Time-saving kitchen hacks for the holidays

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(BPT) – No matter how big or small the group, gathering with loved ones over a delicious meal is a holiday season essential. However, if you’ve offered to host the event, panic is likely to set in as you realize the amount of work it’s going to take to cook a memorable meal for friends and family.

Fortunately, with some tips and tricks, cooking a feast doesn’t have to be stressful. Just use these time-saving kitchen hacks and you can enjoy more time savoring the season with your guests and less time in the kitchen.

Prep side dishes early: Prepare as much as you can in advance. In the week leading up to the event, chop, boil and blend whatever you can to save countless hours in the kitchen. You’ll cut down on stress and have enough time to visit with guests as they begin to arrive.

Use multitasking methods: What if you could make a quick dinner in one simple step? With meals that taste like homemade and use high-quality ingredients, Marie Callender’s(R) allows you to serve signature holiday meals without the extra work. The Vermont White Cheddar Mac & Cheese will have guests thinking you slaved away in the kitchen, but all you had to do is open and close the oven.

Buy cooking mesh: From blanching to boiling, you can quickly run out of stove-top space when cooking a holiday meal. To save time and space, use cooking mesh so you can boil several foods at once in the same pot of water while keeping items conveniently separated.

Fluffy mashed potatoes: Whipping up a big batch of mashed potatoes? To avoid dense spuds and save time endlessly mashing, use a pinch of baking powder when whipping. The baking powder reacts with the heat from the potatoes to create tiny air pockets and, ultimately, fluffy mashed potatoes.

Utilize the slow cooker: Slow cookers are one of the most useful tools when hosting a holiday meal. You can cook early and keep virtually anything warm, including gravy, mashed potatoes or drinks like hot chocolate and cider. Need more slow cookers than you own? Borrow from friends or hunt down some at a bargain price at second-hand stores.

Grate frozen butter: Baking a special dessert for the holidays? Rather than waiting for frozen butter to thaw or risk melting it in the microwave, use a cheese grater instead. Hard butter thaws quickly when shredded.

Keep drinks outdoors: Fridge space goes fast when hosting a holiday soiree, so instead of worrying about where you’re going to fit cans and bottles, put them outside instead. The winter chill will keep them cool and you won’t have to give up precious fridge space. Just hang a sign so guests are directed to the right location to quench their thirst.

Clean as you go: Rather than cooking everything at once only to end up with an unbearable amount of dishes, try cleaning as you go. By multitasking you’ll end up with less mess at the end when all you want to do is sit down with a slice of pie and visit with loved ones.

Embrace simplicity: Following a big day of entertaining, give yourself a break by re-purposing leftovers and weaving in quality, already-prepared meals from your freezer. Marie Callender’s Turkey Pot Pie makes a perfect next-day meal or midday snack with its premium turkey breast, assortment of vegetables and flaky, made-from-scratch crust.

3 tips for a more flavorful holiday meal

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(BPT) – Holiday gatherings and backyard barbecues have a lot in common as they are occasions for gathering and for eating. And for both, successful execution of a shared meal means preparing what everyone likes and preparing it perfectly.

While holiday staples such as turkey, ham and brisket create the centerpiece for many of our holiday dinners, it is important to remember that the way they are prepared need not be limited to the printed instructions on your meat’s plastic wrapping.

“Famous Dave” Anderson is the founder of the popular Famous Dave’s Bar-B-Que Restaurants and has won over 700 awards for his expertise on smoking and grilling meats. He was recently crowned “Smoked Champion” on the TV show Smoked, taking home the top honors for being “The Best of the Best” when it comes to smoking meats. Anderson shares his expert tips for adding flavor to your holiday meal.

“To elevate the taste of your ham, turkey, brisket or other meats, consider applying the lessons learned during the warmer seasons,” Anderson says. “I’ve always wondered why smoking seems to be forgotten as soon as the holiday decorations come out. Holidays are a time to bring joy to the table. And if you want to see joy, watch your guests take their first bites of cherrywood smoked turkey, or hickory smoked ham!”

In order to help you bring out the best flavors in your meats for your next family gathering, Anderson offers these three important tips:

Smoke it low and slow.

Holidays are a time to escape the hustle that consumes us the rest of the year. Why not apply the same relaxed approach to your holiday meal? As Anderson explains, rushing the process can rob your meats of both texture and flavor. “Slow smoking under low heat allows the meat to relax, and for the fat to properly render,” Anderson says. “It doesn’t matter what piece of meat you are cooking, it’s all about temperature and time.”

He suggests cooking temperatures of between 225 and 250 degrees Fahrenheit for the tastiest and juiciest final product.

Skip the wood chips.

Wood chips are popular and convenient, but you will never get the same satisfying smoke flavors out of wood chips that you will from using a small log. “Wood chips are a shortcut. And who takes shortcuts when preparing the perfect holiday meal,” Anderson says. Wood chips also have the tendency to catch fire, which can negatively impact your cooking temperature and cooking time.

Though a fan of the flavors derived from oak and applewood, Anderson takes a different approach when the weather turns colder. “I like cherrywood for Turkey. And for ham, nothing beats the smokey aromas that come from hickory,” he says.

Season(ing)s greetings.

In order to treat your guests to the most vibrant, mouthwatering flavors, Anderson insists that you check the dates on your spices. Spices greater than 6-months-old will lose much of their flavor, robbing your meal of the holiday’s signature tastes. “At home, I grind my own spices. There’s no better way to achieve the best possible flavors,” he says. For the rest of us, Anderson suggests we refresh our aging spice racks in order to bring real flavor to the table.

Smoking the meats you typically serve over the holidays takes the best of tradition and introduces a new level of flavor. “This is the time when treating the people who are most special to us really matters. A little extra effort can make a holiday meal more meaningful and memorable than ever before,” Anderson says.

To learn more about Famous Dave’s and how you can make your holiday meal even better, visit FamousDaves.com/Holiday. There, you can also find Anderson’s recipe for his famous bread pudding.