Family Feasts: 4 Cooking Tips to Help You Create the Perfect Big Meal

Photo by Gor Davtyan on Unsplash

A large extended family can be a blessing to eat with, but a curse to feed. When everyone is in town for a big event or family reunion, it provides the opportunity to unwind with those who mean the most to us, and enjoy the fine arts of swapping stories and digging in around the table. If you’re in charge of said buffet, however, your joy is probably tucked between a pretty long to-do list and more than a little stress about cooking the perfect meal. Luckily, there are a few simple tips that will make whipping up that festive feast a little easier.

Quality Breeds Quality

We’ve all heard the saying ‘quality over quantity,’ but many of us have also asked why. After all, if you’re saving serious money, you can afford to buy more and replace whatever doesn’t stand the test of time. While you may be able to get away with this in some instances, your cookware shouldn’t be something you skimp out on. High-quality cookware will distribute heat more evenly, infuse flavor better and in some cases, even carry health benefits and it’s a lot easier to clean a good non-stick pan than it is a cheap one that will probably start dropping its coating if you scrub it.

Tailor your Menu

Before you lock in what you’re serving, it’s important to make sure that you’re across all of your guests’ dietary requirements. While some people have minor allergies and can simply eat around, or even consume the allergen at their discretion, others can have a severe reaction from merely being in the same room as an irritant. Not only can this rain on your parade but it can also have some pretty serious health implications so always ask everyone to let you know well in advance if there are any possibilities of issues arising. Finding out early will also help you accommodate those who don’t eat certain foods due to lifestyle choices (vegetarian, vegan, religious restrictions, etc.) thus helping you avoid awkwardness on the day.

Preparation is Key

There’s a reason that half of a chef’s job is prepping for service. Identify any dishes or elements that can be prepared prior to the big day and get them out of the way the night before. Sitting in the fridge or freezer overnight generally won’t cause any degradation of quality, and items that need to be marinated or basted are often tastier the longer you leave them to combine before consumption.

Legs for Days

You’re also going to want to stock up on takeaway containers so your guests can take the joy with them. This is a great way to make sure that anyone who couldn’t attend doesn’t entirely miss out, and stops you from having to live on leftovers for the next week. What’s more, it keeps everything from going bad or needing to be thrown out. Everyone will be thanking you even more when they don’t need to worry about what to do for lunch, especially helpful now that they’ll be nursing a food coma and/or hangover the next day.

While these tips won’t whip up the meal for you, they will certainly make it a far more manageable task. Your guests care about you and they’re mostly there to spend the day with you, not just eat your food, so don’t stress too much. While the perfect feast is always going to be desirable, remember that it’s the cream on the cocktail, not the main event.

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