10 Handy Hacks to Smash Your Christmas Dinner

Christmas may be the most wonderful time of the year, but it's also potentially the most stressful — especially the dinner. Here are our favourite handy hacks to cook your best Christmas dinner yet.

10 Hacks to Make this Christmas Dinner Your Best Ever

1. Organise the Table — Set name tags with dietary preference notes the night before. Stops crucial mistakes when serving up, like covering the veggie nut loaf in turkey gravy.
2. Take Your Cheese Out of the Fridge — Cheese is best at room temperature. Take it out at least an hour before serving for the very best flavour and texture.
3. Cook Everything at One Temperature — Use the temperature your meat needs and adjust veg and potato timings to match. Simpler, cleaner cooking.
4. Use a Timer — Set a separate timer for every element. Apps allow multiple simultaneous timers so nothing gets forgotten or burned.
5. Cover Your Turkey in Butter Muslin — Soak a muslin cloth in melted butter and drape over the turkey before the oven. Keeps it moist without constant basting and dropping the oven temperature.
6. Fill the Sink with Hot Soapy Water — Toss in dirty pots and pans as you go. Keeps the kitchen manageable and kickstarts the clean-up.
7. Get Creative with Appliances — Use your slow cooker for mulled wine, microwave for gravy, soup maker for starters. Free up hob and oven space.
8. Foil is Your Best Friend — Preheat serving dishes, fill with cooked sides and cover in foil to keep warm. Use torn pieces to protect turkey legs that are cooking faster than the breast.
9. Let Your Turkey Rest — A minimum of 1 hour 30 minutes for a 4–6kg bird under foil and a tea towel. Still hot when you carve — and incomparably juicier.
10. Heat Your Brandy Before Lighting the Pudding — Heat the brandy in a ladle over a flame, then light in the ladle and pour over the pudding. Works every time.

Master these hacks and you'll give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back for your best Christmas Dinner yet.