How much holiday cooking do you do ahead of time?
By kbkbooks
@kbkbooks (7022)
Canada
December 20, 2006 10:29pm CST
Here in Eastern Canada it is quite traditional for people to put a good deal of cooked food in their freezers for the winter. Around winter holidays, the freezer often fills up with many flavours of pies, both dessert type and meat filled. There are cookies and squares (bar cookies) galore. Many people prepare their turkey stuffing ahead and freeze it, thawing it out at the same time as their bird to stuff and put in the oven on Christmas day. Pickles and cranberry sauce and other preserves are usually prepared in the summer during garden and early in the fall harvest. Of course, fruit cakes rich with figs, candied fruit, and raisins and sometimes drenched in a little holiday cheer are a must.
How much of your holiday cooking do you do ahead of time?
5 people like this
42 responses
@chiquita1977 (1706)
• United States
21 Dec 06
I do not do any holiday cooking ahead of time.i think everything tastes alot better when they are fresh.i get up very early on holidays to start the cooking it might take a while but it is worth it.the food is just alot better fresh than made ahead of time.
3 people like this
@kbkbooks (7022)
• Canada
21 Dec 06
I have tried that but I don't like the pressure of having to do everything at once. I like it mostly if its fresh and when the whole family helps by contributing something to the meal. I am used to having a Christmas without twenty or thirty people and where people help by contributing a vegetable or potato dish or a pie. When I was growing up I never remember my mother having to prepare the whole meal alone. I think the family doing it all together is part of the spirit of the hospital.
1 person likes this
@hottamale (116)
• United States
22 Dec 06
That's what we normally do too! We just get up early and start cooking stuff that day in order for it to be ready by the time we eat!
I am so angry though because this year my grandma doesn't want to have to spend a lot of time in the kitchen so we're gonna be having like finger foods all day, and stuff that doesn't have to stay hot! lol
I just want some turkey and broccoli casserole! is that so much to ask? hehe
2 people like this
@bam001 (940)
• United States
21 Dec 06
I cook as much as I can ahead. I do cook the cornbread for my dressing a couple of weeks early...I then crumble it and freeze teh crumbles.
I also cook my pecan pies early and freeze them. My thoughts are, when I have time to cook something (which isn't often), go ahead and cook it...then freeze it.
@kbkbooks (7022)
• Canada
21 Dec 06
Cornbread and pecan pie...you must be from the southern US? I love pecan pie, but I have never attempted to make one. I have also made my dressing with white and brown bread, rice, oats, cereal and many other things, but not with cornbread. Maybe I should try that.
1 person likes this
@pangpang_521 (158)
• China
21 Dec 06
If the time allows me to meet cooking very many foods, majority of all is Chinese food, occasionally also cooking western-style food!
3 people like this
@cowboyzfan (718)
• United States
21 Dec 06
I don't do any cooking before the actual day. I cook something simple usually like a ham (well my mom does :p)
3 people like this
@tba123 (457)
• United States
21 Dec 06
sounds like y'all have some delicious foods during the holidays. Its very smart to fill the freezer up. We've thought about doing this numerous times but just haven't actually done it. I always wonder what is ok to freeze and what's not ok. And if stuff will come out sogging once you defrost it. Guess I just need to actually do more research in it. We usually prepare some of our holiday foods a day before so its not really ahead of time but not the exact day either. We're running behind on figuring out what desserts to make this year lol.
3 people like this
@kbkbooks (7022)
• Canada
21 Dec 06
I have had no trouble freezing any pies, sweet bread, the pre made dressing for the turkey which I thaw and heat very hot before I stuff the turkey. I always cook some on the side too. You can also prepare things like squash and turnip for the freezer. For green veggies I used mostly store bought frozen. Of course the turkey or ham and the dressing should be made fresh.
1 person likes this
@momto2 (471)
• United States
22 Dec 06
Ya know, I never really thought about it that way. I don't have much family that comes to visit my husband and our kids. I do enjoy doing cookies.. lots and lots of cookies.
Maybe next year I'll invite my mother and my brother to our house for Christmas and I'll prepare a nice feast.
@anne_143god (5387)
• Philippines
22 Dec 06
I dont use to cook ahead of holiday I just prepared it on the day of christmas eve. I dont remember that I prefer a dish ahead of time.
@bindishah (2062)
• India
21 Dec 06
Well i am a person who believes in fresh food and like to prepare as much a spossible at the time of eating itself. Ofcourse nothing wrong in keeping things like gravies/sauces in the freezer in advance. It definitely helps when cooking for a lot of people.
If its dry snacks then I prepare them a week in advance coz they can be stored without any harm or risk.
2 people like this
@samwilliams06 (946)
• United States
22 Dec 06
In my family, we normaly start our cooking a day in advance. We have a big family so we have to make more then enough food. Most of the time we work through the night and sleep during the morning. Other times if there is enough women in the house, we take shifts of cooking...lol
1 person likes this
@gypsyintexas (48)
• United States
22 Dec 06
I guess it really depends on how I'm feeling the days before the holiday. If i have the energy than I will usually make the things that will reheat easily but if fresh veggies are on the menu than I will usually cook it that day. I really like your idea of preparing things in the summer and preserving them. I might just give that a try!
@Solly7879 (24)
• United States
22 Dec 06
We do alot of cooking before hand, but mostly stuff like pies, greenbean casserole (*gag*) and sweet potatos.
1 person likes this
@kbkbooks (7022)
• Canada
22 Dec 06
When I was a kid I hated sweet potatoes. Now I love them. I really love greenbean casserole too but it makes me laugh to think that somehow Campbells soup has become a traditional part of so many people's holiday. I believe it was them that originated the recipe. Anybody know?
@shellyrios (1212)
• United States
22 Dec 06
I try to bake the pies ahead of time, but sometimes we have family over for Xmas Eve too, so it puts a cramp in time, but it's ok, we like to cook/bake and socialize at the same time......
1 person likes this
@hockeygal4ever (10021)
• United States
22 Dec 06
I used to do a ton of baking during the holidays but I've really gone away from that. Baking all those goodies does nothing but put extra pounds on our butts! lol So I don't really bake too much ahead. And on Christmas eve we celebrate with our family, then Christmas day just me and the kids. I will create our breakfast casserole the night ahead but the actual holiday meal we share is very minimal, baked ham, mashed potatoes, candied yams, green bean casserole, so there's no real need to cook ahead.
1 person likes this
@robinjoseph80 (142)
• India
21 Dec 06
Every holiday time I will cook for my family members.More time using for cooking.
@suicidestixx (144)
• United States
22 Dec 06
I usually start cooking the day before. I bake a lot of cookies and treats. I dont start too early because I want everything to be fresh!
1 person likes this
