Thanksgiving 2025: What to Do to Get Appliances & Kitchen Ready in Time
Thanksgiving 2025 is on Thursday, November 28, and if you’re the one hosting in Houston (or anywhere for that matter), your kitchen is about to be the most popular place in the house. The turkey, the sides, the pies, and that sink full of dishes are all reliant on just a few hard-working appliances: your range, oven, cooktop, dishwasher, and garbage disposal. “Is everything all set for the big day?
The good news? A bit of DIY preparation in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving can help you avoid last-minute breakdowns, uneven cooking, and post-feast plumbing disasters. What follows is a handy, step-by-step guide that you can complete yourself — no toolbox or technical degree required. When you encounter anything beyond basic cleaning or straightforward checks, it’s time to bring in a pro like Appliance Cowboys.
Range & Oven: The Heavy Lifter of Your Thanksgiving
Your range and oven are the headliners on Thanksgiving. If those aren’t heating right, neither will your turkey, casseroles, and pies.
Step 1: Test the Oven in Real Conditions
One or two weeks before Thanksgiving:
1. A quick clean, not a meltdown.
- Wipe out loose crumbs and burned bits from the oven floor and racks. Avoid running a full self-clean cycle within a few days of the holiday—self-clean can push the oven to very high temperatures and occasionally cause failures in already weak components. Many guides recommend cleaning well ahead of big cooking days and using gentler methods closer to the event.
- For oven preparation, start by removing any loose crumbs or burned residue from the floor and racks. A key piece of advice is to avoid running a full self-clean cycle close to the holiday. The intense heat generated by a self-cleaning cycle can stress components and potentially lead to an appliance failure just when you need it most. Experts suggest performing a thorough cleaning well in advance and opting for gentler cleaning methods closer to major cooking events.
2. Ensure that the oven reaches the correct temperature
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and allow it to reach a stable temperature for an additional 10–15 minutes.
- And that it should be confirmed with an in-oven thermometer on the center rack; this is more for professional cooks, as one of the easiest and most reliable ways pros prefer to check oven temperature.
Test Bake, Broil, and (if you have it) Convection with something uncomplicated, such as a frozen pizza, a pan of biscuits, or a small batch of cookies — long before the big day. This allows you to catch issues like uneven baking early.
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Pro Tip:
Set the oven thermometer on the center rack and monitor the reading after the preheat beep, then 10 minutes later. With an oven that overshoots and then settles, this is the number you can rely on to plan your cooking times.
Step 2: Checking Seals and Controls
- Door gasket (rubber seal): Roll up your sleeve and give the rubber around the door a feel to check if you can feel any cracks, holes, or loose bits. If the seal is worn, heat can escape (you will often feel this radiating from around the oven door even after it has been turned off); keeping food warm in a poorly sealed oven may cause it to run “cold.”
- Knobs & control panel: Clean carefully with a soft cloth and mild cleaner—harsh scrubbers can scrape off markings or damage touchscreens.
If you spot wildly inaccurate temperatures, non-functioning burners, or a damaged door seal, that’s a good time to schedule professional service before the Thanksgiving holiday.
Cooktop: Ensure Each Burner is Doing Its Part
Your cooktop will likely be firing on all burners, from gravy to green beans to macaroni and cheese.
Step 1: Inspect Every Burner for Consistency of Heat
Whether gas, electric, or induction:
1. Test every burner
- Pair of pots into place. One at a time, set each in a small pot of water on a burner. What is the time it takes to reach a simmer? For a reason obviously related to an energy difference or something of that nature.
- On stove-top gas burners, flames should be blue and steady, not yellow or flickering.
2. Clean removable parts (for gas)
- Turn everything off and let it cool. Then, remove the grates and burner caps.
- Soak in warm, soapy water and scrub away grease and food. Allow them to dry thoroughly before reassembling them.
3. Clear clogged ports
To clear clogged gas ports on the burner head, delicately brush them with a soft brush or a clean wooden toothpick (metal is not recommended).
