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Original poster

Your best hack for cooking Christmas lunch

96 replies

Birdbuggerup · 23/12/2023 14:18

I’ll be honest, I’m having a bit of a panic. I’m hosting lunch this year. Only for 6 but I’ve only done a couple of roasts so I’m worried about timings.
Bird is a frozen turkey crown and I’ve got all the usual trimmings.

Any tips for what can be prepped / cooked in advance? I’ve got a decent sized oven, air fryer, slow cooker and (I think) a warming section in the over.

I don’t care how out there the advice, how can I make my life easier?!
thanks in advance

OP posts:
Radiat · 23/12/2023 16:27

I do most of it the day before. The turkey is cooked, sliced and put in gravy in roasting tins, then reheated. It’s always very tender done this way. Ham cooked on Xmas eve too. All veg prep and stuffing etc made in advance too. Then I just never promise what time it’ll be ready for, it’s done when it’s done 😆

Greenpolkadot · 23/12/2023 16:31

A tip here .fill your dishwasher up with salt and rinse aid on Christmas Eve.

I don't have a microwave..how do I re-heat mash ?

Greenpolkadot · 23/12/2023 16:35

Hobbesmanc · 23/12/2023 15:07

Make life a bit easier for yourself so you enjoy it too. Buy ready made good quality gravy for example. Same with bread sauce and cranberry. No one will care if it's bought.

Also a few sides well done is better than trying to do a whole range. Everyone loves roasties so do those really well and forget mash etc. aunt Bessie's luxury frozen ones are actually great. Throw a tea spoon of marmite in the fat to give them that yummy grunginess.

Parboil or steam sprouts and keep in iced water. Same with baby carrots or sliced ones. Then thrown into a frying pan of hot butter with seasoning and herbs to heat up quickly.

Use air fryer for stuffing and pigs.

Turkey. Just set your timer according to the instructions. You can leave it out of the oven for at least 45 mins covered. Whack up the heat and do the potatoes and parsnips. Par boil them ahead too.

Use the second oven to warm your plates and the turkey platter. Nothing worse than congealing fat on cold plates

Make sure you've plenty of serving spoons etc on the table. Much easier to carve ahead of taking through but less dramatic of course

If you're doing a proper pud get it onto steam ahead. But honestly I'd just microwave it.

Enjoy. I've done thirty years of Christmas dinners. We're going to the local pub this year. Fifty quid for four course. No washing up.

Great tips,especially about marmite in the roasties.
I agree about a few veg well done .
Who needs 27 different veg choices ?

AHobbyaweek · 23/12/2023 16:43

I use the app MealTime. Takes a little while to put all the steps in and foods but then does a great countdown/timer for all the steps for you!!

Zanatdy · 23/12/2023 16:45

Alexa timer - you can name the alarm, eg parsnips! Also I always cook my Turkey on Xmas Eve (largely incase something up with it like it’s off) and peel all veg. Prep mg trifle too Xmas Eve. Busy day tomorrow

Vitriolinsanity · 23/12/2023 16:45

Microwave the Christmas pudding.

Put carrots, cauliflower, broccoli and beans in a steamer in that order.

When you get your Turkey out to rest ramp the oven temp up to finish off the roast veg.

Don't do a starter.

Vitriolinsanity · 23/12/2023 16:46

I don't know if you've experienced this, but where I live the electricity seems to take a dip at about 1:30-2pm.

shockeditellyou · 23/12/2023 16:46

For the love of all that is holy, I hope your turkey is not still in the freezer!

lists worked backwards from the time of eating, make sure plates and gravy are super hot and you’re fine. You can keep gravy hot in a flask if you run out of space.

ObliviousCoalmine · 23/12/2023 16:48

Askforwisdom · 23/12/2023 14:43

I cook the entire thing the night before then refrigerate in containers. Next day, plate up and microwave everything and it's absolutely perfect.

Sorry, are we just going to let this abomination slip by unnoticed?

Babyroobs · 23/12/2023 16:53

WhateverMate · 23/12/2023 15:44

My best hack is to get my husband to do it.

It's worked for the last 20 years anyway Xmas Blush

Yes that's my hack too but he is poorly in bed with covid this year so I'm going to have to learn quickly !

Ponderingwindow · 23/12/2023 16:55

Almost All the peeling, chopping, and dry measuring can be done in advance. If a dish is assembled and then baked, you can probably assemble the day before.

