31 Lifehacks for Thanksgiving Entertaining

Hosting Thanksgiving dinner can be stressful, to say the least. I’ve done it a couple times, and sometimes it feels like no matter how hard I prep and plan, ultimately the meal always seems to get on the table a little late, and even with a game plan prepped down to the minute, something either takes way longer to cook than planned, or way less time. I once had planned to cook a turkey for 4 hours, and for whatever reason it was done in 2.5. Um…seriously?

There’s the cooking, the space issues, the time you forgot to thaw the turkey…and the cleaning up! How’s a person supposed to host Thanksgiving dinner and actually stay sane and enjoy the holiday themselves?

All you need is a little help, and a whole host of smart tips to make Thanksgiving easier…and I’ve got them here for you. Here are the best lifehacks for Thanksgiving out there—each and every one should hopefully make hosting Thanksgiving dinner a breeze.

Check them out in the slideshow.

More Thanksgiving Dinner Ideas:

31 Thanksgiving Dinner Life Hacks

Use Bacon Instead of Cheesecloth

Instead of soaking a cheesecloth in butter and laying it on top of the turkey breast to keep it moist, weave a lattice of bacon and lay it atop the breast as you roast the turkey. Tip via Cooking Channel

Photo: Getty/Rick Poon
Use Chicken Broth to Save a Dry Bird

If you've overcooked your bird (we've all been there), pour a little warm chicken broth on top of the slices to add flavor and warmth.

Photo: Getty/photosieber
Cook the Turkey While You Sleep

Slow roast your turkey overnight to save time and free up space the next day. Put the turkey in before you go to bed, turn the heat down, and wake up to a tender and cooked bird in the morning. 20 hours at 170 degrees...it totally works. Get the full tutorial at The Splendid Table.

Photo: Getty/Miguel Salmeron
Use a Wine Glass to Cut Biscuits

Don't have a biscuit cutter on hand? Use a wine glass instead. Make sure to dip the glass in flour after every few uses to keep the dough from sticking, and push straight down without twisting to make sure the biscuits can rise.

Hack and photo via South by Southeast
Stock up on Coolers

Get your beverages out of the refrigerator and into coolers. Then your guests can self-serve without getting in your way in the kitchen, and you have more room for food storage in the fridge.

Photo: Getty/Jeffrey Coolidge
Make Fluffier Mashed Potatoes

Adding a pinch of baking soda to your mashed potatoes before baking makes them extra fluffy. The secret is the heat reacts with the baking soda to make tiny air pockets, fluffing up your potatoes!

Photo: Getty/JGI
Get Flakier Pastries by Grating Frozen Butter

Using any normal cheese grater, grate frozen butter directly into pie crusts or biscuits. Keeping the butter cold makes everything tender and flaky, and grating it is much easier than cutting it into flour.

Hack and photo via Joyosity
Ice Down Your Turkey So It Cooks Evenly

Ice down the turkey breast before roasting so your white meat doesn't cook faster than dark meat, leading to dry turkey.

Hack and photo via Kendall-Jackson
Add Soy Sauce, Not Salt

Using turkey drippings is always the tastiest way to make gravy, but if you are a vegetarian or forgot to save your drippings, you can make bland turkey instantly more flavorful by adding a little bit of soy sauce. You may not love the reason why gravy with soy sauce rather than salt tastes better, but it works: The natural MSG in the soy sauce gives gravy a meatier flavor than plain salt would.

Photo: Getty/Phillipe Desnerck
Ditch Chafing Dishes

Not many people have chafing dishes on hand. Keep side dishes warm by using a Crock-Pot (you totally have one, right?) instead. Hack via Cooking Channel

Image: Getty/Matthew Hart
Veggies Can Replace Your Roasting Rack

If you don't have a roasting rack for your turkey, just line your roasting pan bottom with a layer of quartered onions, carrots, and celery to elevate the turkey. It will add flavor to your drippings as well. Hack via Cooking Channel

Image: Getty/Vinicef
...or Make a DIY Roasting Rack

If you don't have veggies on hand to elevate your turkey like the previous option, curl rolled aluminum foil like this and place under the turkey to elevate while roasting. Get the full instructions from Living Well Kitchen.

Photo: Living Well Kitchen
Microwave Garlic for Fast Peeling

Stick your garlic cloves in the microwave for ten seconds (longer if you are using quite a few cloves of garlic) and then hand-peel the garlic. The casings will come right off.

Photo: Getty/David Murray and Jules Selmes
Avoid Burnt Pie Crusts

Save crusts from burning by covering the edges with a loose tent of foil; the rest of the pie will bake through. And no need for a pie shield! Full instructions via Cooking Channel

Photo: Getty/Tetra Images
Put Potatoes in the Dishwasher

It sounds weird, but if you have a lot of potatoes to wash and peel, you can put them in the dishwasher (without soap, of course) and let that do the washing for you. They'll be easier to peel afterward. Or, you can boil them with the peel on and then dunk them in cold water. This shocks the peels, making them much easier to remove.

