There’s no doubt about it; Christmas can be stressful. According to a recent study by Panasonic, one in 10 of us find Christmas more stressful than moving house, while one in seven would much prefer organising an entire wedding than hosting Christmas Day for friends and family!
Often at the source of Christmas stress is the cooking. There is so much expectation on preparing the perfect family meal on Christmas Day that it can drive even the most organised of hosts crackers!
If you’re feeling the pressure this year, keep reading for five tips to help you relax in the kitchen this Christmas:
Keep Your Kitchen Tidy
If you have a cluttered kitchen, it’s only going to make preparing and cooking Christmas dinner ten times more stressful than it needs to be. In the lead up to Christmas Day, spend some time clearing through your kitchen draws, tidying surfaces and emptying the fridge of unwanted items to ensure there’s plenty of space for storage and cooking.
Plan Ahead
Planning ahead is vital if you want to ensure everything runs smoothly on Christmas Day in the kitchen. The checklist below covers some simple, but crucial, things to consider that sometimes even the best cooks forget:
- If your turkey is frozen, check the defrosting time and stick a reminder on the fridge door as to when to take it out of the freezer.
- Make sure your turkey fits into the roasting tray and then slides nicely into the oven.
- Check your cupboards to make sure you have absolutely everything you need and make a shopping list of the things you don’t. Learning you have no cranberry sauce just before serving Christmas dinner could spell disaster.
- Prepare all your veg on Christmas Eve so they’re ready to be cooked the next day, and measure out ingredients for the bread sauce, stuffing mix, Yorkshire puds etc.
- Plan your timings, such as when the turkey is going in the oven followed by everything else. If you only have one oven, you will need to be really careful about using the space wisely to cook everything.
Choose Quick and Simple Recipes
Attempting complicated recipes will only add to the stress on Christmas Day, so save these for another time and opt for simpler, fuss-free recipes instead. If you have a family favourite dessert or starter dish, why not try mixing it up a bit by adding some festive flavours? This will make it extra special for Christmas Day, but won’t have cost you valuable cooking time.
Delegate
Guests like to feel helpful, and it will make a huge difference to your stress levels if you delegate tasks in the kitchen to friends and family on Christmas Day. Ideal tasks to delegate include carving the meat, turning the roast potatoes, stirring the gravy and preparing the pudding.
Have Fun
The most important thing to remember is that Christmas is a time to be merry and enjoy spending time with your friends and family, so if something goes wrong in the kitchen, try not to take it to heart. Put your favourite Christmas songs on and have a little dance around the kitchen while you cook to lift your spirits and make you feel more relaxed. A clear, stress-free mind is the best way to guarantee a great Christmas dinner.
For many homeowners, it’s the thought of cooking in an outdated or poorly arranged kitchen that makes hosting Christmas dinner seem stressful. If your kitchen is looking a bit worn around the edges, why not dedicate the New Year to planning your dream kitchen installation?
At KNB we’re specialists in kitchen design and installation in the Nottingham area. Find out more about our bespoke service on our Fitted Kitchens page.