I also have gotten to the point that I have all my recipes interleaved. So as I have to switch back and forth between carrots and potatoes, that is written down. While the water for x is boiling, measure out the milk for dish y. All written down. That is next level though and I recommend doing it on a computer so if you change dishes it is easy to make changes.

KylieJennersMakeUpSponge · 23/12/2023 16:58

Honestly OP get it all pre packed. That’s what I do when I host - mash, pigs in blankets, parsnips, all the veg is stuff I can just bung in the oven. I spent my childhood listening to my mum stress half to death in the kitchen and clang pans around and it was depressing as fuck and stressful for the whole family

gggonewired · 23/12/2023 16:58

ObliviousCoalmine · 23/12/2023 16:48

Sorry, are we just going to let this abomination slip by unnoticed?

Show quote history

I was just wondering how it all fit!
Microwaving can be OK depending on the texture - cover/uncover as needed.
The only thing is... nobody has a massive microwave that can fit all of that?

CookieSue222 · 23/12/2023 16:58

Ooh yes to this!
(bitter experience here too).
Put light on under sprouts without water.....🤭

CookieSue222 · 23/12/2023 17:00

Sorry, that was to Ap24

manysausages · 23/12/2023 17:03

I’ve done the cooking for all of us (16) a few times. Here are my tips.

Assign trusted people jobs like keeping peoples glasses topped up, keeping on top of washing up.

Get a guest to bring a starter or skips starters.

Try and do the turkey early so it’s out of the oven resting before anything else goes in. Upside down with foil over it and a couple towels, it will stay hot for quite a long time and be nice and moist. (Sorry for not adding tw on that word)

Make things that can just stay warm in the oven for ages like cauliflower cheese, (I add broccoli and leek too), dauphinois, a big root veg mash bake (a third swede, a third celeriac, a third carrot and parsnip). A tray of stuffing and pigs in blankets. Time everything else to the roast potatoes. Loads of good gravy. Minimise steamed veg cos it goes cold so fast, I only do sprouts like this. Skip the yorkshires, it’s another thing to have to get the timing right on, and they’re not really needed on Christmas dinner.

Have loads of tea towels ready for the stuff that inevitably won’t fit in the dishwasher at the end, when people (hopefully) want to help out.

Final tip - You need less food to feed everyone than you think you do

PuppyMonkey · 23/12/2023 17:05

It doesn’t matter what you do with the rest of the dinner, just make sure you do decent Yorkshire puddings and nobody will care.

TheGreatGherkin · 23/12/2023 17:06

Don't bother with Xmas Dinner, we aren't.

mrstea301 · 23/12/2023 17:28

I used to cook all the meat the day before and have it cold - as Nigella says, people aren't bothered if the meat is cold, as long as the gravy is piping hot! It also leaves more room for cooking everything else (have always had relatively small kitchens!)

Now I'm generally the only meat eater that I would be catering for so only do a slow cooker ham the day before and eat it over the next couple of days! 🥰

bellac11 · 23/12/2023 17:30

Also roast potatoes take way longer than you think

Domestic ovens just dont go high enough and for long periods of time with lots of stuff coming in and out they're not as hot as you need so things take longer.

Askforwisdom · 23/12/2023 17:34

gggonewired · 23/12/2023 16:58

I was just wondering how it all fit!
Microwaving can be OK depending on the texture - cover/uncover as needed.
The only thing is... nobody has a massive microwave that can fit all of that?

Show quote history

Cook everything the night before and refrigerate all the stuff in containers. The next day, put whatever you want on the plates. Meat, potatoes, veg etc and put each plate in the microwave, plate by plate, as you would heating up any plate of food. Transfer to oven to stay warm while microwaving everyone's and serve them all at the same time.

Askforwisdom · 23/12/2023 17:35

ObliviousCoalmine · 23/12/2023 16:48

Sorry, are we just going to let this abomination slip by unnoticed?

Show quote history

It seems sacrilegious but really it's very handy and tastes the same as any delicious meal that has been reheated in the microwave.

ObliviousCoalmine · 23/12/2023 17:38

@Askforwisdom I feel like we probably have very different perceptions of how crispy a roast potato should be.

Askforwisdom · 23/12/2023 17:44

ObliviousCoalmine · 23/12/2023 17:38

@Askforwisdom I feel like we probably have very different perceptions of how crispy a roast potato should be.

Ah, this may be true. I am an avid user of condiments, and like my spuds to be under a layer of gravy, cranberry sauce, mustard and mayonaise. Butter too.

I'll get my coat.