How to Make Your Appliances Work for You

The holidays can be a wonderful time of the year—the MOST wonderful according to at least one song. When  the holiday party invites are sent and friends and family come into town, there’s a lot to look forward to. These fun festivities can also bring long to-do lists and a lot of tasks to take care of around the kitchen. But with the right tools and strategies, you can make holiday cooking easier, less stressful, and more enjoyable. The secret is already right there in your kitchen.

Betty is always on your side with timeless expertise, helpful shortcuts, and easy recipes to make holiday cooking and hosting a breeze. Let’s take a closer look at the appliances you already have and unlock even more ways for them to save you time, energy, and money around the holidays. ‘Tis the season to be jolly after all, and your kitchen can, most certainly, play a role in making the holidays run smoothly.

Before we get into the appliances, it’s always a good idea to brush up on your hosting tips. When you’re throwing a party, you want to be able to enjoy it too. With a little planning and a few secrets from Betty, you can plan ahead to ensure that everything runs smoothly, so you can spend less time running around and more time celebrating with your guests.

The first secret to creating a stress-free environment in your home around the holidays? Remember, you’re surrounded by allies! Delegating tasks can make the work of hosting that much easier. If you’ve got guests staying with you, they can pitch in on meal prep, or the kids can take care of keeping the space clean. Any task off your plate means you’ll have more time to focus on what counts: spending time with the people most important to you.

If you’ve never hosted a holiday dinner before, How to Host Your First Thanksgiving is a great place to start. You’ll find expert tips on table setting, tips for the kids, centerpiece inspiration, wine pairings, and more. It’s a whole-home guide for holiday entertaining with possibilities well beyond turkey day.

Once you get started cooking, that’s when the real thinking kicks in. It’s essential to consider which dishes will take the longest and which can be prepared in advance, so you can best allocate your time. When you’ve got a range of cooking appliances at the ready, you’re way ahead in terms of saving time and oven space. Especially for your main dish, if you can dedicate the oven for the turkey or the ham and let countertop appliances handle the sides, you’ll have more time to enjoy the company of your guests.

So how do you organize your prep time? First, prioritize slow-cooking dishes that will take multiple hours. Start with soups or pulled meats that can go in the slow-cooker and let the flavors come alive while you wait. Then, turn to the air fryer or toaster oven for appetizers and sides that come together more quickly. Finally, as the main event approaches, you can move to the microwave to reheat anything you made ahead or warm up any sauces. When you have a plan, everything can hit the table at the same time; fresh, warm, and delicious.

It’s likely that you already know how amazingly helpful these two appliances can be. Both the slow cooker and Instant Pot™ are ideal for “hands off” cooking, when your dishes require long, slow cooking times. Think creamy sides—like mashed potatoes and gravy or macaroni and cheese—or pulled meats like pork, beef, or chicken, for sliders or main dishes. You can also use your Instant Pot™ to sauté for chili or soups and stews, and even desserts!

For a perfect place to start, try Betty’s 21 Slow-Cooker Sides We’ll Never Get Enough Of. From light, lemony risotto to sweet, stewed cinnamon apples, when you start in the slow cooker, you get more robust flavor with a lot less effort. But you don’t have to limit your slow cooker to just making side dishes. Check out Slow-Cooker Chilis, Soups & Stews for some heartier bowls that can work great as a main course for a lunch or early dinner, or beautifully complement a multi-course feast.

Both the Instant Pot™ and the slow cooker are incredible time savers, but how do you decide when to use which one? Let Betty help you Pick Your Pot to take the guesswork out of deciding which cooking method works best. Compare and contrast the same recipes prepared in both appliances and decide which one will work best for your party. And when you put both of them to work at the same time, you double your efficiency!

Just about anything that you would bake in the oven can be made in smaller batches in the toaster oven or air fryer. When your oven is taken over by main dishes, these two amazing appliances can keep your prep moving. To make the most of your time, think about things that can be baked—stuffed mushrooms, cheese dips, crostini, roast veggies—and let the toaster oven take over. The air fryer in particular is a hugely versatile tool that can handle everything from crispy crostini to brownies to cheesecake!

And it’s not just sides: Try Air Fryer Southern-Fried Chicken for a simple everyday meal that brings the heat with only 15 minutes of prep.

The microwave’s superpower is its speed. In just minutes or even seconds, make-ahead dishes and sauces can be reheated perfectly. Sides especially are fantastic make-ahead dishes. Whip up mashed potatoes, gravies, or other appetizers and sides the night before to save time on prep the day of.

Make sure to keep an eye on sauces or melting butter so they don’t get too hot too fast. Try heating in ten-second bursts or reduce the power on your microwave—if your appliance has that option—to make the heating more gentle. If you’re concerned about losing texture, try covering your microwave-safe dish with a damp paper towel. This will help with steaming your side, ensuring it doesn’t dry out.

Beyond just re-heating, the microwave also allows you to put together sweet or savory shortcuts that are unbelievably satisfying. For simple snacks, start with Microwave Snacks for Every Craving. Then go on to expand your horizons with Betty’s full Microwave Recipe Collection.

So there you have it. Some of the key appliances in your kitchen, and ways to put them to work to save you time and effort. Start with the slow cooker and Instant Pot™ and let them do their work while you move on to other things. Let the toaster oven and air fryer save oven space and keep things moving while your main course slowly comes to temperature. And let the microwave handle reheating and more, making sides and appetizers hot and fresh, or even creating snacks and sides quickly and effortlessly.

From Betty’s kitchen to yours, these tips and recipes are designed to make your holiday cooking simpler and smoother. Don’t forget to explore even more Betty Crocker recipes and articles for additional inspiration and support for the holidays and beyond. Follow @BettyCrocker to get inspiration in your feed, or sign up for Betty Crocker’s email for ideas in your inbox!