Pro Tip:
If a gas burner won’t light but you can smell gas, turn it off, air out the space, and refrain from trying to light it again. That’s a signal that it may be time for a professional inspection, not more DIY.
Dishwasher: Your Secret Weapon to Cleaning Up After the Feast
You’ll be grateful that a machine is doing the heavy lifting, not you, on Thanksgiving night. A little routine maintenance can significantly enhance its cleaning ability.
Step 1: Deep Clean the Inside
Four simple tasks form the backbone of today’s industry guidelines: cleaning the filter, unclogging spray arms, wiping the gasket, and running a deep clean cycle.
Clean the filter
The vast majority of the latest model dishwashers feature a removable filter located at the bottom. Twist it out, rinse under warm water, and gently scrub with a soft brush.
Clear the spray arms
If possible, remove the spray arms. Rinse them out, and gently remove mineral buildup or pieces of food from the small holes with a toothpick.
Wipe the door gasket
Use a wet cloth and a small amount of vinegar or mild soap to clean the rubber seal around the door. This helps eliminate leaks and neutralize odors.Run a clean cycle with vinegar
Place a dishwasher-safe cup filled with plain white vinegar on the top rack, then run the machine without detergent and select the heat dry setting. Many holiday prep guides recommend this for dissolving soap scum, mineral deposits, and other similar substances.
2: Load & Run Smarter on Thanksgiving
Dishwasher pros and appliance experts seem to agree on a few critical best practices:
Scrape, don’t pre-rinse
Today’s dishwashers come with soil sensors, and they work best when there is actually some food residue to sense. Scraping loads into the trash is sufficient; however, a full pre-rinse will prevent cycles from working as intended and waste water.
Begin with an empty, clean dishwasher before your guests arrive.
An empty dishwasher is a present to “future you.” Many a Thanksgiving checklist will advise you to go into the holiday with an empty dishwasher and a clean sink, either clearing the day before or in the morning.
Utilize the proper cycles at the appropriate times.
- Heavy or Auto for greasy pans and holiday bakeware.
- Run the Express/Quick wash cycle as needed, every 25 minutes, from anywhere in your home, to keep cups, mugs, glasses, and dessert plates clean throughout the day.
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Pro Tip:
Whenever you can, run your dishwasher late at night, people make suggestions (1 and 2: off-peak hours), businesses want to profit, your manufacturer says so, and energy-saving guides tell you not to duke it out with whatever other vampire(s) you have in the house (stove/oven/HVAC).
Garbage Disposal: Don’t Have To See Brown Friday Plumber!
The day after Thanksgiving is so well-documented in the plumbing world that it has been dubbed “Brown Friday” because of clogged drains and disposals. No, having your garbage disposal installed and using it correctly can help prevent you from needing to call a plumber in an emergency.
Step 1: Have a Pre-Holiday Checkup Done
Run it with cold water.
Run a strong stream of cold water, turn on the disposal, and listen. It should sound smooth and regular — no grinding of metal, nothing that sounds like geriatric riveting.
De-gunk the system
- With the power turned off, use a flashlight to check for any items that may be stuck in the disposal.
- From mere foreign objects that you can easily just pluck out with tongs or a pair of household pliers (do not use your fingers…you’re dealing with fire), to replacing parts, they are easy to fix.
- To clean the grinding chamber, grind a few ice cubes and a small amount of lemon peel with cold water.
Know where the reset button is
Disposals are equipped with a reset button located under the unit, and most guides remind homeowners of this feature. If it doesn’t run at all (after ensuring there are no jams), push the reset button once.
Step 2: Know What Not to Put Down the Disposal. Guess what should never go down the disposal?
