Ovens are being fired up, turkeys are being brined, and potatoes are being mashed – yep, it’s Thanksgiving! It’s time to cozy up to the family around a long table overladen with warm savory foods and great conversation.

But we all know how much can go wrong on Turkey Day. There are many factors to the perfect Thanksgiving and many places where plans can go awry. It takes a consummate host with years of experience to pull it off perfectly. Even they aren’t always successful…don’t worry Mom, I‘m not thinking of Thanksgiving ‘96…

Fortunately for those of us just starting to host the big family occasion, the world is a different place from that of the early pilgrims. Today, we have advanced technologies that can help us plan Thanksgiving minutia, apps that help us shop and cook meals, apps that mitigate family disasters, and apps that save lives (if your family is like mine, this is an important one!).

This post will discuss what we at SDI feel are the top 5 apps to help manage your Thanksgiving holiday. If you have any ideas you think would be an excellent holiday app for Android or iOS (don’t forget Christmas is right around the corner – nearly as hectic as Thanksgiving) get in touch with our expert developers. Act now and take advantage of our Thanksgiving deal: We make it as easy as a pie! Get your app home screen designed for $99!

1. Epicurious [free, iOS and Android)

a. Epicurious is an excellent app for anyone who cooks on a routine basis. As someone who cooks full meals from scratch daily, I can’t even begin to extol the virtues of this wonderful app. It has a database containing thousands of different recipes, different categories, the ability to save favorite recipes and an easy recipe-to-shopping list feature.

What really makes this app perfect for the busy chef is its voice command mode. I love this because I can read my next steps but I don’t have to stop what I’m doing to scroll. Additionally, its excellently designed UX/UI is easy and intuitive for both techies and Luddites. Epicurious is a great aid for any level of cooking ability, but it is especially helpful for the inexperienced chef looking to make a great meal.

We didn’t want this post to just be about recipes and shopping, but there are so many great apps for chefs out there, we thought we’d cover one more.

Key Ingredient Recipe Glazer

Very similar to Epicurious, but lacks some of the cooler features; what it does have is over 1.5 million recipes, so a great resource.

2. Time to Roast [Free, iOS]

a. An excellent app that allows you to calculate roasting time based on multiple factors. If you roast more than once a month, this is a great app. While only for iOS, we definitely recommend this to the meat eaters out there.

b. Unfortunately, we were unable to find a corresponding Thanksgiving Android app that was as comprehensive. That being said, Roast Perfect is a great resource for roasting beef. It has a guide to help you choose a roast based upon the number of people being served, a roast timer, and a few videos with helpful tips.

3. Air BnB

Thanksgiving probably means that you’ve either got family coming from out of town, or you yourself are from elsewhere. Either way, finding a place to stay can be difficult and tiresome. AirBnB is a great option to help offset the expensive airline holiday tickets.

It’s cheaper than hotels, inns, traditional Bed and Breakfasts, and most other hospitality options. Today it’s even possible to rent out flats and studios through Airbnb, offering a level of privacy equitable to the Holiday Inn at a fraction of the price.

Whether you need an inexpensive place to crash during the holidays (that’s not mom’s spare room) or you need a place for your younger brother when you kick him out, Airbnb is a great choice.

That being said, maybe not try to put Grandma through the ordeal – you don’t want to hear about it next year. Check out Expedia and Hotels.com for more comfortable options. Sometimes peace of mind is worth it! Create a website like Air BnB today.

4. Food Substitutes [$0.99, Android]

Yep, another chef aid. I list this separately from the other cooking aid apps because it’s in a slightly different vein.

I’ve lost count of the number of times where I’ve forgotten one tiny ingredient. To the point where it’s an ongoing joke with my local grocer! This is a decent tool to help you figure out what other ingredients in your cabinet can act as a substitute.

A more important factor to consider are food allergies. Intolerances and allergies seem to be increasing at an exponential rate often causing problems for the chef (not to mention the afflicted!). This app, unlike similar competitors, focuses on dietary restrictions. Look, no one wants to make someone sick, right? This is a great app to help you balance all those considerations and worth the buck it costs.

5. Catan [$3.99, Android]

As board game nerds, we couldn’t let a blog about family gatherings without mentioning one of our all time favorite company games. Games are great ways for families to bond and have a great time. Except, of course, Monopoly. Monopoly is a tool straight from the devil to drive families apart.

Settlers of Catan, on the other hand, is a favorite among gamers everywhere. While I recommend the physical game, this Android app is an inexpensive and comprehensive option.

The app is especially great for those families who need to travel to get to their holiday destinations; when the kids get too antsy, you can pop out your phone and play a game with them. As long as you aren’t the driver, naturally. So if you want to know how to make a board game app, we are happy to help you.

SDI is a premium app development company located in the heart of Silicon Valley. Our team is drawn from Apple, WebEx, Cisco, and other tech giants and we have years of experience in this field. We know how to make it in this business and we want to help you succeed as well. Check out our stunning portfolio, then give us a call at 408.805.0495. Contact us today to take advantage of our 2015 Thanksgiving deals.