After years of navigating Thanksgiving dinners, we picked up a few helpful tricks.

Use a Calendar Printout

Print out a blank calendar for November.

As you plan your meal, jot down a schedule for shopping, cookingmake-ahead dishes, and arranging deliveries.

It’s so much easier to see the big picture when it’s right in front of you.

November 1 is a good deadline for having your menu down pat.

Factor in make-ahead dishes and use store-bought shortcuts to ease that last-minute rush.

Stick to the Classics

With appetizers, let your imagination run wild.

But when it comes to your Thanksgiving menu, stick to what’s expected.

People hold some dishes sacred (grandma’s cranberry mold, perhaps?

), and messing with them could create problems.

Shop Early

With your menu set, enter every ingredient you need on a shopping list.

Shopping early helps ensure your grocer doesn’t run out of what you need.

It also gives you plenty of time to alter your menu if a key ingredient isn’t available.

That sounds like a lot, but that figure includes bones and other non-edible parts.

If you look forward toleftovers, up that ratio to 1 to 112 pounds per person.

The same goes for cookware, serving dishes, and dinnerware.

Stock Up on Stain Busters

Yes, someone will spill red wine on a white shirt.

You might even want to print out, save, or bookmark acomplete stain removal chart.

Do yourself a favor and eschew cooking the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

Allow Plenty of Time for Defrosting

confirm to thoroughly defrost your frozen turkey in the refrigerator.

And don’t even think aboutthawing a turkeyat room temperature to speed up the process!

That’s a food safety non-starter.

It’s a great way for kids to contribute, too.

Go the extra mile by lining your bins with extra garbage bags.

If you have dried basil in your pantry, don’t fret.

Instead, use this substitution: 1teaspoonof dried herbs for 1tablespoonof fresh herbs.

Establishing an every-person-for-themselves rule in the morning lets you focus on cooking the feast.

And don’t forget to ensure that someone’s in charge of brewing coffee.

This rule also applies to storing prepped foods and leftovers in the fridge.

Alternatively,submerge your bottle in an ice bath with salt.

This trick chills a bottle in 25 to 30 minutes.

When time’s up, refrigerate or freeze the food that’s been sitting out.

You’ll never have to do turkey math again.

Use ahandy turkey timer chartbased on USDA recommendations to determine exactly how long to cook turkeys of every size.

Don’t place your thermometer too close to the bone because it’ll read incorrectly.

If your meat thermometer touches bone, it reads a higher temperature.

If you measure the meat near the bone, it can read as much as 10 degrees lower.

(It works well for antsy adults, too.)

Shape pre-made crescent or pizza dough into 4-inch rings, and then bake as directed.

This is the time to call all kitchen appliances on deck.

Enlist your slow cooker or Instant Pot for warming duties, even if you’re not slow-cooking anything.