19 items you need from Walmart for a successful Thanksgiving
These 19 products will help make this Thanksgiving unforgettable.
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Walmart
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Thanksgiving will be here before we know it, which means the time has come to start preparing your dinner plans. The holiday can quickly become a stressful one if you're lacking the right tools to execute a delicious feast, plus, there's the décor and table-setting to think about—not to mention entertainment for your hungry guests!
To help make sure the day goes off without a hitch, we've compiled a list of all the essentials you'll need for a successful Turkey Day. From decorative accents to the best cooking tools for a juicy turkey and creamy mashed potatoes, these products will totally kick your celebration up a notch this year. Best of all, you can find them all in one place—right at Walmart! So, without further ado, here are 19 must-haves to make this Thanksgiving the easiest—and most unforgettable—yet.
1. Our favorite roasting pan on the market
Be a turkey-cooking champ.
A roasting pan is an absolute necessity if you want your turkey to be evenly cooked and ultra succulent. For first-time hosts or those in need of an upgrade, look no further than this 3-Ply stainless steel roasting pan by Viking. It outperformed all of its competitors to be crowned the best roasting pan that we've tested, as we found it was easy to clean, had excellent heat distribution, and could handle a 20-pound turkey with ease. It's also safe for all stovetops, including induction, and is oven-safe up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit.
Get the Viking 3-Ply Stainless Steel Roasting Pan for $199.99
2. An affordable, top-tested meat thermometer
Take the guesswork out of cooking your turkey.
Cooking the perfect turkey during the holidays is a tricky business. There's the brining, the buttering, the stuffing, and the roasting, of course. Even a tiny mistake can lead to dry, bland meat, but one of the most common errors people make is overcooking their bird. To avoid that pitfall, you'll want a trusty meat thermometer to help you know when your turkey reaches the optimal temperature. The Habor Instant Read thermometer provides super accurate readings, and worked just as well as some of the more expensive models we tested, at a fraction of the cost. Its user-friendly design, coupled with the affordable price tag, were reasons why we named it our "Best Value" pick when we tested digital meat thermometers.
Get the Habor Instant Read Thermometer for $16.09
3. A customer-approved apron to protect your Thanksgiving outfit
Avoid splattering grease during meal prep.
From bubbling gravy to simmering cranberry sauce, there's plenty of Thanksgiving dishes that can ruin an outfit the second something splatters. By simply wearing an apron, however, you can avoid dirtying your fancy holiday dress or nice slacks. For $5, this MFH Bib Apron will keep your clothes stain-free while you cook up a storm, according to more than 200 shoppers who've collectively deemed it a great purchase with a 4.7-star rating overall. It's made of 100% Jet Spun polyester, and features two pockets big enough to hold both cooking tools and recipe cards.
Get the MHF Aprons Bib Apron for $4.99
4. A best-selling wine opener to keep the drinks flowing
Red or white?
Thanksgiving is a time to share both good food and good wine at the dinner table. Rather than using a cumbersome manual corkscrew, you can impress your guests with an electric wine opener, and open a bottle in front of them with the press of a button. A reader-favorite on Prime Day last month, the Oster electric wine opener is a super popular choice, with over 450 Walmart shoppers singing its praises. It includes a charging base and foil cutter, and claims to open up to 30 bottles on a single charge, and to remove a cork in less than 30 seconds.
Get the Oster Cordless Electric Wine Bottle Opener for $25.84
5. This useful fat separator for delicious gravy
Say hello to luscious gravy.
One could argue that gravy is just as important a component as the turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes in a holiday meal. If you're using the drippings from your cooked turkey, you want to be sure to separate the juices from the fat for a consistency that's smooth and rich. That's where a fat separator comes in handy, such as the Cuisipro Four-Cup Fat Separator. It had the best yield of all the fat separators we tested, allowing only the tiniest bit of fat to escape through the bottom drain.
Get the Cuisipro 4-Cup Fat Separator for $32.81
6. The best food storage containers for your leftovers
No more fussing with plastic wrap.
After a big Thanksgiving meal, you're bound to have plenty of leftovers to enjoy all week long. For a no-fuss dinner cleanup and to keep your leftovers extra fresh, we can't recommend the Pyrex 10-Piece Glass Food Storage Set highly enough. In our testing of the best food storage containers, we found this set to be both super durable and stain-resistant. These containers are also microwave-, oven-, freezer-, and dishwasher-safe for easy cleaning and reheating, and even feature a vent for microwave reheats.
Get the Pyrex Ultimate 10-Piece Glass Food Storage Set for $98.19
7. Our favorite streaming device to entertain your guests
For your post-meal TV session.
Watching the big game or the parade on Thanksgiving is as classic a tradition as any. If you've decided to cut your cable package, you'll want to invest in a streaming stick so you can still tune in. We named the Roku Ultra as our absolute top pick, as it allows you to access all your favorite TV shows, movies, apps, and channels in pristine 4K quality with its easy-to-use remote, without worrying about any lagging or commercials.
8. This simple, durable pie dish
Perfect pumpkin pie, here we come.
Using a top-notch pie dish can make the difference between a perfectly cooked pie and one that's dry or gooey. For a flawless pumpkin pie this year, we recommend the USA Pan 9-Inch Pie Pan. It's our favorite metal pie dish, as its aluminized steel construction gave it a nice weight and a nonstick finish. Most importantly, it baked super evenly!
Get the USA Pan 9-Inch Pie Pan for $29.82
9. An electric knife for efficient meat carving
Cut your carving time in half.
