It also comes with a carving fork for added stability, ensuring the turkey won’t go flying off the counter as you cut into it.

Casserole Dishes

Between the mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, stuffing, mac and cheese, and roasted vegetables — we could go on — making Thanksgiving dinner may require more dishes than you currently have in your cupboards. We recommend stocking up on basic casserole dishes, like this four-piece set from NutriChef. These glass, rectangular dishes are oven-safe and dishwasher-safe, making post-dinner cleanup a cinch. They come in a variety of sizes, ranging from 0.9 to 3.2 quarts, and boast BPA-free lids so you can easily store any leftovers.

Gravy Separator

Gravy is essential for any Thanksgiving dinner, but the fattier it is, the more likely it is to ruin an otherwise delicious plate of food. Enter the gravy separator — an incredible tool that removes excess fat from up to 4 cups of gravy. Just pour your gravy through the strainer to remove large chunks, then allow the fat to settle at the top. Once the fat has fully separated, use the bottom release function to pour your greaseless gravy into a serving bowl.

Once you have all of these tools at your disposal, preparing Thanksgiving dinner will be a breeze. Your guests will be delighted by how organized you seem and how delicious everything tastes. In fact, they’ll probably have such a wonderful time that they’ll ask you to host again next year — whether you were planning to or not.

My Turkey Came Out Dry

If your turkey is dry, it usually means the bird has been overcooked. Turkey must reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit, tested with a thermometer, to be food-safe. Beyond that temperature, though, breast meat dries out quickly. 

Your only fix is to moisten the meat. Gravy is your friend, and a slightly thin one works better than a thick one. If you have extra turkey broth or chicken broth on hand, you can use it to stretch the gravy you’ve already made. Alternatively, you can heat the broth, drizzle it right over the turkey meat, and let it stand for 10 to 15 minutes.

A few simple rules will help avoid a dry turkey in the future:

1. Don’t rely on a pop-up thermometer that came in the bird. They’re usually inaccurate, so use an instant-read or meat thermometer instead.

2. Don’t cook your stuffing in the cavity of the turkey. It needs to reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit to be food-safe, and by the time it gets there, your bird will be overcooked. There are ways to stuff the turkey safely, but it’s easier to make your stuffing in a separate dish.

3. Consider alternative methods. Separating the top half, or crown, from the bottom half of the turkey means you can roast them separately. (Don’t worry, you can still stack them back together if you like to carve at the table.) As a chef, I’m a big fan of spatchcocking, or butterflying, my bird. When flattened, the turkey cooks more quickly, stays juicy, and the skin becomes beautifully crisp.

4. Brine your turkey. Brining helps the meat stay moist, even if it spends too long in the oven.

My Mashed Potatoes Are Watery

Mashed potatoes may come out watery if you’ve cooked them for too long, or left the spuds in the water too long before draining. Russets are especially prone to this problem. Here are a few easy fixes for runny mashed potatoes: 

1. Leave the pot of mashed potatoes on a low burner, stirring frequently to evaporate excess moisture. This works best when the potatoes are only a bit watery; otherwise, it takes too long.

2. Cook another potato and mash it into the watery ones. The fastest way to do this is in the microwave, where it can cook in 3 to 6 minutes (way quicker than boiling more water).

3. Add some instant mashed potato flakes. It’s a good idea to keep a box of these on hand over the holidays anyway, in case you need extra mashed potatoes in a hurry. If you stir a half-cup or so into your watery potatoes and let them sit for a few minutes, they’ll stiffen right up.

The same fixes also work if you’ve been overenthusiastic about adding milk or cream to your spuds. On the other hand, if you find that your potatoes are now dry or too stiff, you can carefully add a splash or two of warm milk, cream, or melted butter to moisten and enrich them.

My Mashed Potatoes Are Gummy

Potatoes get gummy when you mash them too enthusiastically — especially if you use a stand mixer or food processor to do the work. This happens because too many of the potatoes’ starch cells get broken up, releasing that gummy starch into your mash.

There are a few remedies you can try:

1. Stir melted butter into the gummy potatoes. It lubricates the starch molecules and helps keep them from glomming together in a sticky mouthful.

2. If you have time, mix the failed mashed potatoes with a creamier batch. Cook more potatoes, and mash them (gently!) with some hot milk or cream and melted butter. Then fold in the gummy potatoes, a scoop or two at a time, until there’s enough for your guests or the gumminess starts to become detectable again. Combining this with the first tip and adding more butter also helps.

