This Christmas you may not be entertaining guests, but still, you cannot skip on a festive dinner with your family. While you have to make small portions this year, still cooking too many recipes may take a lot of time, hence the best way is to prep ahead, and store away certain food items that do not get spoiled.
- Stuffing:
This is first on our list, as it really saves a lot of time if done in advance. We are not asking you to make it weeks ago as it may not taste good and go bad, but a day or two ahead is going to be a lot of help. You can freeze it directly after cooking it thoroughly. Remember to warm it up before you use it for cooking.
- Sauces:
Sauces are usually made at the last minute because they do not seem like a priority. Instead of panicking to finish off your cooking on Christmas day, why not cook it in advance as it does not change in taste even if you store it away for days. Anyway, after you prep your main course, you will be exhausted to make something as simple as a sauce, so make it in advance.
- Dessert:
Desserts are not easy to make, but the good news is that you can easily store them for days without any worries. Be it Christmas pudding or a pie, bake it a week or two ahead and preserve it in the refrigerator. This will save maximum time during the day of Christmas, and you can focus all your time on making the mains.
- Roast Potatoes:
You may think roasting potatoes in advance will make them taste stale, but there is a trick we have up our sleeves we are going to share with you. You can parboil and freeze the potatoes that will give you a head start when you cook on Christmas.
- Gravy:
Your Christmas dinner is incomplete without a good gravy. You can always create the stock a day or two in advance and store it away in the refrigerator. Reheat it before the meals and it will only taste better with loads of flavors.
- Cookies:
You cannot miss baking Christmas cookies and it is best if you do it a week or two before Christmas as your family would like to enjoy these festive cookies throughout the festival month. It is always easy to store these cookies in air-tight jars, and they will stay fresh and crispy for a longer time. Check online for the best Christmas cookies, which you can bake this Christmas.
- Mature the Christmas Cake:
The fruit cake you make during Christmas is best if made in advance, as you can regularly add rum or sherry to it for the taste to enhance and mature. The longer it soaks in these liquids, the moister it will become and taste richer.
You obviously have to still do a lot of cooking on the day of Christmas, why not ask your family members to join in so you get some fun time with them while cooking and enjoying this intimate Christmas eve.