Tom Kitchin has shared his time-saving tips to ensure you don't spend hours preparing Christmas dinner this year. The celebrity chef said the key to hosting a stress-free dinner is through preparation in the days leading up to Christmas, so there is less to do on the day. "I like to make sure I get as organised as possible ahead of Christmas Day so that I can focus on enjoying my time with friends and family on the day itself," Tom said. "This means I’ll use the days in the lead up to prepare as much as I can."
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Here are Tom's five time-saving top tips for a stress-free Christmas dinner:
© Photo: iStockPrepare your meal in advance to save time on Christmas Day
- Prepare all of your vegetables – wash, chop and peel your carrots, sprouts, potatoes and place in bowls of salted water the night before so they're ready to go.
- Sort your stuffing – make up your stuffing in advance by melting butter in a frying pan and adding to breadcrumbs. Then add your lightly browned chestnuts, onion and chosen herbs and fruits with seasoning. Set aside in a sealed container in your fridge until you're ready to pop it in the microwave oven.
- Parboil the night before – parboiling your potatoes and parsnips is a great way to save some serious time and will make sure your roast potatoes will impress your guests with their delicious fluffy inside and crunchy outside.
- Simplify your sauces – cranberry and bread sauce are quick and easy to make ahead of time, so I'd advise making them up on Christmas Eve.
- Cut time with multi-purpose appliances – you can cut your cooking time down by investing in a time-saving appliance which offers multiple functions. Combination appliances such as the Panasonic Microwave Oven NN-CS894 are fantastic for turning around a whole roast dinner, including a juicy turkey in just 45 minutes!
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Tom says: "Another way to save time and make more from your Christmas dinner is to use your leftovers for creating tasty dishes to feed the family on Boxing Day. You can use all the leftover turkey to make a filling pie or afternoon sandwiches, but I like to make my leftovers go even further by serving them up for breakfast too! A Spanish omelette is a speedy and satisfying dish which will please the entire family on a festive morning after all the Christmas indulgence.
© Photo: Getty ImagesTom Kitchin shared his time-saving tips
"All you need to do is chop up your leftover turkey or ham into chunks, sweat off some red onions in a pan and mix with blanched broccoli. Cover the meat and vegetables with egg and bake in the Panasonic combi microwave oven on Convection and turn upside down to serve. Simple!"
For more festive recipe inspiration and tips from Panasonic for cooking in a combination microwave, please visit: theideaskitchen.com