Image: Getty/Tuan Tran
...Or Microwave Your Potatoes

Microwave your potatoes rather than boiling to save time and stovetop space. You're mashing them, so it really doesn't make a difference in taste.

Photo: Getty/Medwether
Snap Photos of Your Cookbook Recipes

Every year, my cookbooks get a few more grease spatters and drips on them. Save them this time around: Snap photos of the recipes you want to use and display them on your iPad or Phone instead.

Photo: Getty/Westend61
Use Rice (Not Beans!) as Pie Weights

Rice is an easy and non-wasteful way to weight down pie crusts if you don't have pie weights lying around (and really, who does!?). Rice doesn't become smelly like beans do, so you can still cook and eat them if you'd like. Hack and photo via Summer of Pie
Minimize Pie Crust Shrinkage by Pre-Freezing

Freeze rolled out pie crusts prior to cooking. Place them in the freezer for about twenty minutes to an hour while you make the fillings, then bake without thawing. This helps minimize shrinkage during baking.

Photo: Getty/Andrew Unangst
No Fat Separator, No Problem

If you find yourself without a fat separator, just pour all your drippings into a heatproof cup or bowl and put it in the freezer for a few minutes. As it cools, the fat will solidify on top, and you can scoop it off with a spoon. Hack via Cooking Channel

Photo: Getty/Ian O' Leary
Bake Stuffing in Muffin Tins

Baking stuffing in muffin tins helps in a few ways: it maximizes crispiness and makes single servings, it takes a popular side off of your stovetop on Thanksgiving day, and it is something you can bake ahead of time. Hack and photo via A Cozy Kitchen
Freeze Fresh Pies Before Baking Them

It is much more convenient to bake your frozen homemade pies with all of the prep work done, but it also makes for a better, non-soggy crust. Remember to wrap the pie in plastic wrap or foil before freezing and add twenty to forty-five minutes of extra cooking time to your recipe if cooking from frozen.

Photo: Getty/Beth Rooney
Prep Veggies in Advance

You can do all of the peeling, cleaning, and chopping of your vegetables a day or two ahead of time and store them in your refrigerator. It saves some prep time on Thanksgiving day.

Photo: Getty/Digital Vision
Maximize Turkey Flavor By Carving Correctly

Make sure you carve your turkey the right way to maximize the meat and flavor. Remove the legs and thighs first, drumsticks next. After that remove the wishbone, then the breasts, then the wings. Finally, slice up all the meat and transfer to a serving platter.

Photo: Getty/DigitalSkillet
Get Your Guests Eating Quicker

Serve your Thanksgiving meal potluck style to save space on your dining table. It also allows everyone to serve themselves, which means you'll all be eating quicker.

Photo via Young Rok Chang
Ditch the Salt Solution

Brining turkey the old-fashioned way is tedious and takes time and effort. Dry brining is much simpler—basically you just rub your turkey down with all of your herbs, salt, and pepper. Find out how to do it via Food 52.

Photo: Food52
Skip Thawing

You might think Thanksgiving is ruined because you forgot to thaw your bird. But if you start roasting it immediately, you might be able to salvage the meal. Take the recommended cooking time for a thawed turkey of your size and add 50% more time. You can baste, butter, and salt the turkey as you go along. It's not ideal, but it's not a deal breaker either. Photo and hack via Food Loves Writing
Make a DIY Roasting Pan

Don't have a roasting pan on hand (or not enough of them)? Bolster a foil pan with a baking sheet for an easy fix. Via Cooking Channel
Take the Turkey Out Before It's Done

Turkey needs to cook to 170 degrees. Using a meat thermometer will ensure you have cooked your turkey to a safe temperature without overcooking. Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the turkey’s thigh (making sure you don’t hit bone). When you are ten degrees away from your target temperature, remove the turkey and let it rest for thirty minutes. The turkey will keep cooking just enough to make it done without drying out the meat.

Photo: Christina Xu
Give the Inside of Your Bird a Rubdown

Make sure you butter the skin on top and underneath. Lift the skin up and slide little pads of butter between the skin and the meat. Make it even better by rubbing in some herbs and salt as well, and then add more butter on top. This will make the skin crispy on the outside and the meat juicy and flavorful on the inside.

Photo: anjuli_ayer
Swap a Strainer for a Flour Sifter.

When making pies and biscuits from scratch, you'll need to sift flour. But no need to go out and buy a flour sifter—just use a strainer like most pastry chefs do.

Photo: Getty Images/Richard Jung