No matter how good your garbage disposal is (check out our elaborate guide to this here), and no matter its make, model, or brand (Insinkerator, Moen, or Waste King being examples), it will eventually break if you abuse it. Subdivisions on plumbing and home safety seem to agree about garbage disposals: your disposal is not a trash can. Here’s what to avoid:
- Grease, fats, and cooking oils
- Turkey bones and big pieces of poultry
- Stringy or fibrous foods, including celery, corn husks, and onion skins
- Potato skins or rice/pasta in bulk that can expand
- Coffee grounds in large quantities
Pro Tip:
Enforce a strict “No Sink Zone” policy, ensuring that all turkey carving scraps, excess grease, and large peels are disposed of in the trash can or compost bin—not down the disposal. Stick a sticky note on the backsplash by the sink so your helpful guests don’t accidentally send down the wrong items.
Safety First: No Fire for the Holidays
Thanksgiving is one of the top days of the year for home cooking fires, and many of these can be prevented through simple habits.
One or 2 weeks before Thanksgiving 2025:
- Test your smoke alarms in the kitchen or nearby areas. Replace batteries if needed.
- Ensure you have an easily accessible, kitchen-rated fire extinguisher.
- Never walk away from frying, grilling, or broiling food.
- Do not store or use flammable materials, including oven mitts, food boxes, and towels, near the range and cooktop.
- If an oven fire occurs, leave the door closed and turn off the oven. When in doubt, call 911.
Pro Tip:
Choose a “kitchen Kaptain,” whose sole job is to remain in the kitchen while cooking is underway. No multitasking, no brief jaunts down the street (or room) to grab this or that — only eyes on stove and oven.
Extra Credit: Love on Your Refrigerator
And while we’re concentrating on ranges, ovens, cooktops, dishwashers, and disposals, your refrigerator is about to be bursting with turkeys, casseroles, and leftovers.
Fast DIY steps that many experts urge:
- Throw away expired goods and mystery cans to clear the space.
- Wipe down shelves and drawers to avoid spills from becoming sticky and long-term stains.
- Adjust the fridge to approximately 36–37°F and the freezer to 0°F to keep food chilled safely, even during heavy usage.
When to Call Appliance Cowboys
These do-it-yourself checks and cleanups will ensure your kitchen runs smoothly on Thanksgiving 2025. But if you see any of the following, it’s time to bring in a pro:
- My oven won’t heat, or it’s way off in temperature.
- The burners do not light or stay lit.
- Multiple trips of the breakers when you turn on appliances
- Leaking, pooling water, or “error” codes appearing on the display panel accommodate your schedule.
- Garbage disposal not working, humming/ smoking/ tripping breaker.
- Dealing with issues before November 27 makes for less stress and more time to enjoy the day with your family and friends.
Call or text us at 713-391-4475 to schedule an appointment, or schedule one online using our form.
Bottom Line:
Take a few moments over the next couple of weeks to test, clean, and tune your range, oven, cooktop, dishwasher, and garbage disposal. Your Thanksgiving 2025 dinner — and your guests — will be grateful that everything cooked evenly, cleaned up easily, and ran without a hitch. As you prepare for the celebration that will be your Thanksgiving 2025, we’re going to take a look at more than just how to plan what you’ll cook; it’s about planning the entire experience in such a way that everyone involved has an enjoyable time. If you put in the work to be organized and ready, your Thanksgiving feast (and your visitors) will thank you.
A prepared-to-a-t host that makes it simple for everything to cook evenly, resulting in a perfectly golden brown turkey and gorgeously baked sides. This often includes possessing the very best high-quality roasting pans, accurate meat thermometers you can rely on, and even consistent cooking oven temperatures.
And beyond the cooking itself, a smooth holiday is marked by a kitchen that cleans up quickly. A counter cleared and scraped of dishes, a system for scraping and loading as you go, and the use of disposable foil liners where appropriate can do wonders to cut your post-dinner labors. This proactive mindset reduces anxiety and also frees up time spent relaxing with family and friends.
Because everything—and I mean everything, from initial prep to final cleanup—runs like clockwork when you do, which ensures that the stress-free atmosphere of the holiday and memories take root. That joy will fly — literally! The culinary triumph and effortless hosting duty are yours at this year’s Thanksgiving, with one very happy table to bear witness. Have a Happy Thanksgiving, you and your family. A great time to spend with friends and family!