Holiday cooking and entertaining can cause a lot of stress with complicated approaches to an already overwhelming time of year. I prefer to do things the most practical and efficient way possible that I refer to as 'The Renaissance Way'. I hope you find these handy tips make your holiday much easier.



COOKING AND BAKING

Whenever doing any cooking or baking, preheat your oven at least 30 minutes before putting anything in. It usually takes around 20 minutes for an oven to reach the desired temperature. Be sure to allow for enough preheating time. For more details www.breakfasts-recipes.com .This is the key to cooking and baking success. Without proper preheating, it will take longer for the dish to cook and baking typically will suffer from cave -ins and incomplete cooking.

COOK AND BAKE IN ADVANCE AND SAVE TIME

Do not save all your cooking for one day. Stagger it cooking items that can be made in advance and reheated, and do some baking in advance, creating desserts that will keep for several days, vegetable dishes that can be reheated or served at room temperature or make those sauces that will also keep.

BEING PREPARED

Have an idea what you would like to cook for the holidays? Gather those recipes now. Jot down the shopping lists for those items and to make sure you are stocked for the cooking you will be doing and save yourself unnecessary trips to the market. Not sure what to stock in your pantry? Feel free to email me for my quintessential pantry list you can take with you to the market.

TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

Make sure all your tools and equipment are in good working order. If anything needs replacing or repair, now is a good time to attend to that.

SETTING THE TABLE

Not sure how to set your holiday table? Do some dry runs. I found this the best way to make setting a table fast by already knowing what I liked and what worked. For more details www.chef-123.com .Gather your array of linen and keep them all in one place, ready to go when needed. Go through your dishes and see what you have that goes well together so choosing what to use, is already figured out. Have a happy, relaxing and delicious holiday!

Angela Tunner is The Renaissance Gourmet and an award winning entrepreneur and cookbook author. Her work for an acclaimed and award winning Toronto French restaurant (Frommer's, Zagat, The Globe and Mail, The Wine Spectator) is where she gained her experience.

Her cookbook, the award winning practical and low-prep recipes is, "Simply Summer: Gourmet Meals Made Deliciously Easy With Tips for Elegant Living" (Eat like a Millionaire Omnimedia, ISBN 978-0-9783561-0-1) available at select retailers.