Don't forget these key items at the store for Thanksgiving

First things first: Thanksgiving is messy and you need to protect both your pans and your biscuits over the course of a long day. Parchment paper helps not only your food from sticking during baking and roasting, it helps makes clean up easier. 

Your great-grandmother, your grandmother and your mother probably had plenty of evaporated milk on hand each Thanksgiving, because few things elevate macaroni and cheese, casseroles and mashed potatoes like evaporated milk – plus it's a key ingredient in both sweet potato and pumpkin pie.   

Did someone say pie? If you're making a pecan pie this Thanksgiving, make sure you have molasses on hand. Not sure what else to make with it? Molasses makes a great glaze for roasted baby carrots and squash. 

When's the last time you checked the freshness of your bay leaves? You haven't touched them since last Thanksgiving? Toss the old ones. While bay leaves can last over a year in the cabinet, their potency can fade within six months. And for a proper traditional turkey, you cannot skip the bay leaves. 

Doesn't matter if you're dry brining your turkey or wet brining your bird, you're going need plenty of kosher salt. Just remember, not all kosher salts are the same – use less than the recipe calls for when using Diamond Crystals verses flake brands like Morton's as the salt is much finer. 

Either diced in a green salad or fried for a garnish; shallots are much more manageable for those who do not like onions, an essential for Thanksgiving.  

Probably the herb that is most tied to Thanksgiving, either fresh or dried, you're going to need sage for everything from your turkey, your stuffing, your gravy – even just fried and crumbled as a garnish. Few herbs speak to fall and the cooler weather like sage. 

Everyone knows they need stock for their gravy, turkey basting and dressing, but did you know stock can make the difference in your starchy sides as well? Boil peeled potatoes in low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock for a whole new level to mashed potatoes. 

Everyone knows orange zest or orange juice is essential for a bright cranberry sauce, but consider adding orange zest to green beans as a garnish and add the juice to a vinaigrette for a light spinach salad. And if you have too many oranges? Well, an orange peel is essential for a post-dinner Old Fashioned. 

It happens to everyone. You're looking at a recipe and think, "It calls for marjoram. Do I have marjoram?" Either fresh in the garden or dried for the winter months, it's always good to have bright marjoram – think 'oregano's less funky cousin' – on hand when making poultry dishes. And what is Thanksgiving if not a giant celebration of poultry? 

You remembered to buy wine for dinner, but do you have a bottle of wine (or two) for cooking? Gravy recipes especially benefit from 1/2-1 cup of white wine. 

You can't finish a three-bean casserole or macaroni and cheese without toasted bread crumbs, but even just a tablespoon or two goes a long way to dress creamed spinach or pearl onions. 

Fine. If you don't want to use bread crumbs for a topping, at least consider taking out your frustrations on butter crackers to crumble for a topping. Aunt Joan's recipe for green bean casserole probably calls for at least two to three sleeves – and you know she'll complain if your version doesn't add up. (You can skip the canned mushroom soup part though and make a proper sauce – we won't tell.) 

Between pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes and the kid's table, an extra gallon of milk is advisable. 

You can, as is your right, use pre-made whipped cream out of an aerosol can. But when you make your own whipped cream, you can also use the heavy cream in creamed onions, potatoes, and our favorite, potatoes au gratin. It's Thanksgiving after all; little special touches make the meal. 

And if you're making your own whipped cream, you're going to need vanilla. If not for that, it's key to pie (or any other dessert you may be considering this Thanksgiving). 

Diced apples are needed for Waldorf salad and make for a crisp accent on spinach salads with walnuts or pecans, but sliced apples are perfect to adding to the turkey cavity during roasting along with celery, carrots, onions and herbs. 

There is a reason why Simon & Garfunkel sang the praises of this herb – it goes with poultry like few others. In addition, we like to add minced fresh thyme to our cheese biscuits for an extra kick. 

True story: The first time this author made a turkey they followed their mother's directions, but didn't quite understand what mom had meant when she said, "baste with 1/2 cup butter every half hour." See, mom had a few pounds of butter in the fridge because it was intended to be used to baste the turkey... and be used in the potatoes – all sorts of sides, really – the pie crusts and of course butter for the dinner rolls. You need loads of butter at Thanksgiving. 

The mistake? We thought she meant another 1/2 cup of butter every thirty minutes. The turkey was swimming in it by the time she had discovered our mistake. 

Not only does parsley make for one of best herbs for your turkey, just a few tablespoons of chopped parsley go a long way to help garnish dishes from potatoes to roasted root vegetables. 

Have extra at the end of the night? Chewing on just a few stems helps freshen your breath. 

Our favorite way to roast a turkey calls for stuffing the cavity with a bundle of herbs along with carrots, onions, celery and apples. Forget trying to pull all of that out without tying it together in a bundle – much less trussing the bird.  

Thanksgiving involves far more straining than the usual meal. From gravies, fruit jellies and making stock at the end of the night, it's always good to have some extra cheesecloth available at the holidays. 

Allspice adds depth to turkey brines and is at home in dressing and with sweet potatoes – we even like to sneak a pinch of ground allspice into our pumpkin pie.

Ginger is not only great for pies, but a little goes a long way to perk up carrots, cranberry sauces and string beans with garlic. 

While beef holds up to the strong taste of rosemary better than turkey, we still cannot imagine roasting (or smoking!) the center of the feast without at least a sprig or two of rosemary, as it adds just a little more fragrant woodiness we crave during the cold days and nights.  

Sure we need it in sweet potato or pumpkin pie – but we add a pinch of cinnamon and cayenne to our yams for extra heat and spice. 

From roasting for stuffing or chopped in a salad, it's always worth having extra walnuts and pecans at Thanksgiving. Plus, when we're running behind with dinner and have a dining room full of hungry people – a few strategy placed bowls of nuts for munching can hold over even the most ravenous of party guests. 

From pie duty to garnishing soups, nutmeg is one of the most important spices of Thanksgiving. 

Making pumpkin pie and brining a turkey? You're going to want ground cloves for the pie and whole cloves for the brine. (Which means it's a good excuse to grind your own cloves.)

We truly believe you can never have enough ice for social gatherings, and Thanksgiving is no different. Home ice makers rarely keep up with more than four people at a time, so grabbing a bag or two isn't the worst idea – even if you pack it in a cooler outside in the cold.

The secret to perfectly browned birds and golden pie crusts is always in the perfect timing of protecting turkeys and pies with aluminum foil. And don't skimp! You're going to be packing plates of leftovers to send home with guests. 

It never seems to matter how many times we run the dishwasher, we always end up pushing the limits of how much dish soap we have left at the end of Thanksgiving.