Pantry staples and tools to have on hand for Thanksgiving? Hosting but not cooking

[Anonymous]

Meat thermometer
Gravy boat
Let other people work out everything else. BTW, I mashed potatoes with a fork for years before getting a potato masher.

[Anonymous]

Get a disposable foil roasting pan and also if you don't have them some other disposable deep baking/casserole type dishes. Lots of aluminum foil.

Make sure you have trash bags to take out garbage since it will fill up fast.

Make sure you have some decent oven mitts, not flimsy potholders. Turkeys and thanksgiving food are heavy and you can easily burn yourself.

[Anonymous]

Whipping cream

Bread for stuffing and more for turkey sandwiches the next day

Plain Yogurt, delicious for breakfast the next day with leftover cranberry sauce

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Meat thermometer
Gravy boat
Let other people work out everything else. BTW, I mashed potatoes with a fork for years before getting a potato masher.

I use a food mill, and before that I used a mixer. There's nothing sacred about a masher.

How does your dad like to roast turkey? I use a rack on a deep-ish sheet pan. A 12-pound turkey is pretty small; it doesn't need a large pan unless your dad is spatchcocking it.

I don't so much want a range of cooking utensils as a multiples: Lots of spatulas, lots of spoons.

[Anonymous]

barf bags

[Anonymous]

Napkins. Drinks.

I'd also lay on some snack foods for folks to nibble on throughout the day. I keep a tray of heavy cheese and crackers going on T-giving so that folks can make it to dinner, since we typically don't have lunch.

[Anonymous]

Onions, garlic, lots of stock, jiffy corn mix, the French fried onions, nuts, flour and sugar, butter, tons of it, obviously whatever herbs and seasonings, crackers, canned soups for any casseroles, tinfoil and plastic wrap and plenty of Tupperware for leftovers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Onions, garlic, lots of stock, jiffy corn mix, the French fried onions, nuts, flour and sugar, butter, tons of it, obviously whatever herbs and seasonings, crackers, canned soups for any casseroles, tinfoil and plastic wrap and plenty of Tupperware for leftovers

Bolded items seem pretty specific, unless her dad asks for them.
But yes, everyone has given you a great list. Only thing I would add is whole milk that you'd need for mashed potatoes. And I would pick up 1 or 2 frozen pie crusts, in case the cook gets tired of cooking all the other dishes, it's easy to whip together a pie.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you have a large enough roasting pan for the size turkey he wants to cook?

So I don’t have a roasting pan, but I’m willing to buy one. How can I tell if it is big enough? We are having 6 adults and 2 kids. I think he ordered a 10-12 lb turkey.

I buy my roasting pan at the dollar store. To me it's not worth it to buy an actual pan and store it 364 days per year.

And have to clean it...this is a year for disposable.

[Anonymous]

Can't believe no one has mentioned the one essential ingredient to getting through cooking Thanksgiving dinner:

Wine. Incredible amounts of wine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can't believe no one has mentioned the one essential ingredient to getting through cooking Thanksgiving dinner:

Wine. Incredible amounts of wine.

First thing I thought of!

Ask your dad about the tools, food - you could even have him send recipes to get pantry items - then don't stress about it too much. One of my family's favorite Thanksgiving stories is about the year my mom's stove died the day before Thanksgiving and my brother (who was single at the time) made the turkey at his house and then transported it across town. A lot of foil and duct tape were used to secure the roasting pan.

[Anonymous]

Whipped cream. We always forget and someone has to do a run at dessert time. Also coffee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Whipped cream. We always forget and someone has to do a run at dessert time. Also coffee.

And extra wine.

[Anonymous]

Get some of the cheap potted herbs Wegmans sells and stick them in a window. They wont go bad and and may come in handy

[Anonymous]

My mom and I always talk through the recipes so we can figure out what tools and ingredients we need. Just remember to go from the beginning all the way to the end—making, serving, leftovers. We make sure we have enough trivets, serving utensils/dishes, casserole dishes and figure out the timing.

And if you don’t have a masher, and plan on buying one, skip it and get a ricer. Makes mashed potatoes so much easier—don’t need to peel and makes them super creamy.