When it comes to cooking Thanksgiving dinner, there’s nothing wrong with a little cheating. In fact, cutting corners and slicing the prep time in half can be a godsend for anyone in the kitchen during the holidays. Letting a slow cooker do the work for you or sneaking some tinfoil into a cooler for a makeshift food warmer are just the tips of the iceberg when it comes to handy cooking hacks that we can all be thankful for. Below, these are the quick tricks to keep up your sleeve on Turkey Day.
Use a slow cooker for the sides.
To free up space in the oven, try using a slow cooker to make a few of your sides like sweet potatoes, casserole, or the stuffing.
Use baking powder in your mashed potatoes.
This is a classic trick for making mashed potatoes as fluffy as possible. Mixing the baking powder with the hot potatoes produces carbon dioxide, which actually makes the consistency lighter. So before a final mash of the potatoes, throw in a pinch of baking soda, mix for another minute or so, and voilà!
Use a cooler to free up fridge space.
Every Thanksgiving chef knows that fridge space is at a premium that time of year, so do yourself a favor and stash any nonessentials (like those random condiments) to free up space for day-of necessities.
Use an ice bath to peel potatoes.
To avoid hours of peeling, instead place just-cooked whole potatoes into an ice bath and the skins should slip right off in your hands. Extra points to those Thanksgiving hackers who also microwave the potatoes instead of boiling them pre-mash.
Use a measuring cup to make perfect gravy.
Pour all pan drippings into a measuring cup and pop it in the freezer. The fat will rise to the top, making it easy to skim off, and you’ll be left with the delicious (less greasy) gravy fixings below.
Use pre-chopped veggies. Because, why the hell not? Chopping vegetables is the worst.