Tips for a stress-free dinner
l First and foremost, who says you have to do any cooking at all? If you can afford it, go out and enjoy an over-priced meal at an equally over-priced hotel! Warning: you may have to pay in advance and if you are a minute late, you may find empty dishes and left-overs – don’ t expect a refund!
The next best thing is to make your guests do most of the cooking. The trick is to know their culinary strengths and weakness, if you do not know, don’t risk this. Assuming you do, decide on two or three dishes each is to make and you will all enjoy a wide variety of tasty dishes. Let each family bring drinks too. This way Christmas will be less expensive for all and truly stress-free.
If none of the above is likely to happen, return to earth and decide on a menu with your family; this way, there will be less wastage as most of what you will prepare will be their favourite dishes.
List the ingredients needed for each dish and shop early to avoid the last minute rush and long queues in supermarkets.
Remember the saying, ‘many hands make light work?’ – involve family members in chopping up vegetables, weighing ingredients to be used, washing up the dishes and any other chores that will free you to do the actual cooking.
Plan ahead and prepare dishes that can be put in the fridge or freezer a day or two in advance, to reduce the amount of cooking to be done on Christmas Day. For example, prepare vegetables for salads the previous day and chill, (don’t chop up cucumber and tomatoes, to avoid them getting soggy). Similarly, make salad dressings a day before, keep in the fridge and use just before serving, so that the vegetables stay crisp.
Make sure utility payments for things like water and electricity are made in advance, to avoid the burden of tiresome trips to the nearest well or a non-functional fridge. Eating by candle light because there is no power is not romantic if it happens because you have no choice, believe me!
It is less time consuming to buy certain items already prepared, for example, chapattis, ready-to-fry fish fingers, pop-in-the-oven pizzas, the Christmas cake and fancy desserts.
If you are making an elaborate dinner, make a simple, but tasty lunch that can be cooked in advance, frozen or kept in the fridge and simply re-heated when required.
Finally, do not drink the night before, to avoid waking up to cook Christmas dinner the day after! And keep away from the booze while cooking as well, to prevent ruining dishes by adding salt three times, ‘by mistake’! Or dozing over the kitchen stove, while the food burns to a crisp!
Options
Engage family. Decide on a menu with your family; this way, there will be less wastage as most of what you will prepare will be their favourite dishes.
Shop early. List the ingredients needed for each dish and shop early to avoid the last minute rush and long queues in the supermarkets.
