Pre-Shredded Cheese
Grating cheese takes forever and leaves a mess. Mom knew that, so she bought the pre-shredded bags. Sure, it cost a bit more, but it saved her plenty of time when it came to making meals during the holidays when everyone came around for dinner.
Premade Dough
All moms knew that pie dough was not something to mess with on a busy baking day. So, they’d make big batches weeks ahead, roll them into discs or big balls, and freeze them. Come pie day, out they’d come, ready to thaw and fill with delicious fillings.
Canned Pumpkin
Why roast and puree a whole pumpkin when a can would do the trick? Little did you know, Mom’s secret weapon for pies and bread was a can of pumpkin. It tasted just as good, so no one even knew the difference.
Bulk Chopped Veggies
Holidays meant not wasting time on silly things like chopping vegetables. The food processor would come out, and Mom would chop enough onions, celery, and other veggies for an army. When it was time to cook, all she had to do was scoop some out and add it to meals.
Freezing Gravy
Gravy stress is real. Mom beat it by making gravy ahead of time, freezing it, and then reheating it when she needed it. It tasted homemade (because it was), and there were no lumps or last-minute panic-whisking while the turkey cooled.
Boxed Broth
Who has time to simmer bones to make broth? Mothers certainly don’t, and that’s why they turn to boxed broth. All you do is add a bouillon or stock cube, and you’re good to go. You get that instant rich flavor without the fuss.
The Butter Bowl
Mom always kept a little dish of butter sitting out, soft and ready for rolls or baking. This way, there was no need to microwave rock-hard butter that tore through bread. This was just one of many shortcuts moms used to make the holidays a bit easier.
Food Processors for Everything
If there’s one kitchen gadget your mom couldn’t live without, it's her food processor. This handy little machine was used for everything from chopping veggies to shredding cheese and even mixing dough. What would normally take hours was done in minutes.
Foil and Parchment Paper
Here’s a little shortcut you probably didn’t know about. Mom lined her pan with foil or parchment paper to make cleanup easier. Once dinner was done, all she had to do was lift the mess right out and toss it in the trash. Clever, right?
Frozen Cookie Dough
Before pre-made cookie dough rolls were a thing, your mom made her own. She simply froze it in little logs or balls. Then she could make a few batches whenever guests came by without having to whip up a batch from scratch.
Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
Forget fighting for stove space in the holidays! Mom beat everyone to the punch by cooking her mashed potatoes in a slow cooker ahead of a holiday feast. There was no reheating, no timing panic—just that creamy goodness waiting to be served. Genius!
Pre-Peeled Garlic
Nobody should waste time peeling tiny garlic cloves when you can just buy the pre-peeled version. Mom always went for the pre-peeled stuff that had the same flavor but no sticky mess after. Plus, there was no lingering garlic smell to deal with later.
Frozen Chopped Spinach
Mom didn’t waste time washing and chopping fresh spinach that wilted in seconds. She went straight for the frozen bags ready to be thrown into dips, quiches, and casseroles. Let’s be honest—it made healthy eating and cooking easier than ever.
Pre-Blended Holiday Spice Mix
Remember that smell of delicious holiday pies, cookies, and cider wafting from the kitchen? That was from the spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. To make things easier, Mom blended spices in a jar ready to be used in all those yummy holiday treats.
Melon Baller Meatballs
Mom didn’t have time to fuss with sticky hands and uneven meatballs when she was cooking up a storm for the holidays. Her secret weapon? Using a melon baller to scoop perfect round meatballs every time. As a bonus, they also cooked more evenly this way.
Breakfast Casseroles
If your house was always full of family visiting for the holidays, we bet your mom did everything she could to make life easier. One of the best shortcuts was a breakfast casserole. Mom prepped this the night before and just popped it in the oven in the morning.
Roasting Bags for the Turkey
Roasting bags are great for keeping chicken juicy and tender. And that’s exactly why Mom used a roasting bag for the turkey. This meant no endless basting and no dry bird on Thanksgiving. She’d serve up a juicy turkey with golden skin every time.
The Trash Bowl
Ever wonder why Mom had a little bowl or container for scraps on the kitchen counter? It kept her cutting board clear and her counters clean. Cooking for the family during the holidays was tough, and a trash bowl meant no running to the bin every two minutes.
Kitchen Shear Lifesavers
Mom didn’t waste time chopping herbs or bacon with a knife on Thanksgiving. Instead, she used kitchen shears. A few quick snips and she was done! It was faster, cleaner, and way easier. Plus, there was no need to wash another cutting board and knife.
Muffin Tins for Portioning
Stuffing is a hit at Thanksgiving. And we bet you think your mom made the best stuffing. But did she scoop stuffing into a muffin tin? Ours did. The result? Crispy stuffing balls that looked like little holiday cupcakes - only way tastier.
