To take away some of the stress of the silly season, we've gathered our top 10 tips to help make Christmas a total success.
1. Rest your turkey breast-side down
For a juicier bird, let the juices run into the meat by resting it breast-side down.
2. Roast your potatoes and other sides while your turkey is resting.
Don't think you need oven space for everything at the same time. While your turkey rests, there's plenty of time to roast your potatoes and other sides.
3. Freeze your prawn shells
If you're doing an Aussie Christmas with prawns, instead of throwing the shells into the bin, stick them into your freezer until garbage night!
4. Don’t skimp on the gravy!!
Where's the sauce? Is there anything worse than not enough gravy for your turkey? You don't want to be fighting over the last drops - your guests might go for seconds and thirds.
5. Heat your pudding in the microwave.
Heating your Christmas pudding can be quite time-consuming. All that gentle simmering in a saucepan of hot water over low heat for two hours... If that's too much to handle, you can absolutely heat it in the microwave with the lid resting on top or covered in cling wrap with holes pierced in it.
6. Leave your pav in the oven overnight to cool.
Pavlovas are a bit of a volatile dessert - the type of oven, the humidity that day, and a bunch of other conditions can affect how your pav turns out. To ensure the meringue sets properly and to avoid cracking, leave your pavlova in the oven overnight to cool.
7. Store your leftover ham in a ham bag, pillowcase or tea towel
Soak the ham bag, pillowcase or tea towel in a weak vinegar solution - 2 cups of water and 1 tablespoons of vinegar will work. Squeeze out any excess water and place ham in the bag, pillowcase or tea towel. Repeat the soaking process every few days.
8. Free up fridge space
We know your fridge is probably chokablock with ham, turkey and everything else in between. So icing your drinks in an esky is a good way to make some space. A wine bucket or champagne bowl will do nicely, too. Or you could use the Dinner Ladies box and insulation bag and keep it topped up with ice.
9. Set the table the night before...
To save you the stress and time, set the table the day before. Put some Christmas music on, get into the festive spirit, maybe a glass of wine... And you could always get the kids to help. If you're feeling fancy, make place cards and if you're extra-fancy, you could make them out of gingerbread.
10. Have fun and be merry!
It probably goes without saying, but sometimes it's easy to forget to actually enjoy the day. Merry Christmas!
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