Why You Can Trust CNET Thanksgiving Cheat Sheet: Our Best Prep Tips and Hosting Tricks to See You Through the Holiday
If you have decided to host Thanksgiving, don't panic: This Thanksgiving guide will keep you organized and on track.
- Macy has been working for CNET for coming on 2 years. Prior to CNET, Macy received a North Carolina College Media Association award in sports writing.
Thanksgiving dinner can be a stressor.
Life comes at you fast -- on Thanksgiving, even faster. The lead-up to the big feast can pick up a furious pace. If you're hosting, there's no shortage of stuff to do, buy, prepare and plan for. If you've only just started to plan for tomorrow's events and festivities, it is time you get moving. Tackling it piece by piece is typically recommended, and having some efficiency hacks up your sleeve will save you precious time, money, energy and stress.
Read more: Don't Make These Common Thanksgiving Mistakes
To help ensure a seamless experience, we've devised a Thanksgiving cheat sheet teeming with our best shopping, planning, prep and cleaning tips. Because you can't 'pour from an empty cup,' we've included simple ways to prioritize your general health and wellness during the holidays, and maybe even nab a few excellent Black Friday deals while you're at it.
Below you'll find the ultimate Thanksgiving cheat sheet. Think of this as your holiday helper, and our little secret.
How to make cooking Thanksgiving dinner stress-free?
Thanksgiving is a meal with a host of dishes that guests come to expect. Cut down on meal prep and legwork with a Thanksgiving meal kit filled with all the ingredients for Thanksgiving dinner. Or save yourself a few trips to the store by buying your turkey and other provisions online.
- Find the perfect bird and have it delivered via the bestplaces to buy a turkey online for Thanksgiving. At this late date, you may need to use a same-day service such as or Shipt.
How to make Thanksgiving dinner more delicious
This next series of tips is full of easy ways to defrost and cook a big bird for Thanksgiving. We've even dropped in some suggestions for those looking to cook something other than turkey this November.
- For the ultimate turkey recipe, read the best way to roast a turkey every time.
- Try these tips for cooking a turkey outside without an oven.
- Before you can roast or fry your turkey, you have to defrost it. Here's how to thaw it safely. Spoiler: it takes longer than you'd think.
- If turkey isn't your thing, try a Turducken, or peruse our full list of the best turkey alternatives to serve this year.
No need to blow your monthly budget on Thanksgiving groceries.
I'm hosting Thanksgiving. What are the best ways to clean for guests?
Being a host isn't easy. A ton of work goes into cleaning and prepping for guests. While cleaning your house could take a full day (or longer) we have some trusty tips that can make the cleaning process much more efficient.
Cleaning tips for the home:
- If you're in a pinch, you can quickly clean your kitchen in just 15 minutes.
- Before you load it with Thanksgiving dishes, be sure your dishwasher is clean.
- Don't forget about cleaning out your fridge, too.
- If you haven't cleaned these items in awhile, do so before your guests arrive.
- Dog and cat hair everywhere? Use this easy hack to clean pet hair.
- Hair isn't the only issue. Make sure you clean pet pee from the couch, too.
A ton of work goes into cleaning and prepping for guests. But here's some easy tips to help you.
Cleaning tips for appliances and kitchenware:
- After chopping vegetables, make sure you properly clean and care for your cutting board.
- Clean your cast-iron the right way after cooking up all those delicious recipes.
- If you're grilling up meats or sides to free up space in the oven, make sure you properly clean and store your grill.
- For stubborn cookware stains, try this easy trick using common pantry ingredients.
How can I prioritize my health and wellness during Thanksgiving?
Holidays only come around once a year, so it's understandable to want to splurge on all that decadent food and drink. That said, Thanksgiving can also be an anxiety-inducing time for those on a journey to improve their health and nutrition.
The important thing is that you don't need to deprive or restrict yourself. Instead, you can practice some of these wellness tips to enjoy your Thanksgiving weekend, guilt-free.
- Forget the calories and count your macronutrients instead.
- Thanksgiving can be stressful, so try these eight anxiety-fighting exercises.
- Don't worry about doing formal workouts. You're already doing these 10 active activities.
- Instead of dieting this holiday season, try this instead.
- Try to quit these dangerous eating habits, as well.
- For an assist at mealtime, try one of these healthy meal delivery services, all tested by us.
It can be hard to prioritize your health during the holidays, but there's always time to take for you.
Where can I find early Black Friday deals and holiday gift ideas?
In the fray of prepping for the holiday season, it can be easy to let things slip, but gift-buying is one thing you won't regret planning for ahead of time. Pre-planning your online Black Friday shopping can reduce the stress of gift-buying, and we're here to help. Whether you're buying for a parent, sibling, significant other or friend, our CNET experts have a roundup of the best deals and gifts available for Black Friday and beyond.
- For an easy roundup, explore CNET's best gifts for 2023.
- For major deals and discounts, see our top picks and expert advice for winning Black Friday 2023.
- Gift the foodie in your life with these best food and drink subscriptions.
- Here's our list of the best gaming gifts for a console jockey.
To never miss a deal, checkout CNET's complete roundup of early Black Friday deals. And for all the best gift recommendations, explore CNET's ultimate gift guide to start slashing through your list.