From The Straits Times    |


PHOTO 123rf.com

By AsiaOne

It’s December, and Christmas is coming soon. At a traditional Christmas dinner, there would be turkey, stuffing, Christmas pudding, and log cake. You could order all that from a hotel, sure, but you could also cook it all yourself, and impress your friends with your skills.

The trouble is, a Christmas dinner is a large meal, with many components which can be tricky to manage, especially if you are a newbie chef. Thankfully, according to Closer Online, here are a few hacks to help you with that home cooked feast.

Turkey
Cool down the turkey breasts with ice cubes before cooking. They cook faster than the rest of the bird, so do this to prevent them from becoming overcooked. Also, use aluminium foil to cover the turkey to prevent it from burning. This will reportedly give you a perfect golden-brown turkey like the kind you see in photos.

Roast potatoes
Cook these a day before, using goose fat to get them crispy outside and fluffy inside. Reheat them on Christmas day, and no one will be the wiser as to when they were roasted.

Gravy
To get the perfect, thick consistency for the gravy, mash and stir in one of the roasted potatoes.

Vegetables
Yes, there are still veggies at Christmas. Zest things up by cooking your carrots in orange juice, and roast the brussels sprouts instead of boiling. Add some butter, cinnamon, and maybe some chestnuts, and watch as the most boring side dish is transformed into a popular, integral part of the meal.

Stuffing
Similar to the roast potatoes, cook this in advance and then freeze it. On the big day, however, defrost and warm it up before serving it to guests.

Dessert
Make these as far in advance as possible, and make a few of them. Cake, pudding, cookies… with more rather than less, all your guests can have a sweet end to their meal and there will also be loads of leftovers.