What I’m Adding to Cart for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, which means this edition of Add to Cart has everything you need to make this year’s spread the best yet. We’ve got sharpeners to whip your neglected knives into shape, a deluxe potato ricer for the best mashed potatoes ever, the “Swiss Army knife of the kitchen,” high-end vanilla extract, the very best ground cinnamon and small-batch jams that’ll take your pre-dinner cheese plate to the next level. Happy cooking!

An easy-to-use rolling knife sharpener

WorkSharp’s dead-simple Rolling Knife Sharpener uses a magnetic angle block and rotating abrasive discs to bring blades back to life. It comes with four different sharpening angles—15°, 17°, 20° and 25°—to sharpen a wide range of blade styles. The abrasive wheels include a coarse 320 Grit diamond, fine 600 Grit diamond and an extra-fine ceramic hone so you can restore your knives to out-of-the-box sharpness quickly and effortlessly.

A goof-proof handheld knife sharpener

If you want something a little simpler, the Milk Street Suehiro Ceramic Knife Sharpener is just the ticket. It contains two ceramic whetstones which are joined together to form a roller that spins on an axle. The roller is fitted inside an easy-fill water reservoir and is set at the exact right angle for sharpening. All you have to do is add water to the tank (whetstones work best when wet), grip the handle and run your knife back and forth through the roller. The Suehiro is designed for double-beveled knives, which covers most all-purpose kitchen knives.

The ultimate knife for pies and pastries

There is no better knife for cutting and serving pies than our Noko Offset Serrated Knife. It’s a little shorter in the blade than most bread knives, with a raised beechwood handle that makes it easy to maneuver into deep-dish and shallow pans alike. Its dual-sided serrations and a super-sharp tip glide through even the crispiest crusts, so you can cut sharp, clean slices without mangling the filling. And the blade’s subtle wedge shape slides neatly and securely under slices for easy, mess-free serving. (Plus, you can buy a custom-fit blade guard to keep it sharp and safe, even in a crowded drawer.)

The best potato ricer on the market

The secret to the fluffiest, silkiest mashed potatoes is an old-school ricer—and this is the only one we use at Milk Street. The Norpro Deluxe Jumbo Potato Ricer handles a whole pound of potatoes at a time without clogging or breaking your wrists, making it the natural choice when preparing mash for a big crowd. The oversized hopper is perforated on all sides, too, so it takes care of business much faster than other ricers we’ve tried. All you have to do is load the hopper with fork-tender taters, place it in a pot or serving bowl, and press. (Plus, when Thanksgiving is over, you can use this ricer to make homemade gnocchi.)

Our signature rolling pin with a built-in ruler

We designed the Milk Street Rolling Pin to eliminate all your pie dough woes. It’s made from durable, ultra-smooth beechwood and features laser-etched ruler marks to make precise measuring a breeze. But the interchangeable end caps are the true stars of the show: They’re offset from the rolling pin’s body by 1/4 or 1/8 inch so you can easily (and accurately) gauge the thickness of rolled-out dough. (We also included a set of end caps that are the same diameter as the body, so you can extend the pin’s length without any offset.)

An ultra-light, truly portable induction cooktop

Need an extra burner? (Honestly, who doesn’t on Thanksgiving?) AirHood’s featherweight, deceptively powerful Portable Induction Cooktop is a lifesaver. It packs all the power, precision and responsiveness of induction cooking into a tiny package you can move with one hand. Just set it up wherever you have a little space (and an open outlet) and get cooking: It boils water for blanched green beans in the blink of an eye and gets cast-iron skillets ripping hot for an incredible sear. (Or turn the heat way down and use it to warm your gravy tableside until it’s time to eat.) When you’re done cooking, just slide the AirHood into a drawer or flip it on its side and store it next to your cutting boards—it’s that slim and low-profile.

Not your average stick blender

We’ve found 14 uses (and counting) for this “Swiss Army knife” of a hand blender, making it an excellent addition to your kitchen ahead of the biggest cooking holiday of the year. The Bamix Superbox fills the gap between a mini food processor and your big, heavy (and likely preoccupied) stand mixer, so you can check those medium-sized prep tasks off your to-do list quickly and easily. With four different blades and two different food processor attachment, this baby chops, minces, purées and emulsifies like a dream; it even mashes potatoes and whips cream for pie toppings.

Rich, buttery Spanish EVOO in easy-squeeze bottles

Pressed from buttery Picual olives in Jaen, Spain, Titin Extra-Virgin Olive Oil is a truly holiday-worthy upgrade to your pantry. You get two different bottles in this set: a milder everyday oil that’s excellent for sautéing aromatics for casseroles and gravy, and a bold, assertive Finishing oil with a little kick that you’ll want to drizzle on everything. Titin packages their EVOO in sleek, easy-to-use squeeze bottles that deposit exactly the right amount of oil precisely where you want it—and the opaque design protects their contents from light and air so they stay fresh as long as possible.

The best cinnamon we’ve tasted, full stop

You can’t have Thanksgiving without cinnamon, and Burlap & Barrel’s Royal Cinnamon is the best our recipe development team has ever tried. Also known as Saigon cinnamon, Royal Cinnamon is a hard-to-find heirloom variety that comes from the mountains of central Vietnam. It’s sweet, bright and intense, with an aroma you can smell across the room. This is pure cinnamon goodness; for our money, there is no substitute.

Premium vanilla extracts made with sweet cane rum

High-quality vanilla extract is another Thanksgiving dessert non-negotiable. If you’ve never tried Kansas-based Vain Vanilla, you’re in for a treat. These extracts are the real deal. Handmade from carefully-sourced vanilla bean pods and subtly sweet rum, they’ll add depth and dimension to baked goods. (Plus, they leave the pods in the bottles so they’ll continue macerating as long as you have the bottle—and when you finish it, you can split the pods open and scrape out the seeds.) We carry both their Original Baker’s Blend and their Mexican Vanilla in Cane Rum so you have options; the Baker’s Blend is a straight-ahead, high-quality vanilla extract, while the Mexican Vanilla has undertones of spicy cinnamon and nutmeg. Whichever you choose, you won’t regret it.

Small-batch jams and compotes for the ultimate cheese board

Finally, elevate your pre-dinner cheese board with small-batch jams from Eat This Yum! Their Cranberry Compote blends New Jersey cranberries with d’Anjou pears, port, candied ginger and orange zest—but just enough to let the tart, garnet-red fruit shine. For something with a little warmth and spice, try their silky-smooth Pear Caramel Jam; cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and subtle hints of caramel amplify and complement the pear’s natural sweetness, while lemon juice adds a hint of acidity for balance. And for a habit-forming combination of sweet and savory, we love their melt-in-your-mouth Balsamic Caramelized Onions. Any of these would set off a charcuterie board beautifully, or grab all three for a nice variety.

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Alice Newton

Alice Newton is a writer and editor based in Portland, Oregon. Her favorite food is eggplant parmesan.