35 Brilliant Holiday Hacks That'll Make You Say, "Why Didn't I Know About These Sooner?"
Everything you need to know to make it through the season.
1. Add a few drops of soy sauce to your gravy for extra depth of flavor.
2. For the best cookies, let your cookie dough rest in the fridge for at least 24 hours.
3. Place fresh cranberries in your ice cube trays to add some festive colors to your holiday drinks.
4. Quickly transform a plain store-bought cheesecake into an eye-catching holiday dessert with just four ingredients.
5. For a super flaky pie crust, replace some of the water in the recipe with a bit of vodka.
6. If you want a juicy turkey, don't forget to let it rest for at least 20 minutes after you take it out of the oven.
7. Make hot chocolate floaters by freezing a sheet pan of Cool Whip and cutting out shapes with a cookie cutter.
8. Make your whole house smell like Christmas with stovetop potpourri.
9. Turn waffle cones into edible candy Christmas trees.
10. Want to make latkes but can't be bothered with all the grating? Use frozen tater tots or hash browns as a shortcut.
11. Make super easy holiday treats like these snowmen chocolate barks, decorated with white candy melts, pretzel sticks, and candy corn.
12. For the best mashed potatoes of your life, follow Tyler Florence's tip and boil the potatoes directly in a pot of heavy cream.
13. Run canned pumpkin purée through your food processor for a filling that's even smoother and silkier than usual.
14. For a much quicker cooking time, ask your butcher to spatchcock your turkey.
15. Follower Thomas Keller's example and use two types of chocolate for extra indulgent chocolate chip cookies.
16. Mixing cream soda and Fireball will give you the perfect festive cocktail.
17. Use green food coloring to turn Rice Krispie treats into a fun Christmas tree.
18. Use squeeze bottles to make cookie decorating with icing easier.
19. Wrap your turkey in a buttery cheesecloth, like Julia Child used to, so you don't have to keep basting it throughout cooking.
20. Take your champagne game to the next level with three super easy tips.
21. If you're tired of lattice tops, twist the dough to top your pies with a spiral pattern.
22. A bit of a fancy tip from Ina Garten: Add a splash of Cognac (or brandy) to your gravy for extra flavor.
23. Put your slow cooker to use to make hot chocolate for the whole family.
24. Make chocolate trees to decorate your holiday bakes.
25. For a super brown and crispy turkey, spread butter under the skin of the bird before roasting it.
26. Repurpose your holiday cookie cutters to make Star Wars-themed cookies.
27. Make little turkey-shaped sweet treats with Oreo cookies, candy corn, and pretzels.
28. Adding a spoonful of mustard to your mac 'n' cheese will balance out its flavors, cut out the richness, and make it even tastier.
29. For a fall-flavored holiday drink, mix apple cider with caramel vodka.
30. For added flavor, brown the butter you use in your chocolate chip cookies.
31. Bake your desserts a day before the big meal.
32. If you make your own cranberry sauce, Jamie Oliver recommends adding apples, sugar, and cinnamon to the cranberries for extra yumminess.
33. Either toast your bread in the oven or let it sit out overnight before you use it to make stuffing.
34. Make your own peppermint candy cane dust to add to your holiday desserts.
35. To prevent your cookies from going stale, place a slice of white bread in your cookie jar.
