Chef’s knife

Every kitchen should have a chef’s knife—it’s the most versatile piece in any cutlery set, and it will make food prep on Thanksgiving and every other day faster and easier. The Mac MTH-80 has been the top pick in our guide to chef’s knives since 2013, a choice backed by 120 hours of research, interviews with experts and chefs, and tests that involved chopping more than 70 pounds of produce. The Mac is universally comfortable, and it has proven that it can stay sharp through regular use, even in our busy test kitchen. Other knives to consider for preparing a Thanksgiving meal: a paring knife for delicate tasks, and a serrated knife for slicing bread, root vegetables, and even meat.

—Lesley Stockton

Cutting boards

For the mountain of prep work you’ll face on Thanksgiving, you need a good cutting board (or several). After spending more than 150 hours on research and chopping copious pounds of produce for our cutting board guide, we found that the plastic OXO Good Grips Carving & Cutting Board offers the best balance of features. It’s durable, it won’t slip around on the counter, and it’s easy to clean.

If you want a hefty wood cutting board (which looks better and is easier on your knives), we recommend the Proteak TeakHaus Rectangle Edge Grain Cutting Board with Hand Grip. It’s thick enough to stay in place and resist warping, but it isn’t so heavy that you can’t easily move it around. It can also double as a serving board for a cheese spread before dinner. For carving the Thanksgiving turkey, check out the Proteak Teakhaus 24-by-18-inch board, a larger version of our pick that has a juice groove.

—Michael Sullivan

Apron

A good quality, well-fitting apron will allow you to cook more comfortably and confidently, as well as to greet your guests looking pulled together. We tested 15 aprons with a crowd of Wirecutter staffers for our guide to aprons, and the Hedley & Bennett Crossback Apron was the most popular. The fabric is thick yet soft, and the pockets are generous. Best of all, the crossback straps adjust to fit a wide range of body types and won’t tug at your neck during a marathon holiday cooking session.

If you’re looking for something different, we recommend a number of other aprons in different styles, including a breathable, loose-fitting linen pinafore, a lightweight, water-resistant waxed apron, and a cute half apron that’s perfect for hosting.

—Lesley Stockton

Kitchen towels

Although most people don’t give dish towels a second thought, they rank among the most important tools in the kitchen, useful for everything from drying dishes to pulling hot dishes from the oven. Particularly when you’re preparing large holiday meals, it helps to have a good supply. After testing about 25 options for our guide to kitchen towels, we recommend Williams Sonoma’s All Purpose Pantry Towels because they’re big, thirsty, long-lasting, and reasonably priced. They also have a convenient loop for hanging and come in eight colors.

—Lesley Stockton

Oven mitts and pot holders

Whether you’re serving ready-to-cook hors d’oeuvres or whipping up a full-blown holiday meal, a good set of pot holders or oven mitts will come in handy for juggling the many dishes going in and out of the oven. After testing more than 15 sets for our guide to oven mitts and pot holders, we think the Homwe Extra Long Professional Silicone Oven Mitts and the OXO Good Grips Silicone Pot Holder are the best for most cooks. Both were able to protect our hands from the scorching heat of a 400 °F cast-iron skillet for a generous 10 seconds, while still being comfortable and easy to maneuver.

—Michael Sullivan

Food processor

A food processor is the best tool for quickly performing a variety of chopping, slicing, and shredding tasks, something you’ll be doing a lot of when prepping for Thanksgiving. We recommend the Cuisinart Custom 14-Cup Food Processor, which has been the top pick in our guide to food processors since 2013. In our tests, the Cuisinart tackled a multitude of chopping and shredding tasks exceptionally well. Its simple, pared-down design makes it easier to use and clean than models with more settings or multiple bowls, and we found it to be built more solidly than other processors in its price range.

—Michael Sullivan

Potato masher/ricer

Mashed potatoes are always a crowd-pleaser. To make enough to feed a crowd with minimal fuss, mess, and frustration, use the OXO Good Grips Smooth Potato Masher. We’ve mashed and smashed over 75 pounds of food while testing for our guide to mashers and ricers, and this affordable, simple tool always comes out on top. Because of its grid-shaped plate, the OXO masher breaks up potato quickly and requires little effort on the cook’s part.

If you want your mashed potatoes absolutely lump-free but still fluffy, opt for the Chef’n FreshForce Potato Ricer. It required the least amount of effort among the ricers we tested, thanks to a clever design that gives you more leverage.

—Winnie Yang

Measuring cups and spoons

Measuring cups and measuring spoons are such essential kitchen tools that if you cook at all, chances are, you already have a set. But for big holiday meal preparations, it doesn’t hurt to have extras (and if you’re missing any cups or spoons, you should definitely get more). For consistency, most serious bakers use a kitchen scale to weigh ingredients, but American recipes still mostly rely on the dry measuring cup, so both cups and spoons are useful to have for everyday cooking. After many hours of testing, we recommend the durable Simply Gourmet Stainless Steel Measuring Cups and the Sur La Table Spice Measuring Spoons.

—Marguerite Preston