Guidance on Christmas Dinner Timings
5 min read
It might have been all about the presents when you were young but the real shining star of Christmas for many is the dinner. From tried and tested family recipes to that adventurous new recipe you saw online, your festive spread can make or break your Christmas! The key to a smooth and stress-free (or as little stress as possible!) Christmas dinner is timing; knowing when to buy your ingredients, when to prepare your food and when to start whacking things in the oven can make all the difference to your day. In this article we will outline everything you need to know about when you should be buying your Christmas dinner ingredients and how you can keep them fresh for the big day!
When to do Christmas Food Shopping
Christmas is a time of joyful abundance but this can quickly veer into over consumption if not planned properly. A good way to avoid this, and to stay within budget, is to start small. Consider what you need to buy and buy it bit by bit in advance. This gives you the chance to make the most out of supermarket deals and to have the time to store food properly. Some items that take pride of place on the Christmas dining table can be bought well in advance and frozen or stored in the cupboard for a lengthy period of time without impacting safety or quality. Other foods will need to be bought closer to the big day to ensure they stay their best.
When buying your Christmas ingredients remember that the freezer is your friend! Freezing ingredients helps them to stay fresher for even longer and enables you to prepare certain foods ahead of time and to reheat them when needed. Make sure that everything is labelled clearly and include the date that you stored the item in the freezer. As with your fridge, try not to overload your freezer as this can prevent air circulating correctlyand impact the temperature which can potentially cause food to spoil.
When to Buy a Christmas Turkey
If you are buying a frozen turkey then you can buy, collect and freeze your turkey at any time. When defrosting your turkey it’s vital that you ensure the bird is defrosted fully. If defrosting your turkey in the fridge allow approximately 8 hours per kg for it to defrost. It can be a good idea to do this a few days before Christmas to ensure that the bird is fully defrosted. If defrosting at room temperature then allow for approximately 3 hours per kg.
If you are buying a fresh turkey you should aim to buy it a few days before Christmas but no more than a week before. You can extend the shelf life of a fresh turkey by freezing it at home but you must ensure that the turkey you buy can be frozen and that you have enough space in your freezer and allow for enough time for it to defrost properly.
When to Buy Christmas Vegetables
If you plan on freezing your green vegetables then you can purchase them well in advance of Christmas, however it is advisable that you wrap them carefully to avoid freezer burn. If you don’t plan on freezing your vegetables then you should aim to buy your green leafy veg no more than a week before Christmas. On the other hand, root vegetables such as turnips, onions or potatoes can be bought at any time.
Green leafy vegetables such as leeks, cabbage and sprouts can wilt the longer they are kept and quickly become soggy and unappetising. As such, it’s best to buy them the same week as Christmas and to keep them in the fridge, preferably in the vegetable crisper to keep them fresh for as long as possible. Removing any packaging can help to keep vegetables fresher for longer as it allows the vegetables to breathe and prevents moisture from becoming trapped in the packaging and potentially causing them to rot.
Root vegetables do not need to be kept in the fridge and can be bought well in advance of Christmas. Store root vegetables in a cool, dry place such as a cupboard or pantry. As with green leafy vegetables, remove packaging to prevent premature ripening and avoid storing them alongside other vegetables.
Where to Store Christmas Food
Shoving Celebrations into any wayward cupboard with space has become all too synonymous with Christmas. Whilst the sight of cupboards and fridges overflowing with food can be a joyful sign of the season, knowing where to store your food makes all the difference to its longevity.
A useful motto to adopt during Christmas to help reduce both food waste and stress is; make the freezer your friend. Storing food in the freezer in the build up to Christmas can massively increase the shelf-life of your ingredients. Ensure that what you are freezing is freezer safe and label everything well so that you know what it is and when it was frozen. It’s also a good idea to clear your fridge and freezer before the Christmas season so that you are starting with a clean slate and as much space as possible.
Where to Store a Christmas Turkey
You can store your Christmas turkey in the freezer and purchase it well in advance of Christmas. You can buy a turkey that is already frozen or a fresh one and freeze it yourself. If freezing it yourself then ensure that it is well packaged, preferably double wrapped, to help prevent freezer burn. You can defrost your turkey in the fridge a few days before Christmas to ensure that it is thoroughly defrosted. If defrosting in the fridge allow for approximately 8 hours per kg. If defrosting your turkey at room temperature then you should allow for approximately 3 hours per kg.
If you don’t want to freeze your turkey then you should keep it on the bottom shelf of your fridge. This will prevent any cross contamination from turkey juices spilling onto other foods. If you are storing your turkey in the fridge then you should aim to buy it a few days before Christmas.
If turkey isn’t your main of choice then you can follow the same steps for other meats such as chicken or goose. If you are preparing veggie alternatives then these will probably need to be kept in the fridge although some ready-made options may be kept in the freezer.
Where to Store Vegetables
As mentioned above, most Christmas vegetables can easily be kept in the fridge. Green leafy vegetables can be stored in the fridge, preferably in a vegetable crisper, a few days before Christmas or frozen if bought ahead of time. Root vegetables such as potatoes can be stored in a cool dry place and should be stored separately from other vegetables.
Tips on Christmas Dinner Timings
Below you will find some top tips to help ensure your Christmas dinner timing goes off without a hitch.
- Plan ahead – Take the time to plan ahead and it will help the day itself run as smoothly as possible. Decide when you want your Christmas dinner to be ready and work backwards from there regarding your timing. Consider what you want to make and how much, as well as the different cooking times for each dish so that you can time everything perfectly. A Christmas dinner checklist can be a helpful tool to help you keep track of everything you need to do and when.
- Prepare in advance – Many components of a traditional Christmas dinner can be made in advance and then reheated or cooked from frozen on the day. This can help to save a notable amount of time on the day itself as reheating sauces and sides takes significantly less time than cooking them from scratch. Preparing in advance can also include setting the table. Instead of delegating that job to an unwilling relative on the day (and then having to re-do it just before dinner is served!) you can set the perfect table the night before. It can also be helpful to label your serving dishes in advance to remove any second guessing as to where things need to go on the day.
- Start early – Regardless of when you want to have Christmas dinner it’s a good idea to start early. This allows you to have some breathing room if things go wrong without it having a big impact on everything else.
- Delegate – You may have volunteered (or been chosen as tribute) to host Christmas dinner but that doesn’t mean that you have to do everything yourself. Delegate tasks to visitors to take some stress off your plate. This may include asking people to bring sides so that you are spending less time in the kitchen or putting someone on cocktail making duty so that you aren’t trying to temperature check your turkey whilst also making the perfect Christmas cocktail.
For many, Christmas dinner is the highlight of the day and getting to spend time with friends and family around a table filled with delicious food is something that we all look forward to. Taking the time to plan ahead for Christmas dinner and carefully consider what you want to make with timings for the day can help to ensure that your Christmas is as fun and bright as those not in the kitchen!
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