Rick Stein's top tips for Christmas dinner
Discover Rick Stein's secrets for a hassle-free Christmas dinner with family and friends, including essential prep, Christmas pudding tips and more.
Get your turkey to the oven on time, your pudding prepped and your mince pies baking with Rick Stein's clever Christmas tips. If you're one for organising ahead of time, you'll love these handy hacks and key festive reminders. Check out our Christmas dinner hub for everything you could possibly need for festive entertaining.
1. What’s your top tip for cooking Christmas dinner?
Get organised! It's the key to a stress-free Christmas. Make sure you have everything you need as early as possible. Obviously with fresh vegetables and the turkey, these have to wait until nearer the day but with things like festive drink and tin foil, and salt and pepper, you can have these all sorted much earlier on and have less to do as the day gets closer.
- Check out all our complete Christmas menus for a range of suggestions for special diets.
2. Do you have any tips for getting ahead on the Christmas dinner?
I always prep all my veg the night before and keep them in cold water overnight. So peel your potatoes, carrots and parsnips and you'll save time on Christmas morning.
- Take a look at our essential side dishes in our Christmas trimmings recipe collection.
3. What’s the most important ingredient in a Christmas pudding?
Lots and lots of mixed, dried fruit.
- Learn how to light a Christmas pudding and see our Christmas pudding collection.
4. What’s your tip for making the perfect mince pie?
Plenty of filling. There's nothing worse than biting into a mince pie and getting a load of air. I also like to add a bit of apple to the filling.
- Visit our mince pie hub for video tutorials and easy hacks to make baking a breeze.
5. Do you have a secret to the perfect roast potato?
It's not really a secret but you'd be surprised how many people don't use floury potatoes. This is the key to having good roasties. When you parboil them for eight minutes then leave them to dry, you can give them a shake and scuff up the edges. That helps them get lovely and crisp in the oven.
6. What’s your favourite meal to make with Christmas leftovers?
I often have a turkey salad on Boxing Day because you tend to want something lighter after a day of indulgence.
7. What’s the best way to serve Brussels sprouts?
Don't overcook them. Sprouts are great but you have to look after them and not boil the life out of them. Stir-frying with some pancetta is worth a try.
- For even more ideas to spruce up your sprouts, see our Christmas sprout recipe collection.
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What are your tips for getting ahead with Christmas dinner? Leave a comment below...
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