Secret Christmas Skills, Tips And Thrills: The Little Kitchen Tricks That Will Rival Nigella

Craving a home full of tasty-smelling goods, festive-decorated food and professional-looking platters?

Always wanted to be the one impressing Christmas visitors by refusing to share the secret and saying, “Oh, I just threw that together there before you arrived…”

Don’t tell, but our top ten foodie tricks will have your kitchen rivalling that of Nigella’s this year.

1. Re-Use, Recycle

Use your leftover egg cartons to store ornaments in after Christmas…

2. Scoop It

Store your ice-cream in a Ziploc bag so it doesn’t get too hard. It’ll be soft and ready to serve.

3. Crowd Coming Over?

Make a bulk of French toast in the crock-pot for lunch. Easy-to-make and you’ll feed the gang easily.

4. Looking For An Impressive No-Cook Snack?

Make Santa strawberries. Quick, easy and so, so impressive.

Cutest guys ever...

5. Cake Skills

Draw Christmas trees on parchment paper using melted chocolate. Peel when dry and use as cake decorations… it will look like the pros made it.

Easy skills...

6. Cake Skills Round Two

Use a potato peeler to make chocolate peels for garnishes. Impressive, eh?

Tips from the top...

7. Fun Times

Set out small candles and provide the marshmallows and sticks… who said you can’t have a campfire indoors?

8. Looking For That Extra-Special Table Decoration?

Fold your napkins into elves hats. Here’s the how-to:

9. Re-use, Recycle Round Two

Re-purpose Pringles cans for storing and presenting home-baked biscuits or cookies.

Cool wrappings...

10. Baking 101

Want your shortbread to look like the pros baked them? Use the bottom of a crystal glass to imprint shortbread cookies.