YouTube-the holiday helper

Thanksgiving. Turkey Day. Gobble, gobble.

While thanks and gratitude are the theme for the holiday, let’s be honest-the focus is on the dinner table. Turkey, mashed potatoes, candied sweet potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and-dare we say-turducken?

If your skills in the kitchen aren’t as sharp as your clinical skills, there’s help. A multitude of cooking channels abound on the Internet, and YouTube is a great resource for step-by-step bailouts when the plates are on the table.

Keep reading for some go-to YouTube options to save-or spice up-your holiday menu.

1. Donal Skehan

Donal Skehan hails from Dublin but transplanted to Los Angeles, where he hosts cooking shows on the Food Network, BBC One, and Fox. Skehan offers international flavor and wide variety of recipes for the novice to expert level cook. While his one-pan pasta may not be on your Thanksgiving menu, breakfast burritos may be a great option for post-Black Friday shopping, or you can repurpose leftover bread for a decadent treat with his Nutella-stuffed Brioche French Toast recipe.

2. Nerdy Nummies

If you can’t have a little fun with your holiday menu, what’s the point? YouTube star and award-winning chef and author Rosanna Pansino moved from Washington state to Los Angeles to start a production company, launching her YouTube channel in 2011. With more than 10 million subscribers, Pansino has found her niche as one of the most-watched and followed personalities on the Internet. Search her videos for party tips and fun baking adventures like dinosaur fossil cakes, unicorn cupcakes, Incredibles cookies, and Star Wars pizzas.

3. Tasty

On Tasty’s YouTube channel you can have your fun and eat it, too. Amassing nearly 11 million subscribers in less than three years, Tasty specializes in “snack-sized” videos on cooking and eating well. From cook-off competitions to a win-lose-or-draw style series called, “I Draw, You Cook,” this site offers a little bit of everything. In “I Draw, You Cook,” Tasty chefs bring children’s drawings of their food to life, and the channel also offers Tasty Junior for young chef hopefuls. Learn how classic foods are made from scratch, and how to cook a cheap steak versus and expensive steak.

4. Gordon Ramsay

Don’t let his tough demeanor scare you away, this chef has a slew of top-rated restaurants across the globe and shares a host of tips and techniques on his YouTube channel. New videos are posted weekly, and range from “How to master 5 basic cooking skills,” to “10 incredibly useful cooking tips.”

5. Sorted Food

Sorted Food doesn’t just offer recipes, but rather explores food experiences across the globe. With new postings every Wednesday and Saturday, you can learn to make new dishes, watch the Sorted chefs cook for the infamous Gordon Ramsay, see food battles over lava cake and grilled cheese, and see how to fix food disasters.

6. Cheap Lazy Vegan

Vegan doesn't mean your menu must be limited to salads and pressed juices, or that you'll need a second job to foot your grocery bill. Rose, founder of Cheap Lazy Vegan, launched her YouTube channel in 2015 and claims to have mastered cheap and easy vegan living. Her videos are split into categories like 15- minutes or less meals, recipes with five ingredients or less, air fryer recipes, recipes for beginners, and things you can cook in a dorm room. Some features videos on “Easy vegan recipes for lazy people,” “High-protein vegan meals,” and more. If turducken isn’t an option, Cheap Lazy Vegan can help expand your choices beyond sweet potatoes and green bean casserole.

7. Food Wishes

Chef John’s quirky style and easy-to-follow format make this a go-to channel for your Thanksgiving needs. With recipes split between his blog and videos, viewers can read and print recipes, as well as follow along with a visual demonstration. With more than 10 years of videos in the collection, there isn’t much you won’t find in Chef John’s arsenal. Best yet, Chef John has created a Thanksgiving playlist, where viewers can find everything they will need from setting the holiday table to the turkey and its trimmings all in one spot.