Gordon Ramsay has revealed his ‘pro tips’ to cook a Christmas dinner like a professional chef while avoiding unnecessary stress.
The chef says the secret to a successful Christmas dinner comes down to preparation, as he urges cooks to get ahead of themselves by starting the main course on Christmas Eve.
In a TikTok video, Gordon Ramsay said: “Top tips to make sure your Christmas Day goes down as a huge success. Prep the day before – Christmas Eve.
“Get all the family, peeling the veg. Part cook the veg. Everyone worries about that turkey. Honestly, first thing, 5.30am or 6am, put the turkey in the oven on low. Nip back to bed for a few hours and get yourself a plan.
Finally, he urged people to postpone dinner until later in the day to stop them from worrying about the cooking all morning long. He added: “Stop worrying about calling lunch too early. “Push it back to 3pm or 4pm that way you don’t stress out and you got to enjoy it as well.”
While some users thanked him for his tips, others shared their confusion over them, saying: “Why do people stress about Christmas dinner? It’s literally same as a normal Sunday dinner plus a few extras – no stress at all.” Another user added: “Or have Christmas Dinner on Christmas eve so on the big day you can relax.”
A third user said: “It’s just a big Sunday dinner! People worry too much about Christmas dinner.” One more user added: “You make it sound so much more complicated. Prep the veg Xmas day while the meats are cooking rest the meat then good the veg.” A final user said: “Thank you Mr R sound advice taken in my house sir, merry Christmas Sir.”
In a YouTube video shared to the official Gordon Ramsay channel, the celebrity chef shared how to make the perfect Yorkshire puddings. He said: “These Yorkshires are gorgeous … if you could see these, you can understand how [Gordon’s mum] gave birth to the best chef in the world.”
The recipe makes eight large Yorkshire puddings, which should turn out golden and crispy on the outside, but light and airy on the inside if cooked correctly. You’ll need a mixing bowl, whisk, sieve, a jug, and a Yorkshire pudding tray – or a muffin tray – before you get started on the recipe.
Ingredients
- 125g of plain flour (1 1⁄4 cups)
- 150ml of whole milk (1 1⁄2 cups)
- Four large eggs
- Vegetable oil
- Half a teaspoon of salt
Method
- Sift the flour into the mixing bowl using the sieve and add the salt. Slowly pour the milk into the bowl while stirring continuously.
- Crack your eggs into your mixing bowl and whisk until you have a silky smooth batter.
- Pour your Yorkshire pudding batter into a jug and place in the fridge and rest for at least 30 minutes before cooking.
- When you’re ready to cook, preheat your oven to 220C (425F).
- Put two tablespoons of oil into each compartment of your Yorkshire pudding tray. If you have a smaller cupcake tray then only put one tablespoon of oil in each hole, as your Yorkshires will be smaller.
- Put the tray in the oven on the top shelf for 12 to 15 minutes to heat the oil.
- Take your Yorkshire pudding batter out of the fridge and stir it, before taking the tray out of the oven and carefully pouring your batter into each compartment. You should be aiming to fill each hole to about three-quarters, making sure not to over-fill. Take extreme care with this step as the oil in the holes will be hot and may spit when you pour in the batter.
- Place the tray back in the oven for around 15 minutes, or until the Yorkshire puddings look like they have risen and are golden brown. Do not open the oven before the puddings are cooked as they may collapse and not rise.
- Serve your Yorkshire puddings fresh out of the oven alongside any roast trimmings you like.
