Taking on a meal as important as Thanksgiving dinner requires major planning and preparation. More important than stuffing, yams or even pumpkin pie is the centerpiece of your table – the turkey. If it’s your first time trying to perfect the holiday poultry, compiling an arsenal of turkey cooking supplies may seem overwhelming. However, a simple roasted bird requires only a few basic kitchen supplies.

Roasting Pan The roasting pan you purchase to cook your turkey may not be a piece of kitchen equipment that you use on a daily basis, but the proper pan is a valuable addition to your stock of cooking supplies for holidays. Selecting the right roasting pan ensures a moist and golden bird. When buying a roasting pan, look for a shallow depth, heavyweight pan with handles. The pan should have good heat conducting qualities so the bird cooks evenly. Stay away from dark roasting pans; those will burn the roasting juices at the start of the roasting period, resulting in a subpar gravy. Fit is also important—the pan should just hold the turkey. If a leg extends over the pan, drippings will fall on your oven, but if the pan is too large you risk burning the juices.

What’s a turkey without basting? Throughout the roasting process, you will need to paint the turkey with a basting sauce using a basting brush. Both white nylon and bleached boar bristle brushes will work well to coat your poultry with a buttery sauce and are able to withstand oven temperatures of up to 500 degrees. While the turkey roasts, a basting spoon can be used to scoop up the juices and redistribute them on the skin. Serv-U offers stainless steel basting spoons in a variety of lengths. All spoons have easy-grip contoured handles with a thumb notch. Slotted and perforated varieties are useful for straining out solids to be discarded when the roasting process is complete.

A burnt or undercooked turkey can be the downfall of an otherwise outstanding Thanksgiving meal, so be sure to check the temperature of your bird, with an accurate meat thermometer. The Taylor brand is known for its precision temperature technology to alert you when the meat reaches 180 degrees.

Finally, when the roasting process is over, it’s time to sharpen up that knife and dig in. Carving the turkey is a much-anticipated process that should be approached with care in order to preserve the flavor and the texture of the meat. You are best to choose a sharp, thin bladed carving knife. Stain-free steel blades provide a clean and durable option for slicing your turkey.

By using top-quality equipment the fruits of your holiday roast should be plentiful. The centerpiece of your Thanksgiving meal will be a cornucopia of thighs, wings, and breast meat, well worth the investment in quality kitchen supplies.