9 Hosting Essentials for the Holiday Season, From $4

Thanksgiving will be here before you know it, which means your kitchen is about to get a whole lot busier. Whether you’re hosting the Friendsgiving feast or a casual cocktail party, a few upgrades can make all the difference. Amazon’s Holiday Hub just dropped, and it has everything you need to prep, cook, and serve in style. We rounded up the best picks from the hidden outlet, including a Ninja frozen drink machine that whips up crowd-pleasing slushies and a Le Creuset gravy boat you’ll use for years. Best of all, you don’t have to break your budget: These hosting essentials start at $4.

Best Amazon Holiday Hosting Essentials

Ninja Slushi Frozen Drink & Slushie Machine

Who said frozen drinks were only for summer? The Ninja Slushi is a great way to batch frosty sips for your holiday guests all year round. With Thanksgiving and Christmas on the horizon, use the machine to whip up horchata slushies or frozen peppermint mudslides in less than 60 minutes. 

Lodge Cast Iron Casserole Dish

Bake loaves of cornbread, roast whole chickens, or roast crispy vegetables with this Lodge cast iron baking dish. The 9- x 13-inch pan has high walls to prevent food from spilling out the sides and two large handles for easy maneuvering.

Le Creuset Heritage Stoneware Gravy Boat

Thanksgiving just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without a rich, roasted turkey as the centerpiece. Gravy is nearly as important, so don’t skimp out on your gravy boat. This stoneware model from Le Creuset looks stunning on the table, keeps contents warm for longer, and is oven-safe for reheating.

Chef Craft Select Maple Slotted Spoons, Set of 3

These highly rated cooking spoons are the non-toxic utensils your kitchen is missing. They’re made from lightweight wood, making them comfortable to hold and excellent for stirring soups, risottos, and sauces. Each set comes with three cooking spoons, so there’s plenty to go around when you’re cooking with family.

Cuisinart 14-Inch Pan with Roasting Rack

Whether you’re roasting ham or braising beef, this 14-inch stainless steel roasting pan is sure to come in handy. “This is a well-made, heavy-gauge piece of metal that does not submit to my methods of kitchen torture at all,” joked one happy shopper. “I burned a lobster tail on it, and it washed up easily and looked like new.” Plus, it’s stovetop-safe — a bonus for gravy-lovers.

S’well Stainless Steel Ice Bucket with Tongs

The first rule of hosting is to keep the cold drinks flowing. This 2-liter S’well ice bucket makes that easier than ever, with triple-insulated stainless steel walls that keep ice frozen for hours and a handy pair of ice tongs for distributing cubes. 

Staub Cast Iron Perfect Pan

Cook stir-fry, eggs, pasta, and soup all in this Staub cast iron pan. Shoppers say this 4.5-quart model really is the “perfect” pan, and it “beats Le Creuset by a mile.” Its textured matte black interior gives proteins and produces a nice crust. It even comes with a stainless steel rack to steam vegetables or drain excess oil from fried foods. 

OXO Good Grips Vegetable Chopper

If you’ve been wanting a food processor but don’t have enough space for another countertop appliance, this handheld vegetable chopper is an ideal alternative. Over 6,000 shoppers purchased this mini-but-mighty tool in the past month for dicing produce into small, uniform pieces. We especially love it for mincing garlic.

KitchenAid Variable Speed Corded Hand Blender

Soup season is finally here, and this powerful hand blender is about to become your go-to tool. With the KitchenAid corded immersion blender, you can purée ingredients directly in your stockpot — no need to dirty your countertop blender. Get it on sale in black or silver.