They are the best and are both in The Food Lab. I think most people make those recipes, especially the stuffing. An alternative meat and a break from pure starch is needed.
The gravy shaker is to dissolve the flour easier. You take some liquid out and mix it with the flour in the shaker and pour it back in. Its apparently a sin to not have one in the Midwest. Even though I can do the same thing with a whisk and I only make gravy at most once a year for Thanksgiving. I think I have used it once