3 Feelings You Have When Cooking With Your In-Laws During The Holidays

You may find yourself in an uncomfortable situation with your in-laws this year, specifically one that starts in the kitchen. In-laws can be a problem in any marriage, but when they start butting in on your cooking abilities, that's where you need to draw the line. It may seem only fair to fight fire with fire, but for the sake of a peaceful holiday, we've come up with three alternatives to saying snide comments.

Don't Touch My Turkey

Things can get testy pretty quickly when you've spent hours cooking your perfect turkey, but your mother-in-law feels the need to continuously check on it and baste it. Avoid flat out asking her to stop interfering by simply giving her something else to do. If you want her to stay away from your glorious roasted turkey, ask her if she would help you peel the potatoes. If she refuses, then she's the unkind one, not you.

We Can't Serve That

If your in-laws tend to contribute their homemade mashed potatoes that are bland and gross, you probably don't want to hurt their feelings, but you also don't want to serve the dish. Instead of offending them, ask them if they can pick up something equally important from the store or if they could make something else you know they cook well. You could also say that you already promised your sister she could make her famous cheesy potatoes, and you wouldn't want to offend her.

You Don't Know Everything

There are those in-laws, of course, who won't lift a finger but feel the need to comment on every single thing you do in the kitchen. Instead of focusing on how you should be cooking the side dishes, try engaging them in a different conversation. Ask them about their interests and try to get them to tell you stories that are unrelated to cooking. This way, they'll be so focused on talking that they'll forget all about criticizing the way you lay your marshmallows on top of your sweet potato casserole.