Eliminate Holiday Dinner Stress With These 5 Tips
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- Опубліковано 27 лис 2023
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In this video, I will show you 5 ways to make your planning and cooking you holiday meal effortless. Wether it is Thanksgiving, Christmas, or just a holiday get together with friends, these tips will be essential in helping you not get stressed. Planning can go a long way and I will show you my favorite tips from my years of experience in the food industry.
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If you liked this video checkout my next video about Holiday Side Dishes HERE:
3 Non-Meat Focused Holiday Side Dishes
• Elevate Your Holiday M... - Навчання та стиль
I have done most of those tips for years. One big one that gets more important to me as I get older and have less energy for cooking is: Make it ahead. Leverage your fridge and freezer. Veg can be prepped a day ahead, potatoes cut up and held in cold water. Cranberry sauce or compotes can be made days or weeks ahead of time. Stuffing can be made and stored in zip lock bags to just fill the pans, either frozen or not--or even in the pans ready to bake. Cookies, cakes, many pies, can be made a day ahead. Stock for gravy can be made and frozen weeks ahead of time. Also have a big pot of chili or spaghetti or something you like ready to eat the day before and the morning of the holiday, so you are not worried about cooking meals before the big meal. This can also be made ahead.
Amen! Enough said. B
My mom always did that and living in Cleveland it was usually cold around turkey day so she'd use the back porch as an extra fridge
For the last several years I’ve cooked most components sous vide ahead of time, and held them I the fridge in the vacuum bags. Then on the day, it goes in a large water bath at about 120F just to heat it through. If something needs to be crisped in the oven, it happens after that - everything else goes straight into a serving dish.
If a dish is complicated, the components are made ahead of time then assembled two days ahead, and then pre-cooked. For example, my green bean casserole is made with homemade cream of mushroom soup and fresh green beans. So it just gets a longer lead time in order to make the soup before it is assembled and cooked together.
This basically forces both planning, and cooking ahead. :)
An extension of the planning tip: figure out what you will serve each dish in. The roast on the blue platter, the mashed potatoes in your big white bowl, and so on. Also what the serving pieces are, spoons, tongs, serving forks and so on. I suggest laying out the serving pieces the day before. This will make sure you have a place to put every dish on serving day. BTW, a tiny slow cooker is a great way to serve gravy and keep it hot.
For me the solution was just to learn how to cook. Not just individual dishes but how to run a kitchen properly to time the prep, stove time, oven time, clearing the pots, pans and utensils through dishwashing, and finally the finishing touches in a way that runs smoothly one task following the other.
On Thanksgiving we hosted about 25 and my wife and I ran the stove and oven in the order we knew would fit the time it took to prep and cook every dish. I even did the ham on the Weber in the backyard because that's what fit the program, with the added benefit of a more smoky ham for the guests.
Great vid! - "MY" trick and ultimate "plan" is to make virtually everything (except fresh veggies and gravy) ahead of time - I start several weeks ahead of time and freeze everything in standard roasting pans - I can fit six into my average oven - two per rack.
I start thawing a day or two before, and then is just a matter of warming up on the day of the meal - Maximum planning, minimum stress - it works! - Cheers!
Utilize those slow cookers. I make my mashed potatoes, gravy, and dressing earlier and keep them warm in crockpots. That way the only thing i need in the oven at the last minute are the rolls. If people bring casseroles, have them bring in glass bowls that can be put in the microwave to re-heat. Make your desserts the day before. Cakes, cookies and pies that don't need refrigeration are best for this day! And don't forget the additions, such as whipped cream and ice cream for pies, butter for rolls, salt and pepper fancy coffee creamers. Even your drinks can be put in a crockpot. I make mulled wine. So good. Then, keep your plan in a folder or spreadsheet for next year. Note what you need to do differently.
I am cooking every thing this year and my family will share the cost of the dinner. I wind up cooking at other people's houses anyway and my kitchen is much better equipped than theirs. I also don't find it all that stressful, tiring yes, stressful not so much. I try to prepare as much as possible the day before. I also don't have to do the dinner dishes. My sisters and sisters-in-law take care of that. One extra dish I have added to the menu in the last couple of years is mashed potatoes and parsnips together. The parsnips add a nice spicy/peppery tang to the potatoes. I also do regular mash potatoes. It was my Dad's favourite. I use 1/3 parsnips and 2/3 potatoes. Another thing I tried earlier this year is breaking down the turkey into pieces and removing it from the carcass to make stock and gravy. It cooks so much faster and takes much less room in the oven. I can even add other items to cook. There are several UA-cam channels that demonstrate this. I don't miss the whole turkey on the table. As for appetizers I make Spinach and Artichoke dip and Devil's dip along with a veggie tray and cheese and crackers.
