Christmas dinner - what can I pre cook and what can I use slow cooker for?

[allie691]

Can I part boil the potatoes and veg Christmas Eve, put it in the fridge so it's just ready for the oven Christmas Day?

Also are there any elements of Christmas dinner you use your slow cooker for to free up hob space ?

Thanks!

I've done the braised red cabbage in the slowcooker already. Portioned and frozen to heat up on the day.

What's on your menu? That might suggest things to pre-prepare or slowcook.
(I don't presume everyone's doing the same thing)

Yes you can do pretty much everything in advance if you want. I'm even roasting my potatoes a day early so they only need crisping up.

I use my slow cooker for the gravy! I make mine in advance (it's in freezer) then skim the fat off and add turkey juices. I get it to the right taste/consistency then put in slow cooker to keep warm.

How many rings/pans do you have on the hob? Could you use a microwave instead?

You can peel all veg and leave in pans of cool water, just refresh the water as needed. Could roast carrots instead of boiling.

Potato's, you can parboil and then put in a pan of hot fat and leave to cool then cook as normal (probably want an extra 10 minutes)

Gravy you can make in advance and then just add meat juices to if needed.

Prep turkey, stuffing etc the day before so they just have to get popped into the oven.

Taming Twins has a useful guide you can download - you don't need to use her recipes or timings but her approach is to cook as much in advance as possible, store well, and reheat on the day.