Preparing Veg In Advance For Christmas Dinner

[pilates]

Do you peel and leave them in water overnight in saucepans or do you peel and put in freezer bags and leave in the fridge? Thanks.

[PotteringAlong]

In water overnight in the utility room or garage (with lids on!)

[fanjodisfunction]

for a minute there thought you were preparing veg now for Christmas day.

[pilates]

Thanks, I did them in bags in the fridge last year and the parsnips turned brown.

[ipswichwitch]

Someone (genius!) has posted before the brilliant idea of parboiling your potatoes for roasties, then laying them flat on a tray, freezing then placing in a bag in the freezer. You can then just add them to the hot fat to roast straight from the freezer.

[merrygoround51]

Ipswichwitch - do you mean put the actual tray in the freezer ?

[Got99problems]

Last year I left mine in the kitchen in pans of water... worked fine

[pilates]

Ipswich, do they still taste as nice?

[LoveMyBoots]

Good Housekeeping magazine told me to parboil & freeze the roast potatoes. They cook brilliantly like that and it saves time.

Just remember to freeze them on a tray first, then put them in a freezer bag/box, so that they don't all stick together in a lump. Pulling apart frozen roasties is definitely not easy!

[MyMummyRuns]

You can prep and freeze most veg in advance just parboil, drain and pat dry then freeze on a tray, once frozen transfer to freezer bags/containers. This weekend I'm doing the carrots, parsnips, potatoes, red cabbage and bread sauce ready to either roast or microblast on Christmas Day, I find it a lot less stressful and just as tasty. The only veg I plan on doing fresh on the day are the sprouts as I find them too mushy when cooked from frozen.

[squiggleirl]

Potatoes are peeled and put in water. Everything else is peeled, chopped and put in Ziploc bags in the fridge. Never had any issues with veg discolouring (parsnips stayed perfect).

[Lucylouby]

I peel and chop on Christmas Eve and out everything in saucepans of water, making sure everything is fully submerged. Any bits poking out will turn brown.

[ipswichwitch]

I think MyMummyRuns explained it a bit better than me! The poster I pinched the idea from says they are pretty nice cooked from frozen. I've yet to try them but I have some in the freezer ready to go.

[CarcerDun]

Swede cooked and mashed now is good to freeze then blast in the microwave on the day.

[Catsmamma]

we do it all on christmas eve too

tatties and parsnips peeled and left in the utility room in a giant pan of water, on the day, change water, salt, bring to the boil, fish out parsnips and let them dry on a tray, let the pan boil a bit more fish out the roasties...also sit on a tray and the rest will be mash could not care less about MN rules re mash and christmas dinner

carrots. cauli, sprouts, cabbage are prepped and set into the steamer baskets under damp kitchen paper, whip that off, season and onto the steamer on the day

cheesey leeks are prepped to oven ready and fridged
pigs in blankets also onto the tray and fridged
anything else is also prepped and made as close to oven ready as possible. Meat also defrosted in its oven tray.

[pilates]

Thanks everyone.