23 Genius Host Tips for the Best Thanksgiving Ever

Use a Calendar Printout

Print out a blank calendar for November. As you plan your meal, jot down a schedule for shopping, cooking make-ahead dishes, and arranging deliveries. It's so much easier to see the big picture when it's right in front of you.

Create a Menu by November 1

Don't wait until the week before Thanksgiving to figure out what you're making. November 1 is a good deadline for having your menu down pat.

In your planning, resist the urge to experiment with fancy recipes or try complex dishes you've never made before. Factor in make-ahead dishes and use store-bought shortcuts to ease that last-minute rush.

Shop Early

With your menu set, enter every ingredient you need on a shopping list. Divide the list into perishables and non-perishables, so you know what you can buy immediately (like spices and canned goods) and what you need to buy later (like dairy and produce).

Shopping early helps ensure your grocer doesn't run out of what you need. It also gives you plenty of time to alter your menu if a key ingredient isn't available.

Buy a Turkey That's Big Enough

Here's a helpful bit of math to remember: Plan to serve ¾ to 1 pound of turkey per person. That sounds like a lot, but that figure includes bones and other non-edible parts. If you look forward to leftovers, up that ratio to 1 to 1½ pounds per person.

Inventory Utensils

Don't wait until the day before or the morning of to find out you're short three soup spoons or don't have a gravy ladle. Make sure there's plenty of flatware for everyone on your guest list, and that you have all the serving utensils you'll need. The same goes for cookware, serving dishes, and dinnerware.

Stock Up on Stain Busters

Yes, someone will spill red wine on a white shirt. For that, plus other inevitable messes, stock cotton cloths, dish soap, white vinegar (for coffee stains), and pretreat sticks (like Tide To Go). You might even want to print out, save, or bookmark our complete stain removal chart.

Delegate Dishes

Be prepared for guests that ask if they can bring something, and jump on it! Designate items on your menu that can be subcontracted—like dinner rolls, cranberry sauce, dessert, or even the turkey—and take guests up on their offer. Consider giving them the recipe you were planning to use: They might appreciate not having to come up with something themselves.

Allow Plenty of Time for Defrosting

Make sure to thoroughly defrost your frozen turkey in the refrigerator. Waking up Thanksgiving morning to a frozen turkey isn't necessarily a disaster, but it can sure throw a wrench in your well-laid plans for the day.

And don't even think about thawing a turkey at room temperature to speed up the process! That's a food safety non-starter.

Prepare Dishes in Advance

Besides using recipes for entire dishes you can make in advance, find other ways to get ahead, like making gravy early and freezing it, or cooking vegetables and refrigerating them for up to 2 days in advance. For dishes that can't be made ahead, consider at least prepping for them earlier, like washing and peeling vegetables so they're ready for roasting.

Set the Table the Night Before

Setting the table is a simple task, but it's one thing you can cross off of your to-do list on the day of. It's a great way for kids to contribute, too.

Empty the Dishwasher and Trash Can the Night Before

Start Thanksgiving Day with a clean slate in the form of an empty dishwasher and kitchen trash can. Go the extra mile by lining your bins with extra garbage bags. That way, you won't have to hunt down a fresh bag when the garbage starts to pile up.

Use Dried Herbs

Just realize you're lacking the "fresh sprigs of basil" your recipe calls for? If you have dried basil in your pantry, don't fret. Instead, use this substitution: 1 teaspoon of dried herbs for 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs. Day saved.

Establish a "Make-Your-Own-Breakfast" Policy

If you have a house full of overnight guests, let them manage their own breakfast. Establishing an every-person-for-themselves rule in the morning lets you focus on cooking the feast.

Stash ready-to-go foods—muffins, granola bars, and cereal—in open spaces and set out milk, spoons, bowls, and napkins. And don't forget to ensure that someone's in charge of brewing coffee.

Ask Guests to Bring Ice

When it comes to ice, seems like you can never have enough. If a guest offers to bring something the day of, and everything else is taken care of, have them contribute a bag of ice.

With a refrigerator full of perishable foods, use that ice to employ ice buckets, ice chests, or even the washing machine to keep drinks cold. Even if your fridge isn't full (but of course, it is), providing cold drinks somewhere other than the kitchen keeps thirsty guests out of your way.

Bake in Square and Rectangular Pans

This sounds silly, but using square or rectangular cookware helps you fit more dishes in the oven, whether you're cooking or just keeping things warm. This rule also applies to storing prepped foods and leftovers in the fridge.

Save Easy Jobs for Early Birds

Chances are, at least one of your guests will arrive 30 minutes early. Rather than stressing about having everything ready, reserve a few simple tasks that early birds or antsy kids can help with, such as filling the breadbasket or pouring water.

Chill Wine Quickly

If guests arrive too early, or you need a glass well before cocktail hour, try this trick for chilling a wine bottle fast: Wrap it in a damp dishtowel or paper towel and stick it in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes.

Alternatively, submerge your bottle in an ice bath with salt. This trick chills a bottle in 25 to 30 minutes.

Serve a Big Batch Cocktail

Instead of accommodating cocktail requests at the bar, consider whipping up a big-batch cocktail or spiked punch for guests to enjoy. This may help impatient guests take the edge off while waiting for dinner, especially if you've run into some delays.

Keep Food Out of the Danger Zone

Before and after dinner, ensure perishable foods—especially those containing eggs or dairy—are not left at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Any longer and foods enter what the USDA calls the Danger Zone, between 40 and 140 degrees F, which is the temperature range where bacteria quickly multiply. When time's up, refrigerate or freeze the food that's been sitting out.

Print Out Our Turkey Timer Chart

You'll never have to do turkey math again. Use our handy chart based on USDA recommendations to determine exactly how long to cook turkeys of every size.

Take Temperature Like a Pro

Always, always, always use a meat thermometer to test your turkey's doneness. Don't place your thermometer too close to the bone because it'll read incorrectly. Instead, slide it into the middle of the breast and look for the magic number: 165 degrees F.

Forestall Antsy Kids

To help placate kids from complaining about being hungry before dinner, make edible napkin rings for them to munch on while they wait. (It works well for antsy adults, too.) The secret? Shape pre-made crescent or pizza dough into 4-inch rings, and then bake as directed.

For other stall tactics at the kids' table:

• Print out sheets to color.
• Have kids jot what they're thankful for on a memo pad that gets passed around.
• Serve a fancy (yet easy) mocktail.
• Provide a plate of easy appetizers for kids to pass.

Enlist All Available Appliances

Make-ahead dishes are great but, with only so many burners and so much room in the oven, keeping everything warm until serving time can be a challenge. This is the time to call all kitchen appliances on deck.

Enlist your slow cooker or Instant Pot for warming duties, even if you're not slow-cooking anything. Use that bottom drawer of the oven for warming (what it's designed for) instead of bakeware storage. Plug in the toaster oven, make use of the microwave, and even fire up the grill to accommodate all those last-minute warmups.