by Laura Falin posted in Life

I love pretty kitchen gadgets. Sometimes I wander around Williams Sonoma or Crate and Barrel (ONLY when I'm kidless, you understand. All those wine glasses are a disaster waiting to happen), and I pretend I'm one of those people who holds dinner parties with gold-accented dishes and real glasses and fancy gadgets and everything in my house is white and not sticky.
In reality, though, I need things to be practical. And I don't have the space or money for kitchen gadgets I only use once a year on Thanksgiving. They need to pull their weight the rest of the time if they're going to hang out in my cabinets. Which is why I love this list of kitchen supplies -- everything on it is something you'll use for Thanksgiving and other holiday meals, yes...but also over and over again afterward.
1. Black + Decker 7-Quart Digital Slow Cooker with Chalkboard Surface
If you've never saved your turkey to make stock the day after Thanksgiving, you're missing out on some liquid gold, my friend. Toss your turkey carcass in a slow cooker with the ends of all the veggies you used (carrot tops, onion ends and outer layers, celery bits, literally whatever), season with a little salt and pepper, cover it with water, and let it go on low all day. You end up with stock from things you were going to throw out anyway, and now you can freeze it to use later in soups, stews, casseroles, or to give sick people all winter long.
The other reason I love this Black + Decker...