First, the centerpiece of the meal is the turkey. So why not roast it in the best pan for the best results? In our testing, we found you don’t have to spend a ton of money. Our favorite is the Calphalon Contemporary Stainless Steel Roasting Pan and Rack. It's stainless steel and 16 by 13 inches, which we found to be plenty of space; it can hold up to a 20-plus-pound bird. It’s sturdy, with big handles that make it easy to hold even when it’s full of a turkey and hot drippings. It comes with its own U-shaped rack to elevate the turkey off the bottom of the pan to get perfect crispy skin all over. We’ve used this pan in the test kitchen for years and we love it for roasting all kinds of foods, all year round.

Calphalon Contemporary Stainless Steel Roasting Pan and Rack
Highly Recommended This reasonably priced pan wins again. The tri-ply construction made it sturdy and reliable for stovetop searing and delivered even, consistent browning. The handles were roomy and secure, even with potholders. The U-shaped rack was slightly loose in the pan—a minor drawback. $110.49* Buy Now on Amazon
Making sure the turkey isn’t overcooked and dry is really important. We like the Thermapen Mk4 by ThermoWorks. It's like the Classic Thermapen but better, with an auto-rotating display and light-up face.

ThermoWorks Thermapen Mk4
Highly Recommended ThermoWorks has created another winning thermometer, which is super-fast and waterproof (it can withstand a half-hour bath!). $99.00* Buy Now on ThermoWorks
A good fat separator is a great tool to have when you’re making gravy. The Cuisipro Fat Separator is our favorite. It aced every test we put it through, remained leakproof no matter how many times we opened and closed it, and its detachable canister made it easy to clean by hand.

Cuisipro Fat Separator
Highly Recommended With a large, tall-sided, highly perforated strainer and a well-controlled release valve, this bottom-draining model defatted the most stock in every test. And its detachable canister made it the easiest separator to clean by hand. $33.95* Buy Now on Amazon
A bench scraper is a baker’s tool that we use all the time, even when we’re not baking. It’s perfect for dividing dough, and scraping it up from the floured board. And when chopping a ton of vegetables, it's terrific for moving them all at once to the pan or bowl. Our favorite is the Dexter-Russell Scraper and Chopper.

Dexter-Russell 6" Dough Cutter/Scraper—Sani-Safe Series
Recommended The deeply beveled edge of this scraper cut through pizza and bread dough quickly and scraped the work surface effectively. The textured polypropylene handle was easy to hold on to, even with greasy or floury hands, and was thinner than other scrapers’ handles, helping us hold it flat to the work surface for easier, more effective scooping and scraping. $10.95* Buy Now on Amazon
When you’ve got all those potatoes and carrots and squash to peel for your Thanksgiving dinner, you want the right vegetable peeler or it’ll feel like you’re never going to get to the end of it. Our favorite (and a real bargain) is the Kuhn Rikon Original Swiss Peeler. This is a Y-shaped peeler that has a fantastically sharp, efficient blade made of carbon steel—like fancy chef’s knives.

Kuhn Rikon Original Swiss Peeler
Highly Recommended Don’t be fooled by its featherweight design and cheap price tag. This Y-shaped peeler easily tackled every task, thanks to a razor-sharp blade and a ridged guide, which ensured a smooth ride with minimal surface drag. $7.88* Buy Now on Amazon
A potato ricer, an old-fashioned gadget, makes the best mashed potatoes you’ll ever have. You squeeze the handles, which is easy. And the potatoes are mashed and pressed out a perforated plate, with no lumps or uneven textures. And they’re not overworked into glue—they're just right. Our favorite potato ricer is by RSVP International.

RSVP International Potato Ricer
Highly Recommended This rectangular, highly efficient plastic model with comfortable handles was the easiest ricer to squeeze. Its interchangeable disks neatly produce a range of fine to coarse textures, and its sturdy hook rests securely on a pot rim. $15.95* Buy Now on Amazon
For holiday baking, proper measuring is important for good results. Our favorite measuring spoons are by Cuisipro. They’re oval so they fit in narrow containers, like spice jars. They’re easy to level off, because the bowls and handles are level and flat. And a set has every size from 1/8 teaspoon to a tablespoon.

Cuisipro Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons Set
Recommended Comfortable and accurate with long handles, this set nests nicely. The rim of each spoon is flush with the handle so it is easy to sweep accurately. Our only gripe: The oval bowls made measuring liquids slightly tricky. $10.44* Buy Now on Amazon
For side dishes, casseroles and stuffing, the HIC Porcelain 13 by 9 inch Baking Dish is our favorite. This big white ceramic dish with handles on each end works hard and also looks great when you serve from it right on the table. It’s also broiler safe, so you can get crispy browned toppings on your casseroles.

HIC Porcelain Lasagna Baking Dish
Highly Recommended This porcelain baking dish has large handles for secure gripping and straight sides for easy serving. It’s deep enough for Chantilly Potatoes, but not so large that the butter burned as we broiled scrod. Finally, it was not too heavy, even filled with potatoes. $39.53* Buy Now on Amazon
When you bake your pies, you’ll get great results with our favorite (and inexpensive) pie plate by Pyrex. It's made from tempered glass, so it’s easy to monitor browning.

Pyrex Bakeware 9 Inch Pie Plate
Highly Recommended Good crisping and browning, a see-through bottom to monitor the bottom crust, a half-inch rim, shallow, angled sides, and a low price made this our winner—again. $8.08* Buy Now on Amazon
Our favorite pie server by OXO won our testing by cutting neatly into every conceivable type of pie and serving it up perfectly, with a comfortable offset handle, and a sharp wide blade that sliced without crushing and delivered a perfect piece of pie to finish your feast.

OXO Steel Pie Server
Recommended Our former favorite won again. We liked its comfortable handle and offset, double-edged serrated blade, which sliced cleanly and lifted intact slices easily, no matter the filling or crust. Its broad blade securely supported slices in transit. And the price is right. $9.99* Buy Now on Amazon
*Prices are subject to change