Christmas is a time for giving and receiving, family love and general indulgent happiness for all. However, those who have tried to cook a Christmas meal for any more than 4 people will understand just how stressful preparing and serving the Christmas meal can be. Having to make sure portions are correct, everything finishes cooking at exactly the same time, and keeping it all warm are just some of the challenges. Lets take a look at some effective ways to reduce Xmas meal time stress.
Pre-Prepare Food. Not all the food has to be cooked at the same time you know, much of it can be sorted very early on. All the vegetables can be cooked hours in advance and then simply kept in cold water until you serve the food up. Just drop the veg in some hot water for 2-3 mins and it will be as if they were cooked right then. All the sauces can be made early and just reheated with a bit of extra water when you need them. Don’t try this with the potatoes or turkey however, as these don’t taste so good reheated.
Get Table Sorted. This can be done at the very beginning of the day and saves a lot of hassle. You can lay all the place settings, cutlery and champagne flutes as long as you know how many people you are expecting. You can even place the crackers in position and add decorations such as poinsettias in glass vases. Doing it early means you don’t have to panic setting it all up just before serving. read more..
Posts under ‘Cooking Basics’
How To Have An Easy Xmas Meal
Why Home Cooking is the Lifestyle Choice of Celebrities
You want to control your weight. This means controling what you eat and drink. That’s difficult to do if you eat out a lot or exist from take out to take out. Or you make do with processed food that you can toss into the microwave oven and eat two minutes later without even soiling a plate. Your weight will soon balloon, and your complexion will erupt like a volcanic landscape. That’s why many top celebrities – people who earn their wages by looking good – are fans of home cooking. read more..
How To Buy Cooking Material
Cooking is already hard as it is without having to deal with defective cooking materials and equipment. Besides, not only will you slow down the cooking process when you buy substandard materials, you will also put your family and your house at risk of fire and other injuries that defective appliances and cooking materials may cause. read more..
What kind of cooking equipment do you think the top chefs use?
Would you expect the top chefs to use low or high quality cooking equipment? My bet is you answered ‘high’ quality. And you wouldn’t be far off the mark. The faces of well-known TV chefs are often enough to sell the brand of cooking equipment bearing their name. Jamie Oliver springs to mind straight away. And you wouldn’t be far off the mark in thinking that Jamie’s own brand of cooking equipment is top quality. read more..