PM's Guide to the Ultimate DIY Thanksgiving: Turkey-Day Gadgets

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Turkey-frying devotees swear there's no better way to cook up a bird, but the flammable oil displaced by a 15-pound turkey can easily overflow onto a propane-fueled flame (Editor's Note: To properly fry a turkey, heat the oil and then turn off the flame!); the resulting flare-ups have left numerous homes and decks in ruins. Unlike other fryers, the countertop-friendly Masterbuilt Butterball Indoor Electric Turkey Fryer ($120) is safe enough to be used indoors. It subs out propane for a wall plug and features a sensor that prevents overheating.

Got some propane left over from grill season? Use it to fry your bird. This space-age propane-powered turkey cooker uses infrared heat (the same tech found in new high-tech grills) to fry a turkey. And because this turkey fryer uses no oil, it's a far simpler cleanup than for a typical turkey fryer.

This 8-inch all-purpose cutter could be the last knife you'll ever buy (and a good thing, too, considering its price). The blade is handcrafted from an independent Brooklyn-based knifemaker. If it ever dulls or needs service, he'll fix it for free, forever.

This leave-in meat thermometer is the first one we've ever seen with a built-in 24-hour timer. Just as important are its basic ergonomics: The display is angled so as to be easily read from the across the room.

Blind-baking pie crusts can be a leap of faith—you never know when your crust is going to shrink, blister or lose its shape. These marble-like weights fill the crust while it's baking, giving it something to shape around. And because they're made of ceramic, they help spread the heat evenly around the baking crust.

The old-fashioned cookbook enters the digital age. This free iPhone app allows you to instantly pull up more than 170,000 recipes—making it a go-to source for your entire Thanksgiving dinner.

While homemade beer doesn't always taste better than the store-bought stuff (that takes time and practice), it's certainly more rewarding. This all-in-one kit will get you started with your first batch of beer—you'll be drinking it in just a few weeks. Follow the included instructions and check out PM's beer-brewing directions and tips. Bottler not included.

Get rid of grill grease with less elbow grease. We put this As Seen On TV staple, which claims to "harness the power of steam" to make cleaning grills a breeze, to the test. Our findings: Yep, it works. And while Northern readers may scoff (late November can be awfully chilly for outdoor cooking), an outdoor grill is a Thanksgiving mainstay in warmer states.

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