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<p>Thanksgiving dinner demands flawless timing, precise planning and beyond-basic cooking skills. New appliances with smart features can give a Thanksgiving cook an edge in the kitchen, while a smartphone or a tablet can provide last-minute assistance. Who needs a sous chef? Not you.</p>
<p>The free-standing 30-inch range can be compartmentalized for cooking at different temps, including broiling in the top compartment and baking below. However, the turkey will require the entire 5.9-cubic-foot space. The oven has five burners for range-top cooking and a warming drawer.</p>
<p>Order in. Not the meal, but a farm fresh box of traditional Thanksgiving ingredients. For instance, Irv and Shelly's Fresh Picks in Chicago offers a "Thanksgiving Fixin’s Box” with recipes and ingredients to make herbed stuffing, cranberry sauce, potatoes, rolls and butter to serve 12. Fresh Picks will also deliver fresh free-range turkeys priced at $3.99 per pound. Tip: Order early.</p> <p>Using a local delivery service not only means you can skip the aisle-long lines at the grocery store (do your nonperishable shopping earlier in the week), but you’ll be supporting your local farmers and producers. Check online to find out if there’s a service in your area. Some grocery stores, including Whole Foods, also offer delivery service.</p>
<p>Induction cooking is an alternative to electricity and gas, offering highly efficient range-top cooking —this unit boils water in 90 seconds. As for the oven, it has specialized modes for a range of cooking that includes defrost, bread-proof (no more balancing the bowl on an open oven door), and “Perfect Turkey,” which eliminates the need for preheating the oven and uses a connected temperature probe to monitor the bird and chime when it reaches 180 degrees.</p>
<p>For cooks who plan to prepare some dishes ahead of mealtime, a microwave can be a quick way to bring a dish up to the correct temperature. This microwave automatically adjusts cooking time based on the vapors emitted from the food for more precise temperature control.</p>
<p>Sure, you can buy bottles of sparkling cider and cans of soda , but for a more festive and affordable experience, make your own. The iSi Twist is a beverage- carbonating system that quickly turns still water and juices into sparkling drinks. Extra 1-quart bottles can be purchased along with C02 chargers. A box of 24 chargers is available for $20.</p>
<p>This Wi-Fi-connected refrigerator boasts an 8-inch display on its door with touch-screen access to kitchen-friendly apps, including recipes from Epicurious; a Google Calendar, where you could post your holiday schedule; Pandora, to play calming music as the dinner hour nears; and Twitter to tweet your kitchen progress.</p>
<p>An affordable alternative to a smart fridge is an iPad or other tablet paired with a stand designed for keeping the device out of the way and safe from spills. Belkin offers tablet mounts for the refrigerator and one that can be attached to an over-the-counter cabinet, allowing the tablet to be off the counter and within arm’s reach. First time making gravy? Run a how-to video while you work. Open tabs for each recipe for quick reference. Adjust the page so they’re easy to read at a distance.</p>
<p>Don’t forget your phone when it’s time to start Thanksgiving preparation. The new iPhone 4S features Siri , voice-to-text software that has been billed as a personal assistant. Use her to send a message to a guest to pick up another can of whipped cream on her way over and set a timer as you put your pie in the oven.</p>
<p>At the end of the evening, you may be grateful for this dinner-plate-wide robot that can wash the kitchen floor. The Scooba 230 robot cleans tile, linoleum or sealed hardwood floors using a three-stage cleaning process that neutralizes most common household bacteria.</p>
<p>When the guests have left and the leftovers are gone, a pizza may be just what you’re craving. LG has combined a 1,000-watt microwave with a 1,400-watt pizza drawer with four auto baking settings from frozen rising crust to partially baked crust. The unit is designed to sit on a counter and measures 17.4 inches tall, which probably will not fit under an upper cabinet.</p>
Copyright © 2013 All Rights Reserved.