Christmas Food Tips

Christmas Tips From Everyone

When Christmas is approaching, it is fun to share some Christmas Tips. Although broadly we all tend to the same sort of things at Christmas time many people have their won traditions, and tips which they have learnt help the preparation or the day itself go that little bit better.

So this is all about sharing those tips.

Mincemeat - Home made or Add A Flourish To Shop Bought

Mincemeat

• Buy shop bought mincemeat – add a small amount of Cointreau and orange rind. Roos, Exeter
• Make your own mincemeat – it’s really easy! Penny, Penny’s Recipes

Gravy

• Put the gravy in the bubble and squeak – and bake it. Jo, Exeter
• Keep some Cranberry Jelly for Turkey or Onion Marmalade for Goose to add extra flavour when making up your gravy. Bumblees Somerset

The Meal

• Have a vegetarian Christmas and spare the animals for once. Liz, Devon Web Designers
• Do the veg Christmas Eve, eg gently warm up sprouts and bacon bits just before serving on the day….. Diane, Stroud, Manic Illustrations
• We have a veggie Christmas so I make the main course (usually a chestnut/cranberry/nut loaf) in advance. Caroline, Lee House, Lynton

The Practical

• If you have christmas plates put it in the diary to retrieve them from the back of the cupboard, otherwise you will be too strung out at the last minute for husband to even broach the subject. Diane, Stroud, Manic Illustrations

The 12 Tweets of Christmas – from Exeter City Council

1. Make sure your fridge and freezer are ready for Christmas. Give them a good clean & ensure you’ve enough space for extra food.

♫On the first day of Christmas my true love gave the fridge a good clean and made room for extra food.♫

2. Don’t pack food too tightly in the fridge & freezer – cold air needs to circulate to cool your food properly.

♫On the second day of Christmas my true love made sure the food in the fridge wasn’t packed too tightly. Let cold air circulate. ♫

3. Store food that needs to be chilled in the fridge until you need it. Keeping food cold slows the growth of food poisoning bugs.

♫On the third day of Christmas my true love put the leftover food in the fridge to slow down the growth of food poisoning bugs♫

4. Do you know how cold your fridge should be? Between 0°C & 5°C. You can use a fridge thermometer to check this.

♫On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me a fridge thermometer – between 0°C & 5°C is the right temperature. ♫

5. Wash & dry your hands thoroughly before and after handling food, especially if you’ve touched raw meat, poultry & vegetables.

♫Wash your hands♫ #fifthdayofChristmas

6. Keep all raw food, whether it’s your turkey or vegetables, separate from ready-to-eat foods; it stops cross-contamination.

♫On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, separate storage for my raw and cooked food. Cross-contamination spreads bugs! ♫

7. Use separate chopping boards, knives & utensils for raw and ready-to-eat foods, or wash them thoroughly to avoid cross-contamination.

♫On the seventh day of Christmas my true love washed the utensils and chopping board after preparing raw food♫

8. Don’t wash your turkey – this can splash bugs from the bird around the kitchen. Cooking will kill any bugs present.

♫On the eighth day of Christmas my true love *didn’t* give to me, a turkey that had been washed in the sink. #splashingspreadsbugs♫

9. Frozen turkeys must be fully defrosted before cooking. It can take up to 48 hours for a large turkey to thaw.

♫On the ninth day of Christmas I started to think about defrosting the turkey. It can take up to 48hrs to defrost a large bird.♫

10. Cook your turkey thoroughly – the meat mustn’t be pink when cut & if juices flow out when you pierce the bird, they should be clear.

♫On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a perfectly cooked turkey:- the meat wasn’t pink and the juices were clear♫

11. Cool leftovers as quickly as possible, ideally within 2 hours, then cover and refrigerate.

♫On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love waited until the leftovers were cool, wrapped them thoroughly and put them in the fridge♫

12. Only reheat leftovers once and don’t keep them for more than 2 days, unless they’re frozen.

♫On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love cleared unused leftovers from the fridge. Keep them for 2 days max unless they’re frozen♫

Share Your Christmas Tips

So whether its a tip to save money or time, or a trick to make things more delicious , below have been contributed by readers of Penny’s Recipes. Please add you own in the comments list below or mention if there is a tip that you really love!