Christmas is a time to celebrate with family and friends.
But when you’re the designated chef of the day, things can get quite overwhelming in the kitchen. Of course there are many things you can do to ensure your December 25 is smooth sailing, like prepping in advance.
Now one simple hack posted by @foodsafetymum on TikTok, Jenna revealed there’s absolutely no need to “peel your potatoes” on the big day itself, urging foodies to do it beforehand. She gave two options so you can have more time on Christmas Day.
She recommended to “par-boil and fluff your potatoes the day before” if you’d rather, in the same way you would if it was Christmas morning, “getting them ready to go straight in the oven”. She did say, however, you “cool them down within a couple of hours and pop them in the fridge overnight” if you want to use this method.
Or alternatively, it could have even been done a few days before and kept in the freezer. You can even try this second method if you’re planning multiple Christmas dinners this week. It means you can “cook them straight from frozen on Christmas Day”, but noted: “If you’re doing it this way, there’s a few things you need to do differently.”
In the caption, she said: “If you’re prepping potatoes for the freezer, you’ll only want to boil them for 6-8 minutes (vs 12 minutes if doing them on Xmas Eve). Then coat them in fat and freeze them for 6 hours before transferring to a sandwich bag ready for Xmas Day.”
In the comments, someone asked: “How long does par-boiling take? (Also, do you add to boiling water or bring the water to a boil with the potatoes in?) Thank you!”
Jenna responded: “I usually par boil for 10 mins, then steam dry for another 15 mins. Always start them off in cold, salted water.”
Another keen cook asked: “When you parboil and fluff the potatoes the night before, how do you store them? Wouldn’t they just go brown in the fridge overnight?”
Jenna replied: “No, not if parboiled! Personally, we store them in the roasting tin! […] Peeled raw potatoes will go brown unless you submerge them in water.” The woman responded: “Oh amazing thank you! I’ve always done it on the day, and with a baby now I don’t want to miss much! Thanks so much.”