The Five Thanksgiving Tools You Didn't Know You Needed
All products featured on Epicurious are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian1/5Silicone 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. 10 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.)
Chefs Catalog Silicone Pie Shield, $9.95
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian2/5Brining 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. Regency Brining Bags, $6.79
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian3/5Turkey 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. Tovolo Easy Reach Baster, $13.44
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian4/5Poultry 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. OXO Poultry Lifter, $9.99
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian5/5Digital 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. IKEA Fantast Magnetic and Electronic Probe Thermometer, $6.99
