10 Thanksgiving Foods Everyone Secretly Hates

Whether it’s made from scratch or still shaped like the can it came out of, cranberry sauce is overly tart—borderline bitter—and is seriously pointless amid the rest of the Thanksgiving spread. Don’t even get us started on cranberry relish.

Of course nobody hates dinner rolls themselves, but once we realize that the carb-y clouds have taken up precious space in our stomachs, we definitely curse their existence. Steer clear of any and all bread—that means biscuits and crescent rolls, too—to avoid tapping out early.

Sure, it’s managed to hold down a place at the American Thanksgiving table for over 60 years, but this soggy staple is merely tradition at this point. The green bean and mushroom soup mixture is insanely mushy, and the casserole’s only redeeming quality is the crispy topping of French fried onions on top.

It seems almost blasphemous to say aloud, but if you ask us, turkey plays second fiddle to most other items on the Thanksgiving table. Too often the host cooks it to death, and if not for tradition’s sake, we probably wouldn’t bother chewing our way through the bland meat. No one will notice if you fill up on the real stars—stuffing and mashed potatoes—instead!

Creamy, savory gravy is the only condiment we’re interested in on Turkey Day, so don’t phone it in with flavorless, store-bought gravy that comes in a jar, can or carton. Making it from scratch takes less than 15 minutes, and if you made your own turkey, you most likely have everything you need.

Can we please save boring corn, carrots and Brussels sprouts for like, any other night of year? This holiday is our chance to indulge, and we’d like every part of the meal to be topped with cheese and breadcrumbs or baked with all manner of creamy things in gratin form.

We’ll admit there are some creative uses of Jell-O that have won us over—like this Strawberry Pretzel Tart—but bringing a quivering gelatin mold to Thanksgiving should not be considered a real contribution. We’ve seen some scary versions that have vegetables suspended inside (no thanks), and even the fruity varieties are lame excuses for dessert. Go for festive Jell-O shots instead.