Get Your Kitchen Ready For Chaos This Christmas

 

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2020 has thrown us a lot of curveballs, and one of the biggest ones we have to deal with at the end of the year is the prospect of a quiet Christmas. Sadly, the pandemic doesn’t seem to be letting up any time soon, and this means a lot of us won’t be able to gather as families for the festive season.

However, just because you are having Christmas at home doesn't mean you can’t still have a great time, and today we want to talk about some of the best ways you can prepare your home and kitchen for the Christmas season.

Clear out your pantry

The first thing you will want to do to get your kitchen ready for the festive season is to clear your pantry. Throughout the year you have likely accumulated things such as cans, baking decorations, random jars and more - and now is the time to sort through it all and make some space. Take a morning to go through every part of your pantry and get rid of food that is out of date, food you won’t eat, and things that need to be used soon should be left out. This will leave some space for all of your Christmas ingredients and treats!

Stock up on baking ingredients

During the festive season you’ll likely spend a lot of time baking sweet treats such as cookies, gingerbread men, and cupcakes. To do this though you’ll need plenty of baking basics. Stock up now on flour, cocoa powder, sugar, butter and all the fixings so that you can make your favourite treats in a jiffy when you need them!

Clean the fridge

One of the most neglected jobs in the kitchen is cleaning the fridge. Over time, your fridge will get full of sticky liquids, good juices, crumbs, and bits of produce - and it is very important to clean your fridge often if you don’t want to end up going to westinghouse fridge parts to fix it! Spend a morning going through your fridge and clean it top to bottom with warm soapy water. Once done, put back the food you know you’ll eat and throw the rest away.

Gather your gadgets

Over the Christmas period you’ll be doing a hell of a lot of cooking, and for this it’s a good idea to have some helpful food gadgets at your disposal. A gadget such as a pestle and mortar, hand blender, electric whisk, and meat thermometer will make all the difference to you in the kitchen. Make your life easier this winter and gather some simple gadgets that will make a difference to your cooking experience.

Invest in good pie tins

From pumpkin pie to sweet potato pie and even chicken pie - a good pie makes Christmas. If you haven’t already got some pie tins in your kitchen now is a great time to invest in some. You can get stunning pie tins and casserole style dishes from Le Creuset as well as other online brands and these will allow you to create showstopping pies every time without fail. If everyone in your family has different tastes or dietary requirements, consider investing in some single sized ramekins and make individual pies in there instead!

Start mince meat early

If you are making mince pies this Christmas for yourself and your family, you should start preparing your mix right now. Throughout November and the first half of December you can have your mince meat mixture in the fridge infusing with amazing flavours. All you’ll need is amounts to taste of these things:

Raisins

Currants

Apples

Oranges

Cranberries

Star anise

Cloves

Cinnamon


Soak any dried fruit in a decent amount of brandy before mixing and leave in an airtight jar to develop the flavour.

Invest in good roasting dishes

It is super important if you are going to be cooking a massive roast dinner for your household this Christmas that you invest in good quality roasting dishes. A great roasting dish will ideally have a deep crevice and a rack to put your meat on. You can also add things such as vegetables and garlic to the bottom of your roasting dish during cooking, and allow the juices of the meat to drip into this mixture. This along with stock and cornflour will make the most flavourful gravy for your roast. Take a look online and tips for the perfect roast and create a beautiful mouth watering Christmas feast for everyone in your household.

Stock up on Tupperware

Tupperware will soon become your best friend around the Christmas period and it will make the most of your culinary creations this winter. When cooking and baking for your family during Christmas you’ll end up with a lot of stuff leftover. And with these bits of food a lot of the time you’ll be able to chill or freeze them for later use. For example, by roasting your joint and freezing a few portions, you’ll have a lovely meal ready for the next few months. You can also freeze things such as pigs in blankets, Yorkshire puddings and roast potatoes and simply reheat them in the future when you need them.

Learn to cook ahead

One of the best tips you will learn when you start to cook for a family at Christmas is that many things can be cooked in advance. Vegetables can be pre boiled and stored in the fridge, mashed potatoes can be mashed and placed in a Tupperware, and pigs in blankets can be baked and then simply thrown under the grill for a few minutes before dinner. The more things you can learn to cook ahead for Christmas the better your time will be, and even your roast beef or gammon could be cooked, chilled, and reheated in the oven with a lid on. Make your Christmas less stressful and use your time wisely!

Buy a treat tin

Before you host your dinner bash and have your family fighting over the fudgiest of the brownies, make sure you have somewhere to store all of your sweet treats! An airtight tin is a must and will keep your treats fresh and delectable for days.

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