To slice up your turkey in record time, an electric knife is seriously a must-have tool in your kitchen drawer. Take the Black and Decker 9-Inch Electric Carving Knife, for instance. We crowned it the winner in our roundup of electric knives, since it aced our slicing tests and had an ultra-quiet operation. It also had the most comfortable, non-slip grip of the bunch.
Get the Black and Decker EK500B 9-Inch Electric Carving Knife for $19.99
10. A festive centerpiece for your tabletop
This turkey is bound to attract attention.
While food is the most important part to a successful Thanksgiving, don't forget about décor! You can dress up your Thanksgiving table with just a few eye-catching accents like this charming hand-painted turkey. Plenty of Walmart shoppers have claimed it's an amazing addition to their holiday display, praising its great size and shiny, glittering exterior.
Get the Collections Thanksgiving Glittered Tabletop Turkey for $14.98
11. These signature large jar candles
Fill your home with these warm fall scents.
While we're on the subject of décor, a touch of ambiance doesn't hurt either. Fill your home with some cozy fall scents with these popular Yankee Candle scents, from Salted Caramel to Autumn Wreath. More than 500 Walmart shoppers are totally obsessed with these fragrant candles—just remember that you may want to blow 'em out before dinner is served so your guests can enjoy the smell of your delicious cooking instead!
- Get the Yankee Candle Salted Caramel Candle for $16.88
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Get the Yankee Candle Autumn Wreath Candle for $16.88
12. This high-quality potato ricer for lump-free mashed potatoes
Credit: Chef'nRemove those lumps the easy way.
Smooth, creamy potatoes are a welcome addition to your dinner plate, and are easy enough to whip up with the best potato ricer we've tested, the Chef'n FreshForce Potato Ricer. With its durable, stainless steel construction and non-slip handles, it's a no-brainer kitchen accessory not just during the holidays, but all year round. Plus, it was the only model we tested that could handle a whole potato.
Get the Chef'n FreshForce Potato Ricer for $42.84
13. A lightweight baking sheet that aced our tests
These baking sheets might just last forever.
If roasted vegetables or puff pastry appetizers are on the menu this Thanksgiving, a well-made baking sheet is a total essential. If you want to upgrade to a new set just in time for your holiday cooking, we'd suggest going with our favorite set of baking sheets, a.k.a the Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Baker's Half Sheet. This American-made, heavy-duty aluminum baking sheet dominated our tests with its sturdy, easy-to-clean design that's built to last ages.
Get the Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Commercial Baker's Half Sheet for $29.58
14. This top-rated, stainless-steel turkey baster
Baste away!
A good rule of thumb to cook a juicy, moist turkey is to baste, and baste often. This metal baster by Norpro comes highly reviewed from Walmart buyers, who rave over its powerful suction and long-lasting construction. It comes with an injection needle and cleaning brush, too, so you won't need to buy extra accessories for it.
Get the Norpro 11-Inch Stainless Steel Baster for $11.51
15. A dutch oven that's built to last
This dutch oven will look gorgeous on your stovetop.
Ideal for cooking your favorite Thanksgiving casserole, mac and cheese or autumn squash soup, a good dutch oven will get a ton of action this holiday season. We voted the Staub 5.5-quart as the best Dutch oven on the market due to its even heating, large sautéing area, and amazing performance while braising veggies and slow-cooking brisket. As if its list of winning qualities wasn't long enough already, this cocotte (that's the French word for a Dutch oven) is also dishwasher-safe and can withstand temperatures of up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Its enameled cast iron also prevents rusting and allows for a more thorough cleaning.
Get the Staub Cast Iron 5.5-Quart Round Cocotte for $324.94
16. A table runner with a festive flair
This table runner fits any fall aesthetic.
Elevating your dining room tabletop can be as simple as topping it with an elegant runner. This DII Pumpkin Spice Check Fringed Table Runner will help set the scene all season long with its checkerboard pattern and fringe ends. Multiple Walmart shoppers have lauded its thick cotton fabric and farmhouse vibe.
Get the DII Pumpkin Spice Check Fringed Table Runner for $11.99
17. Our favorite affordable cast-iron skillet
Lodge is synonymous with the best cast-iron products.
Did you know you can cook up mac and cheese, stuffing, and cornbread right in a cast-iron skillet? It's truly a versatile Thanksgiving tool, and if you want one of the best pans we've tested, we'd suggest the Lodge Classic Cast-Iron Skillet. In testing, we enjoyed its even heating, durability, and affordable price point, and found its sturdy ovenproof handles made it easy to maneuver on the stove or remove from the oven. It also comes factory-seasoned, meaning it has been coated with thin layers of 100% vegetable oil.
Get the Lodge Pre-Seasoned 12-Inch Cast Iron Skillet for $19.92
18. A set of autumnal dish towels
Even your towels can look the part.
Any holiday spent cooking all day means you're going to use a lot of dishes for different recipes, which means hand-washing is the way to go. For the person on drying duty, these bright orange dish towels will get the job done, and look great doing it. Close to 50 Walmart customers have deemed them a worthy purchase, mentioning their tight woven quality and absorbency in their overwhelmingly positive reviews.
Get the DII 5-Pack Assorted Dishtowel Set in Spice for $19.23
19. A universally-loved board game to keep your guests busy
Put on your thinking caps.
While you're bustling around the kitchen, guests can keep entertained with Codenames, a simple board game for four or more people that's a total blast. Gameplay is simple: “Codemasters” must give a one-word clue to connect as many of their own words on the table together for their teammates to guess. It's sure to get everyone thinking and laughing for hours!