November 20, 2021

By Burton Kelso
The Technology Expert

It’s that time of year again: turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, the presence of friends and family, and a reason to give thanks for all of our good fortunes in the last year. If there’s one thing most of us want to NOT think about on Thanksgiving, it’s technology. Put the smartphones away, pack up the laptop, and disconnect for one day, right? Well, technology can actually help to bring us together on this most American of holidays, provided it’s put to good use instead of as a distraction from family time.

Here are 5 ways to put technology to work for you this Thanksgiving, all of which will hopefully result in a more relaxing holiday:

1. Allrecipes. There are hundreds of cooking apps out there, but what makes this app so great is the fact that every recipe comes from a community of more than 50 million people. This gives it more of a social feel and that you’re getting special recipes, not just generic ones. This app can recommend recipes when you walk into certain stores and comes with all the usual features, like the ability to create shopping lists, save your favorite recipes, and filter your search results by diet and cooking time … which is handy when you have guests that have different dietary needs.
2. Meater/Meater Block. Wireless thermometers have increased in popularity over the years, but one of the best out there is the Meater and Meater block. This high-tech thermometer allows you to know the temperature of Tom Turkey or any other food you’re cooking. Wireless means that you don’t have to hang out in the kitchen all Thanksgiving Day. The Meater app allows you to spend time with company and get alerts when you’re dish reaches optimum temperature. The Meater Block allows you to monitor several dishes from your smartphone at once.
3. Amazon Alexa Show /Google Home Show. It seems once a month, especially during the holiday season I mention these smart home hubs. There are so many things these devices can do, the list is almost endless. You can use these devices to look up recipes, set timers multiple timers for food you’re preparing. You can also stream music from your favorite music service such as Amazon Music, Spotify, and Pandora for your guest to listen to as well as allowing to watch Netflix on the devices before, during, and after dinner. Connected to your smart home, you can unlock and lock your doors with a smart lock system as well as monitor who is at the door if you have a wireless doorbell installed.
4. TCL Roku Smart TV. If you’re reading this, it’s probably time for a new TV and there’s nothing better than this Smart TV which is Alexa, Google, and Apple Ready. Use your voice to activate this TV and quickly get to the shows you want. Roku software in the TV means you have access to all of the popular streaming services. This ULTA HD TV means if your family members want to watch Thanksgiving sports, the picture quality will be so good it will be as if they are there in person.
5. RetailMeNot. If you’re making your Christmas shopping list and checking it twice on Thanksgiving to see if you get the best deals, then check out RetailMeNot. This app has thousands of stores in its database which means you can find that perfect gift and make sure you get the best deal. As an added bonus, if you can’t find that gift for your loved one, you can purchase gift cards directly from the app.

This Thanksgiving, don’t let technology ruin your day. Instead, use the best technology products to work to make your gathering even more meaningful. Most of all, remember to give thanks for the friends beside us, the food before us, and the love between us.

Want to ask me a tech question? Send it to [email protected]. If you prefer to connect with me on social media, you can find me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.