18 Holiday Kitchen Hacks to Get Dinner on the Table Fast
The holidays are all about spending time with the ones you love, and if you take our advice, you’ll be loving us, too. This holiday season, give thanks and raise a toast to these 18 mighty helpful entertaining tips we’re dishing out. From orchestrating oven coordination to reviving dried-out turkey, use these holiday hacks and you’ll pull off an amazing dinner without breaking a sweat.
1. Holiday Recipes and Party Planning Guide ($4): Brimming with party planning survival skills, recipes, menu planning, shopping strategies and tutorials, this app from Food52 can do everything but cook your holiday dinner for you. (via Neon Roots)
2. Keep Recipes Visible: Create more counter space and never lose that spot in your favorite cookbook by hanging your recipes up in your kitchen. (via Food Network)
3. Oven-to-Table Cookware: Save yourself some time and elbow grease with oven-to-table cookware like stoneware, enamelware or vintage Pyrex. (via Simple Bites)
4. Three-Tier Oven Rack ($20): Triple your oven space by adding this multi-tiered oven rack, which allows you to cook your roast, sides and pies all at once.
5. Lèkuè Cooking Mesh ($15): When it comes to holiday entertaining, efficiency is key. Whether you’re blanching veggies or cooking pasta, this cooking mesh allows you to boil multiple foods at once, without any messy mixing. (via Ippinka)
6. Keep Gravy Hot With a Thermos: Whip up your gravy ahead of time and use a thermos to ensure that your hard-stirred efforts stay piping hot. Just transfer to a gravy boat when ready to serve. (via Food Network)
7. Throw Out Your Roasting Pan: Keep your oven temperature steady with a pizza stone or brick, and you’ll have decadent roasted meats and baked pies. (via The Food Lab)
8. Use Your Cooler as a Warmer: That cooler that’s packed away for camping and beach trips can keep food hot, too. Just wrap your steamy side dishes in foil and place them in the cooler until ready to serve. (via Peppers and Pollywogs)
9. Serve-Yourself Buffet: Between basting the turkey, checking the pies and entertaining guests, we know setting the table can get shifted to the bottom of your to-do list. A serve-yourself buffet saves time and makes setting the table a breeze. (via Bon Appetit)
10. Crisp-Skinned Butterflied Roast Turkey: Okay, so we get that an essential part of your holiday meal is showcasing a beautifully browned bird front and center. However, if you want to fork over traditional presentation for tender meat and crispy skin with the least amount of effort, consider this time-saving recipe. (via Serious Eats)
11. Chicken Broth as a Turkey Reviver: Dry bird? No one will ever know with this juicy hack, which uses chicken broth to revive your over-cooked turkey. (via Food Network)
12. Freeze and Preserve Fresh Herbs in Olive Oil: Most dishes begin with oil, onion, garlic and herbs, so why not save yourself a step and preserve fresh herbs with olive oil? (via The Kitchn)
13. Peeling Potatoes: A pot of boiling water can make peeling potatoes so much easier. Forego the peeler and simply scrub, boil and then submerge your potatoes in cold water. You’ll be able to peel potatoes with your bare hands. (via Wonder How To)
14. Slow-Cooker as Mashed Potato Keeper: With this hack, you won’t have to orchestrate perfectly whipped mashed potatoes at the last minute. Using your slow cooker is a sure-bet you’ll steer clear of gluey potatoes. (via A Beautiful Mess)
15. DIY Buttermilk: Did you forget to add buttermilk to your grocery list? When life hands you lemons… make buttermilk and save yourself a trip to the store. (via The Kitchn)
16. Vegan Stuffin’ Muffin: Cook stuffing in a muffin tin for a crispy exterior, oh la la presentation and easy portion control. (via Brit + Co)
17. No-Fuss Pastry Hack: When the recipe calls for cutting in cold butter, save yourself some time and grate frozen butter into pie crusts, biscuits or other pastries for a perfect turnout each time. (via Linzers in London)
18. Cranberry Sauce Slab Pie: Serving a big crowd, but pie pastry isn’t your forte? Ditch the pie plates and try this slab pie instead. This recipe also makes your cranberry sauce do double duty, which means less work for you. (via Kitchen Confidante)
Spill your sanity-saving holiday kitchen hacks in the comments below.
