There are plenty of things to love about Thanksgiving ― and your kitchen morphing into a post-meal landfill of dirty dishes and cutlery definitely isn’t one of them.
“Doing the dishes is a dreaded activity for many,” Alex Varela, Texas-based cleaning expert and general manager of Dallas Maids, told HuffPost. “After all of the labor involved in the cooking and serving of a Thanksgiving feast, the last thing you want to do with the energy you have left is clean.”
Sure, you can partake in the many cleaning hacks out there, like prepping in advance and cleaning as you go, but not having to clean that many dirty dishes in the first place? Now that’d be something to be thankful for.
We went to the experts to find out exactly how to pull this off (besides wrapping your kitchen in caution tape and calling it a day). Here’s how the pros recommend avoiding the post-Thanksgiving dirty dish heap entirely.
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Invest in slow cooker liners and oven bags
“Crock-Pot liners are a life-changer,” Robbie Shoults, celebrity chef and owner of Bear Creek Smokehouse in Texas, told HuffPost. “Just fit the liner against the bottom and sides of your Crock-Pot, pull the top of the liner over the rim and toss in your recipe.” The only post-meal cleanup you’ll have to do is toss the liner in the trash.
The same goes for cooking your turkey and sides — placing them in oven bags before putting them in your roasting pans means delicious food sans dirty pans to scrub.
Left: Reynolds slow cooker liners come in two sizes: Buy a pack of five smalls for $2.49 or six regulars for $3.18 from Amazon.
Right: For meats up to 8 pounds and your sides, you can grab a pack of three boxes of oven bags for $14.99 (a total of 15 bags), and for your turkey, a pack of two boxes of oven bags for $13.99 (a total of 4 bags).
The same goes for cooking your turkey and sides — placing them in oven bags before putting them in your roasting pans means delicious food sans dirty pans to scrub.
Left: Reynolds slow cooker liners come in two sizes: Buy a pack of five smalls for $2.49 or six regulars for $3.18 from Amazon.
Right: For meats up to 8 pounds and your sides, you can grab a pack of three boxes of oven bags for $14.99 (a total of 15 bags), and for your turkey, a pack of two boxes of oven bags for $13.99 (a total of 4 bags).
Become one with your slow cooker
Look for slow cooker adaptations of your favorite Thanksgiving side dishes. “This is especially effective for buffet-style Thanksgivings because you can cook and serve from the same apparatus,” said Hill, who recommends the Crock-Pot brand of programmable slow cookers. “They always get hot quickly, cook evenly and don’t break the bank.”
Crock-Pot’s Hook Up Connectable Entertaining System offers various sizes (from 1 quart to 5 quarts) that can be mixed and matched for any occasion. Each includes an outlet so you can connect multiple units together. Up to six units can plug together using only one wall outlet. Best of all, units stack for easy storage.
Prices on Amazon range from $39.99 for a 1-quart model to $93.99 for a 5-quart and 2-quart duo.
Crock-Pot’s Hook Up Connectable Entertaining System offers various sizes (from 1 quart to 5 quarts) that can be mixed and matched for any occasion. Each includes an outlet so you can connect multiple units together. Up to six units can plug together using only one wall outlet. Best of all, units stack for easy storage.
Prices on Amazon range from $39.99 for a 1-quart model to $93.99 for a 5-quart and 2-quart duo.
Line your baking sheets with parchment paper
“Not only does lining your baking sheets with parchment lead to fewer pans to wash, but parchment paper promotes even cooking,” Meggan Hill, executive chef for the recipe site Culinary Hill, told HuffPost.
Hill recommends buying pre-cut sheets of parchment. Besides the convenience factor, “rolled parchment doesn’t lay flat,” she said. “My favorite brand is King Arthur parchment because it’s extremely durable, lasts in the oven up to 450 degrees and can be reused multiple times.”
Get 100 half-sheets from Amazon for $24.99.
Hill recommends buying pre-cut sheets of parchment. Besides the convenience factor, “rolled parchment doesn’t lay flat,” she said. “My favorite brand is King Arthur parchment because it’s extremely durable, lasts in the oven up to 450 degrees and can be reused multiple times.”
Get 100 half-sheets from Amazon for $24.99.
Use the same storage containers for prep and leftovers
Taking time to prepare elements of your Thanksgiving feast a few days in advance will help you save time and avoid a bigger mess the day of. “Something as simple as chopping all of your vegetables at once can save you a great deal of time on Thanksgiving Day, especially if you’re cooking for many people,” Christina Musgrave, a professional recipe developer, told HuffPost.
