My favorite Thanksgiving shortcut I've found so far involves mashed potatoes: You can cook your spuds faster by steaming them. While mashed potatoes are easy to make and even easier to eat, they sure take a long time to cook.

For creamy, fluffy mashed potatoes with very little extra work, cooking potatoes in a steamer basket is the way to go. A quick rinse in the middle of cooking removes extra starch that might cause gumminess, and cooking the potatoes in steam keeps them from retaining extra moisture and becoming waterlogged.

I am never able to make the right amount of mashed potatoes! We always have way too many leftover mashed potatoes! I lov