How To Avoid Holiday Cooking Stress, According To Katie Lee Biegel - Exclusive

The winter months are stressful enough, but when you top it off with the holidays, it's a whole different ball game. Family drama and a packed kitchen can be a recipe for disaster — and maybe even a burned Thanksgiving turkey. To help combat all the holiday chaos, Food Network's Katie Lee Biegel has teamed up with Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove to introduce "kitchen therapy." (Why we haven't thought of that concept before, we have no idea.)

In an exclusive interview with Mashed, Biegel explained that cooking acts as a release of holiday stress for her — she gets a "feeling of contentment" from cooking as she knows that "It's going to make everybody happy." She shared that purchasing a turkey breast and a smaller-pound Thanksgiving turkey can make your life a lot easier and still give you enough leftovers to go around. In light of the holidays swiftly approaching, the cookbook author gave us some more tips on easing the annual stress and explained that carving out time to step away from the kitchen and prepare is crucial.

For many, the worst part about holiday cooking is organization. Figuring out who's bringing which appetizers and when each side needs to be cooked can become really overwhelming. Katie Lee Biegel told Mashed that the key to avoiding stress is curating a schedule. She explained, "I actually write a schedule for myself on Thanksgiving because the oven real estate is prime." She added that the turkey is obviously the number one food that should be popped in the oven first.

Every turkey has to rest for about an hour after being in the oven, so the food personality recommended knowing what dishes need to be cooked at that time. "If you schedule yourself and know, 'I got to put the dressing in. I've got to put a green bean casserole in. Here's how long each of those needs,' then you can take a deep breath and enjoy the process," Biegel continued.

To reduce her own responsibilities, the television star often asks her guests to bring over hors d'oeuvres — but make sure you ask a friend or family member who shows up on time if you try this yourself. Who needs more holiday stress when you have creamy mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese waiting for your dinner plate?

Learn more about Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove's appliances on its website, and head to Katie Lee Biegel's Instagram page to keep up with her future projects.