Using these storage containers with dividers means you can store all of your prepped ingredients in one spot. The dividers will also come in handy to store your leftovers in as few containers as possible.
Buy a set of three from Amazon for $34.99.
Using these storage containers with dividers means you can store all of your prepped ingredients in one spot. The dividers will also come in handy to store your leftovers in as few containers as possible.
Buy a set of three from Amazon for $34.99.
Cook and serve using the same dishes
Another great way to minimize Thanksgiving cleanup is to serve your roasted vegetables, sweet potatoes, stuffing, turkey and pies in the same dishes you baked them in. “If you want a ‘nicer’ presentation on a baking tray, garnish them with fresh herbs and lemon wedges,” Musgrave said. “A few garnishes will go a long way in the presentation of your food.”
Left: This set of three ceramic baking dishes comes in fall colors and would look great as part of a Thanksgiving spread. Bonus: They have a smooth glazed surface that’s nonstick, so they’re super-easy to clean, and are safe for ovens (up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit), microwaves and dishwashers.
Get the set of three from Amazon for $39.99.
Center: For pot pies and desserts, this set of ceramic pie dishes are made of porcelain and are also nonstick, making them easy to clean post-meal.
Get the set of two from Amazon for $14.99.
Right: Meanwhile, roast and serve your sides with this set of four easy-to-clean baking trays and cooling sheets for a cohesive look.
Get the set of four from Amazon for $43.99.
Left: This set of three ceramic baking dishes comes in fall colors and would look great as part of a Thanksgiving spread. Bonus: They have a smooth glazed surface that’s nonstick, so they’re super-easy to clean, and are safe for ovens (up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit), microwaves and dishwashers.
Get the set of three from Amazon for $39.99.
Center: For pot pies and desserts, this set of ceramic pie dishes are made of porcelain and are also nonstick, making them easy to clean post-meal.
Get the set of two from Amazon for $14.99.
Right: Meanwhile, roast and serve your sides with this set of four easy-to-clean baking trays and cooling sheets for a cohesive look.
Get the set of four from Amazon for $43.99.
Use compostable dinnerware
Instead of using fine china, consider using compostable dinnerware. “When it comes time to collect the dinner and glassware after your meal, you won’t have to wash anything at all,” Musgrave said.
Left: Not only does this compostable dinnerware set come with everything you might need for serving up to 20 people (10-inch and 7-inch plates, bowls, cups, forks, knives, spoons, napkins), but the rustic place settings suit the whole Thanksgiving vibe.
Get it from Amazon for $52.
Right: And once it’s time to pack up leftovers, you can send your guests home with food in these microwave-safe compostable storage containers that will leave them with no dishes to clean, either.
Get a pack of 50 from Amazon for $26.99.
Left: Not only does this compostable dinnerware set come with everything you might need for serving up to 20 people (10-inch and 7-inch plates, bowls, cups, forks, knives, spoons, napkins), but the rustic place settings suit the whole Thanksgiving vibe.
Get it from Amazon for $52.
Right: And once it’s time to pack up leftovers, you can send your guests home with food in these microwave-safe compostable storage containers that will leave them with no dishes to clean, either.
Get a pack of 50 from Amazon for $26.99.
Invest in an extra large cutting board
Instead of using smaller cutting boards to prep each type of food, section off one large cutting board. “With a big cutting board, you can use ‘areas’ of the board to cut and prep your food and only have to clean it once afterward,” Varela said. This cutting board from Greener Chef is a whopping 20 inches by 14 inches, has built-in compartments and has a juice groove catcher so you won’t have to worry about pesky drips during cleanup.
Get it from Amazon for $34.99.
Get it from Amazon for $34.99.
Use the same knife for everything
Food blogger and recipe developer Petranka Atanasova recommends using the same knife for all of your food prep, while you’re at it. “Start with cutting the fruits and vegetables first, then move onto the meat,” she said. “You don’t want your raw meat to touch any fresh produce, so always make sure to cut it first.” In between foods, give your knife a quick wash, wipe down your cutting board as needed and keep going.
A popular no-muss, no-fuss knife to invest in is the Victorinox Fibrox Pro chef's knife. “It’s comfortable and has the characteristics of a professional knife,” Atanasova said.
Get it from Amazon for $37.78.
A popular no-muss, no-fuss knife to invest in is the Victorinox Fibrox Pro chef's knife. “It’s comfortable and has the characteristics of a professional knife,” Atanasova said.
Get it from Amazon for $37.78.