What’s Your Biggest Fear when Cooking a Holiday Meal? Try these 3 Quick Tips from Le Cordon Bleu

You forget to turn on the oven?

You run out of a key ingredient?

Someone extra shows up to eat?

Nah – the biggest fear for most cooks who are preparing the holiday meal is that the main course they are serving doesn’t turn out as planned.

The meat is dry or burned or tasteless. Your showcase meal is now an experience in blah. Pizza, anyone?

These 3 quick tips from the culinary chef instructors at Le Cordon Bleu culinary school will help you prepare the perfect turkey, ham or roast your guests will love.

• Brine the Turkey – For every gallon of water you are soaking the bird in, add one cup of sugar and one cup of kosher salt (course sea salt).  So for six gallons of water, add six cups of each. The chefs suggest adding customized flavors such as garlic, herbs, and even citrus slices. Soak the bird in the refrigerator one hour for every pound of meat.  When finished, rinse bird in cold water, pat it dry and roast it.
• Glaze Your Ham – The key here is to wait until the last 30 minutes of heating the ham. If you glaze the ham too early, the glaze will burn and ruin the taste. For the last half hour of cooking, score the ham, brush on the glaze and let it finish.
• Let the Roast Rest – Make sure you time the cooking of your roast so you have 15-30 minutes after the cooking is finished to allow the meat to rest before you carve it. This resting process helps the meat reabsorb the juices and makes the meat much more succulent when served. After removing from the oven, place a foil tent loosely over the meat and set it aside before carving.

Now you can stop worrying about your main dish and figure out what else you are going to serve – Bon appétit!

At Le Cordon Bleu culinary schools you can learn the skills necessary to pursue a career in the culinary, baking and hospitality industries that’s anything but ordinary. There are 17 schools in the United States as well as online courses available. Tomorrow, December 18^th at 10:30 local time, your local Le Cordon Bleu school is hosting a gingerbread house demonstration and open house for the whole family – check for an open house near you here.