A Damp Towel Under the Cutting Board
There’s only one way to keep your cutting board from sliding around while you chop veggies for your holiday dinner - a damp towel underneath it. Yes, it’s a simple trick, but it’s one our mothers used to make things easier.
Ice Cube Trays for Leftover Stock
Mom never wasted good broth or stock—she saved it, poured it into ice cube trays, and froze it. Later, all she had to do was pop out a cube or two to add flavor to soups, sauces, and stews. It was like having tiny cubes of cooking magic on hand.
Compound Butter
Our moms always made fancy butter before the holidays. She’d mix soft butter with garlic, herbs, or honey, roll it into a log, and chill it. When dinner came, she sliced it up for veggies and rolls. It looked fancy, smelled amazing, and saved her loads of time later.
Cookie Scoop Cookies
Mom’s cookies always looked perfect because she used a little scoop for the dough. No guessing and no sticky hands. Every cookie came out the same size and baked evenly. She said it made her feel like she worked in a bakery, and honestly, her cookies tasted like it, too.
Veggie Tray Prep
Here’s a shortcut you’re going to want to use: wash and slice your carrots, celery, peppers, or anything else the night before, then cover them in the fridge. This’ll cut down on your snack prep time. Just add dip before serving and you’re good to go.
Salad Spinner for Herbs
Fresh herbs make everything better, but no one loves it when the leaves go soggy. Mom had a great hack—pop your herbs into a salad spinner, give it a few spins, and they come out dry and fluffy. It took seconds and made every dish look and taste fresh.
A Holiday Baking Box
Around November, Mom would pull out her special baking box. Inside were all her essentials—vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, sprinkles, and measuring spoons. Everything she needed was in one place. No rummaging through cupboards or yelling, “Where’s the baking powder?” It was her little box of holiday magic.
Box Grater for Cold Butter
Want to know Mom’s secret to flaky, perfect pie crusts? She grated cold butter straight into the flour with a box grater. No cutting or melting, just mix and go. She said the butter bits made the crust light and crispy. It was the shortcut that never failed her.
Cranberry Sauce Loving
Leaving cranberry sauce for the big day was a big no-no. Our moms cooked it earlier in the week, then stashed it in the fridge. She said it tasted better after sitting for a few days because the flavours “made friends.” When dinner came, it was ready to serve and always delicious.
Bundt Pans for Stuffing
Who says stuffing can’t look fancy? Mom always wanted her stuffing to look special, so she baked it in a bundt pan instead of a dish. When she flipped it out, it looked like a wreath. It also sliced easily.
Labeled Freezer Inventory
Mom’s freezer was packed during the holidays, but she always knew what was in there. She kept a list on the door with everything written down and dated. No digging through frozen mystery containers. She could find what she needed in seconds.
Squeeze Bottle for Pancake Batter
When Mom made pancakes for breakfast, she’d pour the batter into an empty squeeze bottle. No drips, no mess, and every pancake came out the same size. Sometimes she’d even make little shapes for the kids—snowmen, hearts, and stars. Breakfast felt special without the chaos.
The Double Batch
Mom always made twice as much food. Half went on the table, and the other half went into the freezer. When January rolled around, she had ready-made dinners waiting. Smart planning meant less cooking later and more time to relax after the holidays.
A Printed Prep List
Mom was the queen of organisation. She’d write a prep list and tape it to the fridge. Everyone got a job—chop, stir, or set the table. It kept things running smoothly, and she never had to do it all herself. She made teamwork feel festive and fun.
Thermos Gravy
Letting the gravy go cold while everything else finished cooking was risky. Mom came up with a great solution and poured the gravy into a big thermos and screwed the lid on tight. It stayed hot for hours. When dinner was ready, the gravy was too.
Pre-Chopping Ingredients
Soups, salads, stuffings, and casseroles all form the basis of your average holiday lunch or dinner, but despite being relatively simple dishes, they still require plenty of prep time to get right. Of course, you could shave off a solid 45 minutes of prep work if you get into the habit of pre-chopping your veggies days in advance.
Peeling and Soaking Potatoes
Mashed potatoes are another holiday staple, especially during the Christmas season. A good habit for any seasoned home cook to get into is to peel and soak your potatoes a day in advance. Leave them submerged in water, store them in the fridge, and boil them immediately once the day comes.
Buy Pre-Cubed Bread
Bread is so universal that we guarantee you that you’ll use it in at least one of your holiday dishes. Of course, you likely won’t bake the whole loaf. Instead, get into the habit of buying pre-cubed bread, which ensures that each piece is uniform in size and saves you unnecessary prep time.
Freeze Dishes
Some holiday staples, like soups, sauces, gravies, and desserts, can be made weeks in advance and frozen. This does nothing to the quality of these items, since they reheat beautifully, and only serves to save you the unnecessary stress that may come with preparing them on the day.
Label Your Dishes
Labeling your dishes - (the actual containers themselves) - is a great way to save time when you actually need to start plating. It also gives any helpers you may have in the kitchen some much-needed guidance.
