Let’s face it. It will be the day your kitchen turns into a wreck. What you create will be a hit is the upside. And we’ll all gain a few extra pounds all in the name of pilgrims coming to America — Thanksgiving!
You may just be a little less exhausted from following the steps we found in these apps to make Thanksgiving prep better. With a pound of effort, an ounce of tech and a pile of fun, you’ll be applauded for the amazing meal or dish you create.
I try to get smarter every year improving the way I cook and plan the holiday. Even with these winning apps for making a Thanksgiving meal come together, I’ll still wish a kitchen cleanup robot were on the list of must-haves.
Best Thanksgiving Recipe Apps
Visiting family, cooking in a smaller space, or just more of a digital maven? There are so many helpful cooking apps out there with recipes and videos to show you exactly how to bring a dish to life.
Tasty app
With access to thousands of the signature Tasty super-short video recipes, you can see how recipes come together in seconds. The app is designed to let you cook along side your screen with the added bonus of keeping your phone or tablet awake while pulling it together in the kitchen. It’s got a pile of Thanksgiving favorites including How to Roast A Thanksgiving Turkey recipe which says 97% would make it again this way.
iOS Download the app for iOS here
Android Download the app for Android here
Allrecipes app
One of the loveliest aspects of the Allrecipes app, which corresponds to their original website, is that there are clear pictures of the actual dishes cooked by the recipe contributor not just artfully styled. Ratings and number of reviewers are clearly indicated under the title of the recipe so you can decide straightaway if you have interest in checking out the recipe or not.
- Auto-measured ingredients. There is a feature right where the ingredients begin to adjust the number of servings, which then automatically adjusts the measurements in the recipe for you. Perfect for when you are cooking for smaller or larger groups of people.
- Shopping list creator. You can conveniently create shopping lists from the the ingredients section so you don’t forget to purchase a crucial at the store. If you allow it, the app can also show you where to purchase these ingredients nearby.
- Reviews with insightful tips. The real gem of this app is its community as many of the reviewers leave detailed information, swaps and tips based on their personal experiences making the dish so you can bypass any hiccups or mishaps. You can also search for recipes with keywords, ingredients you want included or excluded.One Thanksgiving, I was able to find a recipe with only what I had leftover and in the house and managed to make a White Turkey Chili that became the perfect way of repurposing the turkey once we were tired of our sixth serving!
iOS Download the App for iOS here
Android Download the App for Android
Food Network Kitchen app
Much like the associated television network, The Food Network Channel, the app links back to recipes featured on popular shows like Alton Brown’s Good Eats and Rachel Ray’s 30 Minute Meals.
Unlike some other apps, the recipes often correspond to the actual episode video where the recipe creator actually cooks along with you. So if you’d rather watch the dish being cooked before or while you cook, this is definitely an app for you.
You also have the option of adding ingredients to a shopping list, which you can actually shop for directly on the app. It’ll give you the option of shopping via Target, AmazonFresh or Instacart.
One of the most timeless recipes that I’ve used for the past ten years is Alton Brown’s Thanksgiving Turkey brine recipe. The accompanying video takes the guesswork out of interpreting his recipe. I have never missed a mark on juicy and mouth-watering turkey when I host a Thanksgiving.
iOS Download the App for iOS here
Android Download the App for Android
Yummly app
The Menu planner feature lets you plan and add all the Thanksgiving Yummly recipes you pick to make a great meal with step-by-step colorful instructions that are super clear to follow.
A favorite is the Best Thanksgiving Mashed Potatoes Recipe that will take 40 minutes from start to finish.
One standout feature is the integration of the recipes and how they wirelessly connect to the optional Yummly Smart Thermometer to keep your doneness on track from up to 150 feet away. You’ll never have a dry turkey with this combo!
iOS Download the App for iOS here
Android Download the App for Android here
Continue with more of my holiday tips: