Make holiday meal prep a more joyful experience this year with a good plan and the right tools. Cooking everything on the big day can be daunting, so why not knock out some prep work a day or two in advance? With a family sized refrigerator, double wall oven and a capable microwave, your kitchen will run like clockwork — leaving you more time to enjoy the celebration. Here are some of our favorite tips for a less stressful and more scrumptious holiday feast.
Make-ahead Twice-baked Potato Casserole
You can completely avoid the time-drain of making mashed potatoes on the day of with a tasty potato casserole. Up to four days ahead, bake your potatoes. Then scoop the insides and gently combine with crispy, crumbled bacon, salt and pepper to taste and a decadent sauce made with 2/3 cup of whipping cream, a quarter-cup of butter and another quarter-cup of sour cream that’s been melted together in a small saucepan. Put it all in a baking dish, cover with shredded gruyere, fontina or white cheddar cheese and pop it in your refrigerator. About an hour ahead of the meal, put it in your oven to reheat. To add more depth and flavor, you can sprinkle with chives, rosemary, thyme or your favorite herb blend. Pre-preparing side dishes like these is where a double oven comes in handy.
Prep Your Crudité Like a Pro
Make your crudité the day before and store it in a high-humidity crisper drawer. Hollow out a half head of red cabbage, fill it with lemon ricotta, roasted red pepper or smoked salmon dip and use it as the centerpiece for your charcuterie board. A refrigerator with multiple temperature/humidity zones can be a big help with storage for produce items you want to keep fresh and crisp for serving.
Cook Cranberry Sauce in the Microwave
With everything going on in the kitchen, the last thing you need is to be tending a pot of cranberries slow simmering on the back of the stove. Instead, combine a cup and a half of fresh or frozen berries with a cup each of sugar and water, add some orange zest and cinnamon and microwave on high for five to seven minutes. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve and top with some finely diced candied ginger for a spicy-sweet kick.
Crisp That Turkey
If your turkey is at the correct internal temperature but the skin isn’t crispy, stop basting and crank the oven up to 450º F to crisp the skin. It should brown in just minutes, so watch it closely. Even better, if your oven has a true convection feature, switching to convection cook at a high temperature will crisp the skin quickly. But be sure to keep your eyes on it for this finishing step so you don’t overcook. And after taking it out of the oven, don’t forget to let your turkey rest for 20-30 minutes, depending on its size, so the juices settle back into the meat before you dig in.
Slow Cooking on Low Heat
If you want to simmer your gravy longer for deep flavor, using the low setting on your stovetop can help. This is especially useful for developing richer, more complex flavors — such as if you’re adding a little Pinot Noir or herbs like sage or fresh rosemary sprigs to your drippings and broth that benefit from slow cooking. A simmer burner is perfect for this job. An induction cooktop can offer lots of flexibility, with the added ability to tailor the cooking surface to match the exact size of your saucepan.
Master Your Holiday Meals
Make your holiday cooking easier and more enjoyable by planning ahead and using the right appliances — with the right features — to your advantage. From crisping your turkey perfectly to prepping side dishes in advance, a well-equipped kitchen can help you spend less time toiling and more time talking with your guests. Visit the pros at Aggressive Appliances to find the perfect tools for your holiday — and every day — feasts!
Holiday Helpers
Revolutionize food preservation with Sub-Zero’s Classic Refrigerator CL3650RSTR. The Split Climate™ intelligent cooling system elevates food preservation to a new level, maintaining precise temperature control within one degree of the set point. ClearSight™ LED lighting ensures every corner is brightly illuminated, even when fully stocked, while sleek stainless accents add a touch of elegance to the interior.
Convenient features like a touch control panel, flip-up dairy compartment, and adjustable door bins offer superior flexibility for all your storage needs. Night Mode dims the interior lighting for a subtle, ambient glow, and Wi-Fi-enabled controls provide remote access through the Sub-Zero Group Owner’s App.
With a stainless-steel exterior and an industry-leading warranty, Sub-Zero combines cutting-edge technology with timeless design, ensuring your kitchen looks and functions beautifully for years to come. https://www.aggressiveappliances.com/products/Sub-Zero/subz/cl3650rstr.html
Double up with the Frigidaire double wall oven FCWD3027AW. Both ovens are big — a total of 10.6 cu. ft. — and both have true convection cooking, so you’ll be churning out birds, pies and casseroles at speed. There’s a touch screen to set cooking start/stop/duration that also allows you to choose a specific broiling temperature (great for browning casseroles) and a keep-warm feature that holds meats at serving temp while maintaining their moisture. https://www.aggressiveappliances.com/products/Frigidaire/frig/fcwd3027aw.html
The Café CEB515P2NSS microwave may not control the weather, but it can definitely control your cooking with a full set of the latest features. It’s Wi-Fi enabled, so you can set stops/starts/alerts from your phone (like, when you’re at the store picking up that last-minute bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau and forgot to turn it off). It also has convection cooking, which allows for even heat distribution to help you achieve crisp, golden brown results. https://www.aggressiveappliances.com/products/Cafe/cafea/ceb515p2nss.html
