Thanksgiving Essentials

If you're planning on hosting Thanksgiving dinner, here's a list of the absolute basics you'll need in your kitchen:
1) Several cutting boards. One for breads, one for vegetables, and one for meats. Mixing cutting surfaces is a surefire way to give people food poisoning.
2) A good quality, perfectly calibrated meat thermometer.
3) A big roasting pan (at least 3 inches deep) with a rack that fits into the bottom so you can pick up the turkey when you're ready to remove it.
4) Butcher's string so you can tie the turkey's legs together -- it won't fit in the pot otherwise. Make sure you remove the string before serving!
5) Aluminum foil -- it works for bread, roasting veggies, covering the turkey and packing up leftovers.
6) A really sharp carving knife and a big meat-carving fork. Using the wrong knife can shred the meat and put you at risk for cutting yourself.
7) A turkey baster
8) A whisk (if you're planning on making gravy).
9) A casserole dish for baking extra stuffing.
10) A gravy boat -- because really, who wants cold gravy that's hard to pour?