THERE’S still five weeks to go until the big day, but one mother has already begun prepping her Christmas dinner.
Hannah Wrighting, a mum-of-five from the UK, explained that to save herself the faff on December 25th, she has already cooked her carrots, potatoes and parsnips.
The chaos coordinator and food lover explained that preparing the Christmas feast in advance saves all the faff on the day, giving her more much-needed time to spend with her children.
Posting on social media, the mother, who shares content under the username ‘Not Your Basic Family,’ uploaded a clip with the caption “Honestly trust me when I say this will be the BEST thing you do! Prepping Christmas dinner makes such a difference.”
According to this savvy mum, prepping the Christmas dinner in November “will save you so much time on Christmas Day.”
She began by peeling, chopping and par boiling her vegetables and confirmed that she par boils her roast potatoes using “cold water rather than kettle water.”
Hannah added: “I do the same with the carrots and the parsnips – make sure you chop them quite chunky, because that way they aren’t gonna burn.
“Then once they’re done, the potatoes, I let steam dry – steam drying is very important because it will give you that crispy, fluffy potato.”
After steam drying her potatoes, carrots and parsnips for 15 minutes, the foodie then let everything cool before putting the food in containers, ready for the freezer.
Following this, the food fan acknowledged: “You guys are gonna be like, ‘does it make a difference when it’s frozen?’.”
To this, she confirmed: “No, it f*****g doesn’t, it still tastes absolutely banging, so do not worry about that.”
Moments later, the mother shared: “Anyway, what I do on Christmas Eve is I take all of the frozen stuff out of the freezer, I pop it all in the fridge – honestly, it saves me so much time, I’m not faffing around Christmas Day, I’m getting time to spend with the kids.”
Social media users react
Hannah’s TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @noturbasicfamily, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly racked up 320,500 views in just 12 hours.
Foodies were impressed with Hannah’s Christmas preparation and were eager to do the same, which many flocked to the comments to express.
I like the idea of prepping before but it’s not the same when it’s been frozen
TikTok user
One person said: “I can’t lie, this is actually a good idea. Tempted to try it this year.”
Another added: “I have never heard of this before. I also hadn’t thought of that either. It’s such an awesome idea!!”
Fridge or cupboard? The essential food storage guide
Foods must be stored correctly to keep them fresh and prevent the spread of bacteria.
Nutrition expert Birgit Brendel said bread will last longer when stored in the fridge or freezer.
However, this can compromise the flavour.
Storing in ceramic or pottery containers is an alternative that allows for air to flow easily and slow the growth of mould.
Robert Morris, managing director of food safety consultants, Complete Food Safety, revealed the best place to store fresh fruit and vegetables.
He said salad foods should be stored in the fridge drawer, but away from anything grown in the soil such as carrots, parsnips and beetroot.
Tomatoes are an exception to the rule as fridges can alter the natural ripening process and diminish their taste.
He also advised against putting avocados and bananas in the fridge as this will cause them to blacken quicker.
A third commented: “Next week I’m doing this, thanks for the tips.”
Meanwhile, someone else chimed in: “I am 100% doing this this year!! What a game changer.”
However, not everyone was as convinced with preparing Christmas dinner in November, as one user wrote: “I like the idea of prepping before but it’s not the same when it’s been frozen.”
At the same time, another penned: “I love this idea but I’ve found when I part boil and freeze any veg, when I defrost it it’s too soft and mushy before even reheating or cooking it.”
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