Food is a major part of any dinner party, but it takes a lot of time and effort to prepare a good meal for all your guests, and you don’t want to be stuck in the kitchen when you should be hosting. The best thing to do is to plan and prepare your food in advance so you can amaze your guests with your excellent cooking as well as your wonderful hosting skills. Here are some tips for a stress-free dinner party.
It’s always smart to plan ahead in terms of what dishes you’ll be making. Think of recipes that are quick, easy, and require fewer ingredients. A good idea is to focus on two or three main dishes instead of prepping for tens of small dishes that will probably just go to waste. Of course, you should make enough food to feed your guests, but try to go for fewer options in more quantity.
Once you know what you’re going to make, you can easily make a list of all the ingredients you’re going to need. This takes us to the next tip.
Make sure to go out and buy the required ingredients well in advance. And before you head to the store, make sure to check your cupboards for all the things you might be running out of as well. You might think you have plenty of salt only to find out you’re running low, and then having to make another trip to the store.
After you have returned from the store with all the necessary ingredients, you should start to organize them by recipes. This will save you lots of time when you actually start to cook.
It’s always recommended that you go for recipes you already know how to make, and can prepare quickly; but if you decide to try to something new then it’s best that you try it out a few days before the actual party so that you can get an understanding of how much time it will take to prep, what you’re doing right, and what you can improve on. It will also make sure that you’re more confident when you’re cooking the dish again for the party.
There are some things that you can prepare a few days in advance and freeze, such as stock and sauces which will save you lots of time on the actual day of the party. Other items can be refrigerated in airtight containers, such as chopped vegetables and herbs. Some recipes require you to cook ingredients separately and then assemble them later, so you can always half-make dishes, adding only the final touches right before you serve.
Hopefully, these tips will help you get your party food ready ahead of time, giving you plenty of time to set the table, dress up, and then spend enough time with your guests.
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