8 simple tips for a stress-free Christmas dinner - Rick Stein (2024)
Food galore, drinks flowing and being surrounded by friends and family. It really is the most wonderful time of the year.
To many, the thought of having to cook Christmas dinner can be a daunting task – especially when doing it for the first time. To help, we’ve put these tips together with the help of our expert chefs from our kitchens.
Organisation
This is number one on our list, and the most important tip of all. In the days leading up to Christmas make sure you’ve got absolutely everything you need, from the obvious like a turkey, potatoes and pigs in blankets, to checking you’ve got enough oil to cook with and plenty of salt and pepper for seasoning too. We recommend getting all your food and drink shopping done by December 22nd – that way you can avoid a last-minute trolley dash around your local supermarket.
As turkey is a lean meat, it can become dry quite quickly, so Ian recommends to brine your bird for around 12 hours before popping it in the oven to cook. During this process, it’llabsorb extra moisture, which in turn helps it stay moist and juicy, and the brining liquor will also help to season the meat. To do this you’ll need a large pot or bucket, filled with a 10% salt water mix, 2 tbsp of sugar and lots of aromats (black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, a couple of bay leaves and orange peel).
Have you got the right equipment for the job?
Make sure you’ve got plenty of oven trays, pots and pans and serving dishes. Oh, and not forgetting a new roll of extra-long tin foil – super handy for helping to keep things warm before you serve dinner. Another thing to check is your knifes – make sure they’re nice and sharp, as this will make cooking faster and easier.
Prep your veg the night before
Peel potatoes, carrots, parsnips and any other veg you’re having and leave them in pans of cold water overnight. This will save you a lot of faff and additional mess on Christmas morning. If you’ve got lots of space in your fridge (unlikely), you could even pre-cook your potatoes and parsnips on Christmas Eve to save even more time.
Plan exactly how long everything takes to cook and make yourself a to-do list. EG/ Turkey goes in the oven at 7.30am, check it at 8.30am and lower the temperature and so on…
Keep it fun, get the family involved
Christmas is all about seeing family and friends, and enjoying quality time together. So, why not get everyone involved in the Christmas dinner process (just make sure you forget the old proverb ‘too many cooks…’).
Buy a Christmas Pudding to cook in the microwave
By doing this you’ll save over an hour, as cooking your pudding this way should only take 5-10 minutes. Giving you back some vital time to host or concentrate on juggling the other five things you’ll no doubt be cooking. You’ll find our Christmas pudding, made to Rick’s special recipe, here.
Wash as you go
If like us, when you cook a roast dinner you use every pot, pan and utensil in sight, clean up as you go (where possible). Even if this just means packing the dishwasher before carving the turkey, it’ll insure you get to relax and enjoy the after-dinner festivities with your family – rather than being chained to a washing-up bowl for an hour after you’ve eaten.
If you want any hints or tips for your Christmas dinner, tweet us @ricksteinrest
Peel potatoes, carrots, parsnips and any other veg you're having and leave them in pans of cold water overnight. This will save you a lot of faff and additional mess on Christmas morning.
Crispness: Some vegetables, like carrots and celery, may become crisper after soaking [1]. Soaking can help hydrate these vegetables and make them more crunchy. Wilting: On the other hand, leafy greens may wilt and lose some of their freshness when soaked in water overnight [1].
Then you don't have to worry about them separately. Don't forget that most of the veg can be prepared the day before. Peel and trim your carrots and parsnips (keep them submerged in water overnight), peel onions and, to really save you time, don't just peel your potatoes the day before but you can parboil them, too.
How long can peeled and cut potatoes sit in water before cooking, before they begin taking on too much water? A: We usually recommend no more than 24 hours. You can keep the potatoes from absorbing the water by making sure the water is not salted, and is chilled (you can even add ice to the water).
All cut vegetables should be used within 2 to 3 days.
Carrots, celery, and radishes will last up to 5 days when stored in water but if storing that long, be sure to replace the water each day or at least every other day. So go on, cut up some veggies!
Luckily, there's a method to store peeled carrots that'll keep them fresh and crunchy for nearly a month. Wash peeled carrots thoroughly. In a container, submerge carrots in cool water, and place in the refrigerator. Change the water every few days to inhibit bacterial growth.
Wash carrots with cool water. Add cool water to a dish or airtight container. Add the carrots to the container, making sure they are completely covered with water. If you don't plan to eat the carrots within a few days, you will need to periodically change out the water to inhibit bacterial growth.
The cold bath keeps the cut vegetables from losing water, preventing them from turning limp. Once I'm done getting all the mise en place prepped, I'll discard the water and pat the vegetables dry before tossing them with the dressing, ensuring beautiful, crunchy vegetables that won't be soft when I eat them.
Don't bother with starters - have canapés and drinks while dinner is cooking instead. if you have a slow cooker you can keep things warm in there to free up oven space. prep as much as possible the day before so you're not stuck in the kitchen all day. make sure someone else is on washing up duty.
I've learned, over the years, to make and freeze most of the trimmings in advance – stuffing, pigs in blankets, cranberry sauce, even parboiled potatoes."
That said, I would never let them go to waste if they're cooked. Freeze them and reheat them (covered) on another day. They may be a little drier but will still be delicious. Alternatively, bash them up a bit and fry in oil for a 'Bubble and Squeak' style feast.
Harder vegetables, such as carrots, peppers, and broccoli and cauliflower florets, typically last through the week, while softer vegetables (think tomatoes and cucumbers) usually max out at 3 or 4 days. Once the vegetables are chopped to the desired size and shape, store them in airtight containers in the refrigerator.
You can prepare vegetables the night before cooking them by washing and cutting or chopping them, then storing them in the fridge in an airtight container. You may also want to pre-cook vegetables for your recipes to save you time in the kitchen.
Prepare these roasted root vegetables ahead by doing all of the chopping, peeling, and measuring up to two days ahead. Place all of the ingredients into a sealed refrigerator bag, seal and toss ingredients to coat, then refrigerate until ready to cook.
If a morning harvest is impossible to fit into your schedule or lifestyle, pick in the evening after the heat of the late afternoon sun has begun to wane. Other fruiting vegetables, such as tomatoes, peppers and zucchini are less sensitive to wilting, so they can be picked later in the day.
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