First time hosting tips

[KimchiLaLa]

First time hosting Christmas this year. 10 of us. Am very happy to host but bricking it! I also have a small toddler and by nature like to organise so don't want to be stressed on the day.

What are your tips? I was thinking of freezing everything I can for now. Luckily have a small, extra freezer so that should be ok.

For a start, I'll peel carrots then freeze them. But someone told me I should boil them for a few mins first. Is that true?

I can make yorkshires but I figured I would just buy and freeze these too.

Any others?

We always buy a fresh turkey. I would find defrosting it too time consuming.

I second the suggestion to use an electric steamer for the veg - I bought one about a year ago and it has revolutionised cooking Sunday roasts in particular although I use it most days. Mine has plastic baskets though and would recommend you getting one with glass baskets that you could take straight to the table although despite searching I can’t find one and don’t know if they exist.

Depends how big your freezer is and if you have space to defrost it.

I didn’t mean to be disparaging about it being just a big roast. But if you can plate up a roast hot you’re half way there.
The main difference is that the turkey takes up the whole oven so it needs more planning in terms of where you can cook side dishes (hob/microwave/slow cooker) if you only have one oven.

I can’t see the advantage of buying a frozen turkey this early. They also take a long time to fully defrost. I bought a frozen turkey one year and after 48 hours in the fridge it was still frozen in the middle.

You just cook the sides while the turkey is resting. Wrap it well in foil and bath towels and it'll happily sit until the roasties etc are done.

People who cook the meat the day before, what do you do about reheating it? Or do you just not and rely on the gravy?

Doing my first Christmas dinner this year (albeit not actually on Christmas Day...).

If you have a toddler, cook and serve lunch at 4.30pm (toddler tea). It will really take the pressure off everyone.

Freeze gravy, cranberry sauce, and cooked sausages in blankets.

Parboil and cool/dry potatoes on Christmas Eve - then you are only crisping them.

Ask other people to bring side dishes: vegetables, bread sauce and pudding.

Throw away metal trays.

We have cooked for 12-20 people every year for the last 10yrs. The key is letting other people bring a dish, and also : keeping everything hot! Plates in hot water in the sink. Dry at the last minute.

Forget starters as such. Just have some nice nibbles with drinks beforehand. M & S are my go-to here!

Apart from doing all possible prep beforehand, make a timetable, working backwards from the time you actually want to sit down to eat.

So, sit down at (say) 2, so turkey out of oven to rest wrapped up at (say)
1, so in oven at x, so oven on to heat up at x before that.

Roast pots out of the oven just before 2, to in to roast at x, so must be on to parboil at x minus 20 mins, etc.

Then write out your timetable clearly in time order, and stick it on the front of the fridge, or wherever it's easy to refer to and won't get lost, or splattered with fat or gravy.

I've hosted many more times than I can remember, and I still do this every time.

Grab some bags of sausage rolls the little ones and cook them through the morning. Leave on the side hot as a help yourselves.

Slow cookers for a ham, you can cook in cider and sugar... Do it the night before, or start early Xmas morning about 5 hours.. You can cut it with a fork so soft.

Big dishes, just let everyone help themselves, to everything...

Open a few things with toddler in the morning, ideally including something they will hopefully play with for some hours. Make clear to partner and guests that you will need child kept out of your hair for an hour while you deal with getting roasties into the oven and do remaining veg etc. Plan in advance what goes in the oven when and which pans you'll use.
Also canapés and other snacks to keep everyone happy before the meal.

Hi all! Sorry for delay. Like the idea of parboiling potatoes on Xmas eve and getting that out of the way. So I can parboil them, mush them around so they are ready to be crispy, and they won't lose any fluffiness on the inside/crispness on the outside?

Oh and we bought a large turkey crown today. I'm a bit worried about the defrosting but surely if we get it out the day before it should be fine?!