8 Cooking Hacks for Christmas Dinner

There's nothing better for the host of the year than having a warm, festive cocktail ready for guests as soon as they walk through the door. Then when you add that your whole house smells like it, I am ready to sign on the dotted line. If you are short on stove space, a slow cooker (or Instant Pot) works just as well.

It may be tempting to bake your cookies ASAP, but trust us, the longer you wait - some experts recommend up to 36 hours - the better they will be, both in texture and flavor. The secret to a successful vacation meal is to get as much done in advance as possible anyway, so just do it a little early. You and your guests will be glad you did, and do not be surprised if someone asks for your "super secret" cookie recipe.

Step one: buy a cheesecake from the supermarket. Step two: top it with homemade whipped cream. This may sound intimidating, but you only need a few things: whipped cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Step three: decorate the cake by crushing up some candy canes in a plastic bag and sprinkling the crushed pieces on top of the cream. With all the other things you need to prepare, it's not worth stressing over dessert when there's such a brilliant hack.

When you are juggling an intricate puzzle of warm-up/cooking/dishes/hosts and trying not to look too stressed, creating a table setting you are proud of should not be one of the upcoming tasks on your list. Prepare everything the night before so you can focus on the important things the day after.

We have tried several methods over the years to make the best mashed potatoes, and Tyler Florence's wild card tip - boil the potatoes in heavy cream - is still the best we have found. If you suffer from boring mashed potato syndrome, this is the only cure.

To take chocolate flavor to the extreme, use two types of chocolate - 55% and 72% - and chop chocolate bars instead of using chocolate French fries. You'll be rewarded with an extra dose of chocolate flavor, and the chocolate French fries in the cookie make for the best chocolate chip cookies ever.

This is one of the best ways to get a handle on the mess - especially with kids - and still have fun. You can also mimic this technique with a plastic bag (with one corner cut off), but if you have Squeeze Bottles, the extra control is definitely worth it.

You can go as elaborate (or minimalist) as you want here - a few fun, pre-mixed cocktails will definitely get the party started off on the right foot. But chilling beer, wine, and soft drinks on ice in a user-friendly grab-and-go format will also allow you to focus on the bigger tasks instead of constantly having to refill drinks.