Cooking a tasty feast for sharing with friends and family is part of the many pleasures of enjoying the holidays. While it can be a bit stressful as there are several things to plan and remember, cooking is a remarkable holiday gift if everything goes correctly.
Planning and being well-prepared are some of the main ways of ensuring your holiday cooking is a stress-free and fantastic experience. The right tools, ingredients, and menu are also critical.
Here are five practical tips to help you out as you cook for the holidays.
Use High-Quality Knives
Great kitchenware helps to make the cooking process more enjoyable. A knife is essential since you will likely use it when creating nearly every dish during the holiday season. According to Your Cooking Expert, Using the best quality knives means less slippage and more control when cutting, thus translating to more consistent, safer slices. Additionally, transitioning to higher quality, sharper knives will make holiday cooking less stressful since you will cut through ingredients effortlessly and quickly.
Prepare Some Foods In Advance
Certain foods like salads are all about preparation, as little cooking is required. This aspect makes salads perfect for preparing in advance before the meal and storing away until the time you are ready to eat. Start with the salad dressing at the bottom of the bowl and then top up with the hardier ingredients. Finish the salad by layering the fragile ingredients on top and store it inside the fridge to help it stay fresh without wilting.
Create And Stick To A Menu
As mentioned above, pre-planning your holiday meals is very important. If you are preparing recipes you have never tried before, you should do a quick trial job to check what can be frozen or made in advance. Even though it can be tempting as a cook to add several last-minute dishes during the party, it could lead to chaos inside your kitchen. Hence, stick to the original menu to ensure you have enough time to relax and enjoy the holiday event with the guests.
Ask For Some Help
This cooking tip is very beneficial but perhaps quite hard for some people who feel as if they have to do everything on their own to make their holiday occasion successful. There are two options here: ask the guests to bring different side dishes or have them come a bit earlier and share in the cooking job. Whichever option you choose, they will likely enjoy the feast much more if they are assisted in making it.
Simplify Your Meals
Everyone enjoys the tasty casserole dishes, but the several steps needed to prepare them can entirely drain your resources and time. As a good alternative, you can use steamed or top-boiled organic veggies with an accompanying rich sauce to create a just as tasty but ready within a shorter time.
A deep fryer will do the job quickly and perfectly for your frying needs.