Best Thanksgiving cooking shows to watch free on Sling Freestream
Turkey tutorials, foolproof sides, and leftover rescues from Martha Stewart, Struggle Meals, and more — all free, no subscription required
The most important tool in your Thanksgiving kitchen isn't the roasting pan. It isn't the meat thermometer, the gravy separator, or the electric carving knife your uncle insists on bringing every year like it's a family heirloom. It's the TV remote.
Because somewhere between the 6AM brine check and the moment someone asks whether the stuffing is supposed to look like that, you're going to need backup. Luckily, Sling Freestream has a full roster of celebrity chefs ready to talk you off the ledge — and it won't cost you a dime. Here are the best Thanksgiving cooking shows and holiday food marathons to watch free on Sling Freestream ahead of Thursday, November 26.
Martha Stewart Channel: the Thanksgiving master class
If Thanksgiving had a commissioner, it would be Martha Stewart. And her 24/7 Martha Stewart Channel has been treating November like the Super Bowl, stacking its holiday episodes back to back: 'The Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey Three Ways,' 'Spectacular Thanksgiving Sides,' 'Martha's Thanksgiving Pies,' 'Thanksgiving Prep,' and 'Thanksgiving Countdown,' which features a cranberry-glazed bird that will make your family's dry turkey look like a cry for help.
It's the closest thing to a full-semester culinary course you can finish in a single evening. Take notes. Martha will know if you didn't.
'Cook's Country': the stuffing vs. dressing summit
Every family has The Debate. On Cook's Country, the sister show to America's Test Kitchen (which has its own Freestream channel), culinary historian Toni Tipton-Martin takes it head-on in 'Thanksgiving, Simplified'. Meanwhile, host Julia Collin Davison makes a one-pan turkey breast and stuffing, and the rest of the crew rounds out the menu with a pear-cranberry chutney, roasted butternut squash with apple, and a primer on buying the right turkey in the first place.
For anyone hosting a smaller crowd this year, the one-pan approach is a gift. Fewer dishes, fewer arguments. (About the dishes, anyway.)
'Struggle Meals': a feast without the financial hangover
Thanksgiving dinner for 12 can cost more than a weekend getaway. Chef Frankie Celenza has a solution. In the Struggle Meals episode 'Thanksgiving Dinner,' he builds a full holiday spread around a simple turkey entrée and a twist on a classic dessert — all without, as the show puts it, unstuffing your wallet. It's on demand, so you can watch it on your phone in the grocery store checkout line.
'MeatEater': Thanksgiving from field to table
The Pilgrims didn't pick up their turkey from the frozen aisle, and neither does Steven Rinella. In the MeatEater special 'Cooking Special: Giving Thanks,' Rinella cooks a holiday feast for family and friends: a wild turkey galantine, a smoked black bear ham, and his take on the traditional mincemeat pie. It's the most authentically historical Thanksgiving menu on this list, and possibly the only one that starts with a hunting license.
The Jamie Oliver Channel: a roast-dinner reinforcement
England doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving, but nobody told Jamie Oliver, whose career has been one long love letter to the roast dinner. The Jamie Oliver Channel runs his simple, no-fuss recipes around the clock, including roast beef, roast pork, and smoked brisket episodes. They're perfect if your family has quietly agreed that turkey is overrated. (They're wrong, but it's a free country.)
Hell's Kitchen/Kitchen Nightmares: for after the dishes are done
And when the guests have gone home and the kitchen looks like a crime scene, reward yourself with the Hell's Kitchen/Kitchen Nightmares channel. Watching Gordon Ramsay dismantle someone else's cooking is a strangely soothing way to remember that your gravy, lumps and all, was actually fine.
Where can I watch Food Network for Thanksgiving?
If the free spread leaves you hungry for seconds, Food Network is included with Sling Orange and Sling Blue. It's the traditional home of holiday baking competitions and Thanksgiving specials, and you can see the full lineup on the Food Network channel page. Either way, your turkey is in good hands. Probably better than your uncle's.