With just a few days to go, you’re probably busy finishing off Christmas shopping and wrapping your presents.
But if you want to have a more chilled time in the kitchen on the big day, it might be worth making some things beforehand.
Taking a little time to prepare in the next few days means a much easier experience. You can do a little every day to give the cook (or cooks) more time to enjoy the festivities.
You can peel veg, precook it and freeze some things so all you have to do on the day, is pop it in the oven.
We’ve put together some tips and tricks to get your started with your preparation.
Potatoes
Save yourself the time peeling all the spuds on Christmas day by doing it now, parboiling and then freezing them. On the day, you can just add them to a tray and roast them from frozen for delicious crispy roasties.
Yorkshire puddings
Their inclusion on a Christmas dinner might be controversial but if you are in the group that thinks they are an essential, you can make a tray of Yorkshires from scratch and freeze them. On the day, you just need to pop them in the oven to defrost and heat them up.
Gravy
You can make homemade gravy ahead of time. It will keep in the fridge for a few days or can be frozen for a few months. On the day, heat it up and add the juices from the turkey.
Parsnips
Like roast potatoes, you can peel and chop parsnips ahead of time. Put them in a pan of cold water with a pinch of salt, bring to the boil and cook for five minutes. Once they they are cooked, spread them on a baking tray to allow them to cool and then freeze. On Christmas day, you can cook them from frozen in goose fat.
Cauliflower cheese
Again not everyone is a fan of this on their Christmas dinner plate but it’s easy to make ahead if you are. You can make this a few days before and leave it in the fridge or put it in the freezer. You can also freeze any leftovers on Boxing Day. To reheat, just put it in an ovenproof dish, top with some cheese and breadcrumbs and bake from frozen.
Cranberry sauce
If you prefer to make your own cranberry sauce and avoid the stuff in a jar, because of the high sugar content you can make your sauce now and keep it in the fridge for up to a week.
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source https://metro.co.uk/2019/12/22/get-ahead-cooking-christmas-dinner-11947447/
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