60 genius tips that will make your holiday cooking so much better

Pro tip: You can freeze baked Christmas cookies. Once your cookies are cooled, place them on a cooling rack or sheet pan and pop in the freezer until cold. You can then stack them and arrange them in an airtight plastic storage container with layers of parchment or waxed paper between the layers. Thaw as normal. You can always refresh them in a low oven 149- 163ºC for a few minutes.

Shave a few minutes off your cooking time by making the roux beforehand. It’ll give you a jump start on your dinner and ensure your gravy is nice and smooth.

We all have that family member who tends to show up fashionably late. Anticipate tardy arrivals by keeping your prepared dishes warm in an oven set to 93°C. This temp won’t dry your dinner but will still keep it piping hot.

Chocolate dipped fruit may sound time-consuming, but it’s way quicker than baking the decadent chocolate cake. Pop a bowl of melting chocolate chips in the microwave for 20 seconds and stir until smooth. Dip fruit (we love apples, but strawberries, pears and pineapples work) and garnish with odds and ends you can find in the pantry. Hello, crushed pretzels! These delish treats will be ready by dessert.

Every baker’s been there: You’re ready to start baking a batch of cookies and realise you forgot to take out the butter in advance. The good news is you don’t need to delay your baking. You can easily soften butter a handful of ways. Our favourite way to do this is just by cutting the butter into small cubes and letting it sit for just a short time. In about 15 minutes your butter will be ready.

When shopping for turkey, go for store brands. They are cheaper than well-known ones, and both birds may even have come from the same place. One of the main differences: Some brands use a unique seasoning on theirs. Check the ingredients to see if it’s something you might like.

Check out these tricks to get cheap meat to taste expensive.

When baking, it’s important to use room temperature ingredients (unless otherwise specified). If you forget to take your eggs out of the fridge in time, don’t fret. Just place them in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes.

Find out 10 mistakes you might be making with eggs. 

If you’re blind baking a pie or tart crust, you’ll need something to weigh the pastry down. You can use pie weights, but if you don’t have any on hand, you can use dried beans instead. Just fill the crust with parchment or foil and then fill with the dried beans. You can reuse them infinitely, so stash them away in a container for future baking.

Here’s how to make a quick, party-ready salad, hassle-free: Prep all of your ingredients separately in reusable containers and place them in a large serving bowl along with a bag of greens, a bottle of dressing and your serving tools. When you’ve reached your destination, simply toss everything together and serve.

Piping decorations onto cookies can be tedious. You can speed up the process and get detailed results with a basic coat of royal icing and some edible ink pens. All you have to do is ice a cookie, let the icing dry and sketch on any design you choose.

Here are some more great Chrissie bikkie baking hacks.