There’s so much to do to prepare for the big Thanksgiving meal. Here’s some tips to make it a little easier.Elevate the turkey on a layer of quartered onions, carrots and celery. Bonus: They will add flavor to your drippings.

Add a little baking powder to make mashed potatoes extra fluffy.

Fill a cooler with ice packs and your lesser-used condiments. Voila! You have a whole free shelf.

Use the quick rinse cycle and don’t use soap! You can do this with other vegetables too.

There’s nothing worse than cold mashed potatoes. Set the temperature on low and stir every hour. This will give you an extra burner for other dishes.



Pour all your drippings into a measuring cup and put it in the freezer for a few minutes. As it cools down, the fat will solidify on top, and you can scoop it off with a spoon.


Just pour into a gravy boat when it’s time to eat.

Use any normal cheese grater. This way the butter stays cold, which you want to keep everything tender and flaky.




Typically a cheesecloth with butter atop the turkey is used to keep it moist. Instead, weave a lattice of bacon and lay it atop the breast as you roast the turkey.


Don’t need one. There’s no real point to basting turkey (all it really does is lower the oven temperature).

Using flour is the traditional roux method, but if you aren’t diligent with the whisk, then lumps will form. Make cornstarch gravy instead, just mix the starch with cold water until it’s lump-free.