3. Use instant mashed potatoes in the same way, especially if you don’t have enough time or extra spuds to cook more from scratch.

4. Turn the gummy potatoes into a casserole. Stir in extra butter (and optionally, cheese) and top them with breadcrumbs for a textural contrast that will mask the potatoes’ gumminess. Give the dish 10 to 15 minutes in a hot oven to brown up before serving.

Of course, if you have enough potatoes and can manage the time, your best alternative is to make a whole new batch. You can use the gummy potatoes for a different meal (potato soup, perhaps). 

My Gravy Is Lumpy

Gravy enhances many dishes in a holiday meal, so it’s frustrating when it doesn’t come out as well as you’d like. Lumps are a minor irritation and easy to fix, but ideally, something you’d like to avoid.

Once the gravy is made, there are two relatively quick fixes:

1. Pour the gravy through a wire mesh strainer to catch the lumps.

2. Blitz the gravy with an immersion blender to break up the lumps.

As for why it happens, that depends on how you make your gravy. If you first make a roux with flour and either butter or fat from the turkey, you’ve probably stirred in the broth too quickly. Take it slowly, and whisk often as you pour. It also helps if you set aside some cold broth and use that first, only adding hot broth once the roux is well hydrated.

If you make your gravy by stirring cornstarch or flour into cold water to form a slurry, lumps usually come from pouring too quickly and not whisking enough. You may also get lumps in your slurry if you haven’t whisked the ingredients thoroughly, and those survive in the finished gravy.

My Stuffing Is Soggy

Most forms of stuffing call for a dry, starchy ingredient (usually bread, sometimes cornbread) mixed with aromatic flavorings and some broth. If your stuffing comes out soggy, it typically means you used too much broth or didn’t uncover the pan soon enough so it could crisp and lose moisture to evaporation. 

This situation is a tough one to fix. If you happen to have a box of instant stuffing in your pantry, you can stir the dried bread from that into your soggy stuffing. Then, microwave it, or return it to the oven if time permits, and the dried bread should absorb enough moisture to fix the stuffing. You could also heat it in the microwave or regular oven, stirring frequently, to allow excess moisture to evaporate. Instant mashed potato flakes can help here, too. They will change the consistency and flavor of your stuffing, but only slightly.

The Skin on My Turkey Is Flabby and Pale

You’ll find that this is a common problem if you use a lower-temperature cooking method or a breast-down placement at the beginning of the cooking time. Basting can also be the culprit if the juices you’re basting with have too much liquid and not enough fat. 

If you notice this problem developing before the turkey is cooked through, place a wire cooling rack on a sheet pan (line it first with parchment or foil to catch the drips). Then, transfer the bird from its roasting pan to the sheet pan, and crank your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Ten to 20 minutes at this temperature will usually salvage the turkey, resulting in a crisp, golden skin. A few minutes under the broiler will also work, but you’ll need to wrestle the bird onto its sides for even browning and run the risk of some parts of the skin burning.

My Pie Crust Is Soggy

This usually happens if you haven’t started your pie at high heat, so the crust can set and begin to firm up immediately. Another common cause is pouring a still-warm custard filling into the shell without cooling it first. 

This one’s tough because once the pie is baked, there’s little you can do to remedy it without spoiling its appearance. On the upside, if you delegate others to clear the table and serve coffee, you’ll have time to mount a rescue operation. A few options include:

1. If you have store-bought pie shells or individual tart shells on hand, transfer the filling of your pie into them. Smooth the top as best you can, and then pipe rosettes of whipped cream or meringue over the top to conceal its messy surface.

2. Bake a hasty batch of graham-crumb crust on a sheet pan while you serve the main course. When it’s set, after 10 to 15 minutes, break it into pieces. Layer the baked crust, the filling from the ill-fated pie, and whipped cream or instant pudding to make a parfait-style, “deconstructed” dessert. 

3. Spread the pie filling between cookies to make Thanksgiving sandwiches — dessert-style, that is. Gingersnaps go well with pumpkin or pecan pie, but shortbread or sugar cookies also work.

It’s never a bad idea to have a Plan B in the back of your mind, just in case something goes wrong with a key part of the meal. Stocking up on extra broth, instant mashed potatoes, prebaked pie shells, and — in a worst-case scenario — store-bought desserts, can give you peace of mind.