Thanksgiving is the greatest, most stressful holiday of the year. Between the turkey, sides, appetizers, and desserts, there’s a lot of cooking that happens all at once. You must execute your cooking skills so that everything is done at the same time. It’s an intricate dance that only the most skilled of home cooks know the steps to. Luckily, we have some hacks to help level the playing field.

 

Cooking tips have made it possible for the scrawniest of us to peel butternut squash with superhero-like strength. They’ve taught us how to slice through a box of cherry tomatoes with one swift flick of the wrist. These trusty hacks are making Thanksgiving dinner so much easier for all of us.

 

We compounded the greatest cooking hacks to use on Thanksgiving Day to make sure your holiday takes off without a hitch.

 

1. Add a little baking powder for fluffier mashed potatoes.

2. Keep the mashed potatoes warmed in a slow cooker. (You’ll have a whole extra burner for making gravy.)

3. Don’t waste time washing and peeling potatoes.

 Let your dishwasher wash the potatoes for you — and peel them when they come out clean. OR, boil them with the skin on and dunk them in cold water once cooked. This will loosen the skins and make peeling a breeze.

4. Slowcook the turkey overnight.

Yes, you can. This nifty trick will make your Thanksgiving feel infinitely easier. Pop the bird in the oven the evening before and wake up to a nearly completed Thanksgiving feast.

5. Use chicken broth to save a dried-out turkey.

If you’ve overcooked your bird (this is more common than you think) pour a little warm chicken broth on top of the slices to add flavor and warmth.

6. Make your pie dough in advance and freeze it.

It’s one less thing you have to do around the big day. Or, you could just buy one already made. We won’t tell.

7. Use beans for pie weights.

Not many of us bake pies on the regular, so we don’t have things like pie weights and shields on hand. Luckily, there’s no need. Use dried beans or rice in place of pie weights and fashion yourself a pie shield out of aluminum foil.

 8. Keep your gravy warm with a thermos.

 

9. Chop your veggies ahead of time.

Store the chopped onions, celery and carrots (already portioned for each recipe) in containers in the fridge or freezer.

10. Use your cooler.

It works as a second fridge. Everything that doesn’t fit in the refrigerator — which is a lot on Thanksgiving — goes in the cooler. It’s so simple, yet so genius.

11. Put the cookbooks away.

If you’re following recipes this Thanksgiving, print them out and tape them to your cabinets. It’ll free up the much-needed counter space. We suggest filling that space with goodies and snacks for the cook: you. Happy Thanksgiving!