Presents to buy, decorations to put up, and Christmas dinner to cook. There’s lots of pressure during the holiday season to keep everyone happy and ensure the festive period runs to plan. But with so many tasks to complete, there’s little time to sit back and take stock of what needs to be done.
Christmas dinner is always the biggest challenge, especially if you’ve indulged in a quick tipple before the serious cooking begins! Whether you’ve got a crowd to serve, are preparing the feast in a small kitchen, or are catering to multiple dietary needs, there are plenty of potential hurdles to overcome.
With the help of culinary experts, we’ve put together a guide to 5 gadgets that will help you avoid a Christmas dinner disaster. But before we get started, our experts share their advice on making a plan.
Plan ahead for success
The experts agree that nothing beats a plan for a successful Christmas dinner. Apart from taking away the stress, it gives you a clear idea of how much food you need to buy, the amount of fridge or freezer space you’ll need, and whether to call in extra cooking help. With this key information, everything will have been thought through before the big day kicks in, so if there are any unforeseen events, you’ll be on top form to deal with them.
On the top of the experts' list is creating a cooking timeline. Michael Forbes, lead product trainer at AEG says, “Decide what time you want to eat on Christmas Day and work backwards from that time creating a list of what needs cooking, at what temperature and for how long.”
But Forbes warns, “Remember to bear in mind extra time like taking your turkey out of the fridge to reach room temperature before cooking, which will help it cook more evenly and faster.”
Meredith Kruse, creator and owner at Our Love Language is Food, takes this one step further, and begins by listing out what recipes she will make, and how long they will take, including the preparation and cooking time. “Going through this exercise can help determine which recipes can be made ahead of time, and verify if the oven is over capacity,” she says. If so, she decides if certain items can be made using a different appliance.
Once you've planned ahead, you can then work out what you'll need to help everything run smoothly. Here are 5 kitchen gadgets that will ease the stress when cooking a holiday feast.
1. Meat thermometer
Most of us will turn to a turkey or roast joint for Christmas dinner. Whatever you choose will take center stage on the table, and you’ll want to ensure it’s cooked just right. For a turkey, it means presenting a bird that is golden brown, with a soft and tender texture and no pink meat. Meanwhile, for a beef joint, it’s acceptable for the meat to be pink.
One of the best meat thermometers is a top gadget for ensuring that you serve up perfectly cooked protein. It also reduces the chance of any food poisoning disasters.
“Meat thermometers take the guesswork out of the equation,” says David Figueroa, president, CCO and co-founder of Melinda’s Foods. “I use a variety of thermometers: one for the frying oil and another for internal temperatures. The wireless ones are a game-changer — pop it in the oven, monitor the temp in real-time, and avoid losing heat by constantly opening the door.”
Apart from ensuring that the meat is safe to eat, a meat thermometer can also ensure it tastes good too. “By monitoring the internal temperature, you can avoid overcooking, which often leads to dry meat, and undercooking, which poses food safety risks,” says Reed Lalor, vice president at ThermoPro.
I’ve been testing meat thermometers for our buying guide this year and particularly like the functionality of the Meater Pro XL with four temperature probes. If you go to town on Christmas day and cook multiple joints, this meat thermometer will have you covered.
I’m currently testing the Chef IQ Smart Thermometer. Like the Meater, it has an app that gives you added functionality, and as a plus, it even talks to you. You can choose a thermometer with one, two, or three probes, with the one-probe version available at Amazon for $63.
Apart from meat thermometers probes that are kept within the protein while cooking, you can also rely on instant-read meat thermometers, such as the ThermoWorks Thermapen One, which we recommend as the best overall in our buying guide.
2. Fridge thermometer
Keeping your food chilled or frozen at the correct temperature in one of the best refrigerators or freezers can be a juggling act over the holiday season. Still, it’s paramount for food hygiene and to stop your refrigerator from smelling bad.
Forbes advises, “You should keep your fridge temperature set at 40° (4°C) and your freezer set at 0° (-18°C). These optimal temperatures can make your food last longer and help reduce waste, which is more sustainable — especially during the festive period!”
To test the temperature in your fridge, Forbes suggests a quick hack by placing a glass of water in the refrigerator for a few hours and then checking the temperature with a thermometer.
However, investing in a fridge and freezer thermometer will give you a constant reading. I like the idea of a wireless thermometer as it makes life much easier than dealing with extra wires. This Taylor Pro magnetic digital fridge and freezer thermometer is $23 at Walmart. If you want to keep your refrigerator smelling sweet, you could use a refrigerator deodorizer, like one from Purriko, which is $24 at Amazon.
3. An extra cooking appliance
Even if you’ve devised a plan for what, where, and when to cook different dishes, it’s a challenge to fit enough dishes into an oven or on a cooktop in one go; plus, the turkey will be taking up a chunk of space with little room left for much else. So, especially if you have a single vs a double oven, you’ll need some extra resources.
That’s where additional appliances come in. Think about how you can make use of the appliances you already own, then consider if you need to make a new purchase. Air fryers, toaster ovens, and instant pots all have their place —Forbes suggests a microwave oven.
He says this small and mighty machine is “perfect for saving time and freeing up your oven by pre-cooking or reheating side dishes. Use it to warm sauces or small portions of stuffing without drying them out — just cover with a damp paper towel or microwave-safe lid to lock in moisture and prevent splatters.”
A portable induction cooktop is another appliance that will give the extra capacity when you need it. Find out what happened when I used a portable induction cooktop and the five reasons why it converted me.
Top tip
Figueroa has a golden rule: “Reserve the cooktop for last-minute warming tasks, like gravy. For the oven, focus on dishes that need to be reheated or baked just before serving.”
He also recommends investing in some chafing dishes. “Not only do they keep your sides warm, they also turn your dining setup into an organized buffet line,” he adds.
You can buy a set of 4 stainless steel chafing dishes for $79 at Walmart.
4. Knife sharpener
Once you’ve spent time cooking the perfect turkey or joint, you don’t want your hard work wasted by serving up badly carved meat.
One cause of shoddy carving is a blunt knife. According to Artisan Cutlery, many home cooks and even professional chefs aren’t aware of the dangers of using a dull blade. The major hazard involves safety: a blunt knife is prone to slipping off food with the chance of hitting your fingers. It’s also more likely to twist in your hand, causing you to lose control.
Apart from the dangers, a blunt blade will also result in carved meat that appears uneven with jagged edges. While you can get away with misshaped slices in a turkey sandwich, they won’t look quite so elegant served for Christmas dinner. However, with a quick sharpen, your knives will slice like new.
For an expensive option, you could try Chef’sChoice 1520 Professional Electric Knife Sharpener, $189 at Amazon, or for a value buy, the Chef’s Choice 4643 Manual Knife Sharpener, $28 at Amazon.
5. Kitchen timer
With your prep underway and everything organized, including a schedule of what needs cooking, when, and how long, one gadget could help save the day. A kitchen timer is a must-have gadget when you’ve got multiple dishes on the go, acting as a nudge to ensure dishes don’t burn or dry out and when the veg needs to go on or the turkey needs basting.
A standard kitchen timer won’t quite cut it when juggling an array of dishes, and that’s where a dual or triple timer comes in handy. I’ll be putting Oxo’s Good Grips Digital Triple Kitchen Timer, $26 at Amazon, into my online basket or ThermoPro’s TM02 Digital Kitchen Timer, $16 at Amazon. It’s one gadget that will keep you on your toes and bring some order to the kitchen chaos.
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