Christmas cooking: tips & tricks!

[Martin-O2]

Hey everyone! 

The festive season is well and truly here and one of the best parts about Christmas is stuffing your face!  

For those with the pleasure (or pain?) of being in charge of the cooking at Christmas it can be a stressful time with the risk of under cooked birds and burnt spuds always lurking. 

This thread is where you can share your best kept Christmas cooking secrets! Have a hack to make sure the Turkey stays moist and succulent? Know any techniques for super crispy roast potatoes or have a recipe for perfect gravy? Then give a Christmas gift to the community and let us know below! 

[jonsie]

Just the mere mention of sprouts

Do they come from anywhere else but Brussels?

If you grow your own what do you call 'em?

Any chance of 'em becoming an endangered species sometime soon?

[pgn]

In reponse, may I suggest the following O2 Priority offer, if the thought of preparing Christmas dinner puts the willies up you..., courtesy of another thread by @EmilieT:

> Anyone interested in this offer around learning how to master the art of Christmas dinner?

It's a £5-odd value tutorial on how t'is done. No I have not tried to use it yet, my own method of preparing the dinner relies on a good oven, hob and a post-it note along with the kitchen clock and the radio.  And any younger hands that want to help with peeling or laying of the table. 

[jonsie]

I'll pass on that. If there was ever an offer to good to refuse

[pgn]

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@jonsie wrote:

I'll pass on that. If there was ever an offer to good to refuse

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[Martin-O2]

Good spot @pgn! A great offer for someone with little cooking experience doing the Christmas dinner for the first time. 

[TallTrees]

Hi @Martin-O2

I have decorated my Christmas Cake 2018 !  Hope you like it.  Still got a red top but this year it is long.

Marzipan under the icing is yummy.  I use edible glitter on the top to give sparkle. Put the year date on too.

[Martin-O2]

Looks delicious @TallTrees! 

[TallTrees]

Thank you @Martin-O2 I made two of these ~ one has already been eaten (no icing though so this one is special)  so I can say it was lovely!  

[Cleoriff]

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@TallTrees wrote:

Hi @Martin-O2

I have decorated my Christmas Cake 2018 !  Hope you like it.  Still got a red top but this year it is long.

Marzipan under the icing is yummy.  I use edible glitter on the top to give sparkle. Put the year date on too.

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What a lovely cake @TallTrees. Who will help you eat that? I hope you have a large family!

[TallTrees]

Thank you @Cleoriff
I enjoyed making it.
There'll be no trouble getting volunteers ‼ 😃🍰