Safe and stress-free Christmas Dinner

Christmas is a wonderful time of year. But for many people, the festive season can be a nightmare and one of the most stressful parts of Christmas is undoubtedly the cooking. There’s so much pressure to get everything just right, and if you’re not careful it’s all too easy to end up in a right old mess.

We’ve outlined some top tips below to help you to have a safe Christmas with some food hygiene and cooking tips, along with how take the stress out of Christmas cooking by preparing in advance.

Avoid the unwanted gift of food poisoning

• Keep meats, poultry and fish away from fresh or ready to eat food – this includes when they are in your shopping trolley / basket. Remember to also take enough bags with you so that you can separate out raw and ready-to-eat foods to avoid cross-contamination.
• Place raw meat or poultry on your fridge’s bottom shelf so it doesn’t drip on to something below.
• Check the guidance on your turkey to ensure you have enough time to fully defrost it – it could take as many as 4 days.
• Don’t wash raw meat – it just spreads germs further by splashing them onto your hands, clothes, utensils and worktops.
• To work out the cooking time for your bird, read the instructions on the packaging.
• Once cooked, check that the meat is steaming hot throughout, there is no pink meat visible when you cut into the thickest part and meat juices run clear.
• Use one cutting board for raw meats and another for vegetables. Clean the boards with hot, soapy water.
• Wash surfaces before and after preparing food with antibacterial cleaner.
• Wash your hands often – in between each step of the cooking process.
• Rinse all vegetables before you peel or slice.
• Whether you cooked your turkey from frozen or fresh, your turkey leftovers can be used to make a new meal (such as a turkey curry). This new meal can then be frozen, but make sure you only reheat it once.
• Make sure your fridge is cold enough – set it between 0^oC and 4^o Refrigerate any perishable food including leftovers within 2 hours.

Start early

• Make a list of everything you need to do and start ticking things off one by one. That way, you’ll avoid that last-minute rush.
• Get organised in the kitchen too. Make sure you have all the equipment you need and avoid that last-minute rush of having to go and buy something.

Plan your menu in advance

• Once you’ve decided what you’re going to make, put together a shopping list of all the ingredients you’ll need.
• If possible, try and do as much preparation in advance as possible. Many dishes can be made ahead of time and then either frozen or refrigerated until they’re needed. This includes:-
  • Gravy – this can be made up to two days in advance and then reheated on Christmas Day.
  • Stuffing – can usually be made a day or two in advance and then either kept in the fridge or frozen until needed.
  • Christmas Cake – this can be made up to two months in advance and then stored in a cool, dark place.
  • Mince Pies– these can be made well in advance and then frozen until needed.
  • Christmas Pudding – many Christmas puddings can be made weeks or even months in advance and then kept in a cool, dark place until ready.
  • Most vegetables can be peeled and chopped on Christmas Eve and left in water overnight ready for cooking the next day.

Plan your cooking timings

• Once you know what you’ll be cooking on Christmas Day, spend some time working out how long each dish will take to prepare and cook.
• Once cooked, check that the meat is steaming hot throughout, there is no pink meat visible when you cut into the thickest part and meat juices run clear.