It’s that time of year again.

Time to prep for family gatherings! If you’re a new homeowner, you might be hosting Thanksgiving dinner for the first time. Ever.

It’s pretty exciting, but also can be rather stressful. Don’t worry too much, though, because there are some great kitchen appliances that can make your dinner prep much, much easier. Here are our favorite secrets to a stress-less Thanksgiving:

1) Non-Stick Roasting Rack

This item is great for the health-conscious cooker. It allows fat to drip off the bird into the pan, and allows for heat to circulate evenly. And a non-stick coating means easier cleanup after everyone's gone home!

2) Gravy Separator

So, now you’ll want to make gravy from the turkey drippings, but you still don’t want all that fat in there!

Get yourself a gravy separator. These work beautifully to separate the fat from the gravy. Just pour your gravy right in through the strainer, then watch the fat rise to the top. After it’s all separated, remove the lid and the stopper to pour your gravy.

3) Meat Thermometer

Never guess again when cooking any meat, and worry less on Thanksgiving about serving an over-cooked turkey. Easily determine just when your bird reaches the sweet temperature of 165° F.

4) Pretty Pie Dish

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You worked hard to hand-make your pie for this Thanksgiving Dinner, so why not show it off in a pretty little dish!

Investing in a stylish pie dish will keep your dinner spread looking classy and fun, with less work to you. No need to remove the pie from an old pie dish when you can serve in in the one you baked it in!

5) Slow Cooker

There are endless slow cooker recipes you can tackle this holiday season. What’s great about these are that you don’t have to hover over them, nursing the dish to perfection. Just set the temperature and leave it alone!

6) Range Burners

If you’ve got a lot of different dishes going on, but not enough time or burners on your stove, these are a great investment.

Instantly gain some extra cooking space for your homemade cranberry sauce. You no longer have an excuse for serving the store-bought variety!

7) Standing Mixers

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With interchangeable accessories, you can do everything from whipping fresh cream for dessert to mixing your famous mashed potatoes. You can even tenderize meat. Use one appliance for multiple dishes to ease things up a bit.

8) Food Processor

Dips are an easy addition to the dinner, and can be a great appetizer while the turkey finishes up in the oven, or to hold over those ever-early relatives.

A food processor can whip together your favorite dips in no time. Just chop up some veggies, and lay out the chips and crackers. Done.

9) Hand Blender

Do yourself a favor and get one of these. It saves so much time, and you don’t have to transfer things between the pot and blender to make soups or mashed potatoes. Do it all in one pot!