(BPT) - When you're planning festive get-togethers, it seems like there's never enough time. Between menu planning, shopping, prepping and cooking, holiday hosting stress can take some of the fun out of your celebrations. But what if there were ways to help you relax and enjoy every occasion?
Here are tips and tools to streamline your cooking process, from beginning to end.
Keep it simple
Everyone appreciates good food that's well prepared, so why overcomplicate? When planning your menu, stick to dishes you already know, so you're not risking an experiment when time is tight. Limit yourself to a main dish and a few simple sides so you'll have less to stress about.
Then shop online, order groceries for delivery - or at least double-check that your list is complete before heading to the store - to reduce shopping trips, leaving more breathing room in your schedule.
Prep ahead
Whatever components can be prepared ahead, do it! Common items to complete ahead include cutting up vegetables and cooking rice or pasta. They can be prepared in advance in multi-cookers to free up space on your burner and stored in airtight containers, clearly labeled so you know which items go with what dish.
The secret to convenient cooking…multitasking
Nothing saves more time in the kitchen than the PowerXL™ StirMax™ Multi-Cooker. The 360° Automatic Paddle with StirMax™ Technology allows the StirMax™ Multi-Cooker to stir and shred almost any meal. It creates delicious, hassle-free dishes that optimize your time in the kitchen and let you tend to other necessary meal prep.
Because the 360° Paddle rotates automatically, you can create a wide range of dishes without tediously stirring and shredding, like risotto or pulled pork. Best yet, the 7.5 quart family-size capacity can cook a wide variety of recipes thanks to the 9 pre-programmed cooking presets - StirMax™, BraiseMax, Slow Cook, Stew/Soup, Keep Warm, Steam/Boil, Risotto, Saute and Rice - in one compact design, providing convenient and hands-free cooking. Visit PowerXLProducts.com to learn more.
Here's a crowd-pleasing recipe you can make, mostly hands-free, using the PowerXL™ StirMax™ Multi-Cooker.
Pulled Pork with Pork Tenderloin
Serves: 6; Total time: 4 hours 10 minutes; Prep time: 10 minutes; Cook time: 4 hours slow cook on High
Ingredients
2 pork tenderloins, cut into 6 equal pieces
3/4 tablespoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 cup water
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 cup barbecue sauce
Instructions
1. In small bowl, mix all the seasonings and rub on the pork.
2. Select SLOW COOK preset and use the default High temperature setting for 4 hours. Add all ingredients except barbecue sauce. Press START.
3. After 3 hours, select STIR LOW setting and add barbecue sauce.
4. When pork is shredded, serve on rolls or in tacos.
Simplify presentation and clean-up
Reduce clean-up by serving dishes in the same appliance you used for cooking. Choosing attractive cookware streamlines the process and reduces dish washing you'll need to do later. Fortunately, with the StirMax™ Multi-Cooker you can cook and serve in the same pot, which looks great on your table. And the pot, lid and paddle can all go straight into the dishwasher or wipe clean easily, so you can spend less time scrubbing.
Using these tips will reduce time cooking on party day - so you can spend more time with your friends and family.