[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":261},["ShallowReactive",2],{"/blog/planning-christmas-dinner":3,"/blog/planning-christmas-dinner-related":243},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"category":227,"date":228,"description":229,"draft":230,"extension":231,"featured":230,"hero":232,"heroAlt":232,"meta":233,"navigation":234,"path":235,"seo":236,"series":232,"sitemap":237,"stem":238,"terms":239,"tools":240,"updated":232,"__hash__":242},"blog/blog/planning-christmas-dinner.md","Planning Christmas dinner without the panic",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":217},"minimark",[9,13,18,41,45,74,78,86,90,93,189,192,199,203,206,210,214],[10,11,12],"p",{},"Christmas dinner isn't hard because any one dish is difficult. It's hard because everything has to be ready at once, in one oven. The answer is a plan, worked backwards from the time you want to eat.",[14,15,17],"h2",{"id":16},"the-week-before","The week before",[19,20,21,29,35],"ul",{},[22,23,24,28],"li",{},[25,26,27],"strong",{},"Choose your recipes and save them in one place."," Check every recipe's oven temperature: if two need the oven at the same time but at different temperatures, change one now, not on the day.",[22,30,31,34],{},[25,32,33],{},"Order the bird."," Allow roughly 500 g of turkey per person on the bone, more if you want leftovers.",[22,36,37,40],{},[25,38,39],{},"Write the shopping list,"," and buy anything that keeps.",[14,42,44],{"id":43},"two-days-before","Two days before",[19,46,47,53,59],{},[22,48,49,52],{},[25,50,51],{},"Defrost a frozen turkey in the fridge."," It takes about a day for every 2 kg, so a big bird needs to start earlier than you'd think.",[22,54,55,58],{},[25,56,57],{},"Make anything that keeps:"," cranberry sauce, gravy base, stuffing (stored separately, not in the bird).",[22,60,61,62,67,68,73],{},"If you're ",[63,64,66],"glossary-term",{"slug":65},"brine","brining",", start the night before. Brine recipes are one place where your salt type really matters: ",[69,70,72],"a",{"href":71},"/tools/salt-converter","check the conversion"," before you start.",[14,75,77],{"id":76},"christmas-eve","Christmas Eve",[10,79,80,81,85],{},"This is the day of ",[63,82,84],{"slug":83},"mise-en-place","mise en place",". Peel the potatoes and keep them in cold water, prepare the sprouts and carrots, set the table. Everything you do today is something you won't be doing with the oven open tomorrow.",[14,87,89],{"id":88},"the-day-itself-working-back-from-dinner","The day itself, working back from dinner",[10,91,92],{},"Say you want to eat at 3pm, with a 5 kg turkey:",[94,95,96,109],"table",{},[97,98,99],"thead",{},[100,101,102,106],"tr",{},[103,104,105],"th",{},"Time",[103,107,108],{},"What happens",[110,111,112,121,129,141,153,165,173,181],"tbody",{},[100,113,114,118],{},[115,116,117],"td",{},"10:00",[115,119,120],{},"Turkey out of the fridge to lose its chill",[100,122,123,126],{},[115,124,125],{},"10:45",[115,127,128],{},"Turkey into the oven",[100,130,131,134],{},[115,132,133],{},"13:30",[115,135,136,137],{},"Check the turkey with an ",[63,138,140],{"slug":139},"instant-read-thermometer","instant-read thermometer",[100,142,143,146],{},[115,144,145],{},"13:45",[115,147,148,149,152],{},"Turkey out to ",[63,150,151],{"slug":151},"rest",", loosely covered. Oven up for the potatoes",[100,154,155,158],{},[115,156,157],{},"13:50",[115,159,160,161],{},"Parboiled potatoes into hot fat on a ",[63,162,164],{"slug":163},"sheet-pan","sheet pan",[100,166,167,170],{},[115,168,169],{},"14:15",[115,171,172],{},"Stuffing and pigs in blankets in",[100,174,175,178],{},[115,176,177],{},"14:40",[115,179,180],{},"Vegetables on, gravy finished with the turkey's juices",[100,182,183,186],{},[115,184,185],{},"15:00",[115,187,188],{},"Carve and serve",[10,190,191],{},"Cooking times vary a lot with the size of the bird and your oven, so treat these as a shape, not a schedule. The turkey is done when the thickest part of the thigh reaches 74°C (165°F).",[193,194,196],"callout",{"type":195},"tip",[10,197,198],{},"Resting isn't wasted time. A big turkey happily rests for 45 minutes to an hour under foil, which frees the oven for the potatoes and gives you time to make the gravy.",[14,200,202],{"id":201},"run-several-timers-at-once","Run several timers at once",[10,204,205],{},"On the day, the hard part is keeping track of five things at once. Name a timer for each, and you'll know which one is going off:",[207,208],"tool-embed",{"slug":209},"kitchen-timer",[14,211,213],{"id":212},"one-last-thing","One last thing",[10,215,216],{},"Delegate. Someone else can carve, someone else can make the gravy, and someone else can definitely do the washing up.",{"title":218,"searchDepth":219,"depth":219,"links":220},"",2,[221,222,223,224,225,226],{"id":16,"depth":219,"text":17},{"id":43,"depth":219,"text":44},{"id":76,"depth":219,"text":77},{"id":88,"depth":219,"text":89},{"id":201,"depth":219,"text":202},{"id":212,"depth":219,"text":213},"seasonal","2026-10-18","A calm countdown for Christmas dinner, from the week before to the moment you carve, with timings for the turkey, potatoes and everything else.",false,"md",null,{},true,"/blog/planning-christmas-dinner",{"title":5,"description":229},{"loc":235},"blog/planning-christmas-dinner",[83,151,65,139,163],[209,241],"salt-converter","hcmPz4VviOCAaiUANlq2Z2Jkm5YKM7Xbw8taY0wf8aw",[244,250,256],{"path":245,"title":246,"description":247,"category":248,"date":249,"hero":232,"heroAlt":232},"/blog/new-tools-ingredient-converter-and-kitchen-timer","New tools: the ingredient converter and kitchen timer","Two new free tools on the website. Convert cups to grams for over a hundred ingredients, and run several named kitchen timers at once.","from-gk","2026-10-22",{"path":251,"title":252,"description":253,"category":254,"date":255,"hero":232,"heroAlt":232},"/blog/why-your-salt-brand-matters","Why your salt brand matters more than you think","A tablespoon of Diamond Crystal holds half the salt of a tablespoon of table salt. Here's why, and how to season any recipe correctly with the salt you have.","kitchen-know-how","2026-10-21",{"path":257,"title":258,"description":259,"category":248,"date":260,"hero":232,"heroAlt":232},"/blog/welcome","Welcome to Guided Kitchen","Why I'm building a calmer home for the recipes you cook, what's in it today, and how you can help shape what comes next.","2026-10-20",1793287167957]