Summer sausage, cheese, town house or ritz, nuts, deviled eggs, veggie tray, Cooler with 2 cases of Coke; Pepsi; bottled water and budweiser, and Sweet Tea and lemonade. I for the Adults I serve burgundy and white Zinfandel wine. The beer and wine depend on the crowd of people. If I know I am crunched for time I try to make it into a potluck where the guests bring the the sides and the Host takes care of the main dish. Also try to have a warming oven so you can use that to keep guests food warm.
Shrimp cocktail is always popular at our family gatherings.
you should do another video on planning the holiday dinner. also plan on putting it out before the next holiday. :-)
Those are GREAT tips! Thank you!
I make an excellent variety of dips: minted green pea dip with coconut cream; Reuben dip with good corned beef, cream cheese, finely shredded swiss, a T. or two of red wine aggro dolce', freshly ground caraway seeds and freshly ground black pepper, Greek yogurt with shredded squeezed dry cucumber (Persian if possible), sea salt, finely grated lemon rind, finely micro-planed fresh garlic and a bit of a squeeze of lemon juice. Make the day before put in containers; then haul them out and put them in your cooler with some Techni-Ice and whatever nifty crunchy crackers you can find. Cold food is your friend.
Great list. My MIL freaked out this Thanksgiving when my SIL showed up with the "veggie tray" which was cut vegetables in Ziplock bags, no tray.
I can't remember ever having a holiday celebration where the host makes most of the food....unless they really want to but then there is a glut of food. So sad. 😂 Most family gatherings are pot luck. Sometimes orchestrated sometimes for free form. Maybe it's my Hawaii upbringing but ?? We had a glut of pies this year which was greatly appreciated the next morning. The host usually has a stack of food containers for people to take stuff home. I love a good pot luck no matter the time of year.
My mom & grandma always made things in advance such as pies and other side dishes so all they had to do on the holiday was cook the turkey or ham.
Thank you great video. Make room in the refrigerator for your guesses dishes and bottles. I also test run my dishes in the refrigerator the same in the oven.
Great idea!
I honestly think driving to holiday dinners is more stressful than cooking for one. I WISH I was the one hosting.
2nd, thanks for great ideas!
One thing that helps me that I think you missed was planning. That's probably the most important step for a holiday meal.
I’m the Turkey Fryer and Corn Cass guy for the 26 person family gathering. It’s me and My Cousin, she’s the General. I’m the LTC delivering bird and on side.
ua-cam.com/video/DZc9IWhM94k/v-deo.htmlsi=absgNUryw4kUhtHA
The best thing to make for your holiday dinner? *reservations* 🤪😉
We plan..
I am outside with Turkeys in the smoker and two Pyrex trays in the grill and I am cutting the cheese and chilling the sangria in the ice chest from last night.
Our best tip would be good night sleep
When they ask me if the turkey is ready I tell them I have samples of the turkey. it is all dark meat and very juicy. Then I open a bottle of wild turkey and tell my brother he is bartender.
6 P's and KISS. Two rules to follow.
Tip 6 do stovetop recipes too...
Wanna talk about stress? My baby’s birthday is dec 2nd, then Christmas, then my daughter’s birthday is January 2nd…. I’m like super busy with birthdays and Christmas party plans!! 😭 😂 🤪
It didn't add to any sort of meal stress, just gift-giving stress growing up, but my parents' birthdays were Christmas Eve and New Year's Day. So, yeah, it was a busy time for my 3 brothers and I. Happy early birthdays to your kids.
I do NOT cook much of anything on the day. I spread it out over the previous few days. Planning IS key . . . but if you want to try something special practice and test drive it earlier - like a few weeks early. If it passes muster and can be done, do it! Flying by the seat of one's pants is a recipe for disaster.
In addition to KISS: Dont' do anything new. Make sure you've done it before and can make it successfully. Even if you want to try it a few days before to make sure it works (and the timing)
my man put his head on a chicken
Stop talking folks into being more stressed than need be
FIRST
Sweet Jesus with the overuse of the word “plan”
I know. I am working on eliminating my crutch words in my presentation. Thanks for watching anyway.
@@ButcherWizard I wouldn't sweat it dude! You're videos are great and genuine. Weird for that person to point that minor thing out.
@@ButcherWizard, still love your content even with the excessive use of plan lol. Keep up the good work, brother!