Every second counts when you’re trying to maximize the pleasures of the most wonderful time of the year, so take a page from Santa’s playbook and call on these mega-productive multi-taskers, the kitchen equivalent of elves.
The holidays are upon us, and the everyday bustle of life has shifted into hyperdrive. When you invited the crew over for Christmas dinner weeks ago, the holidays were but a figgy-pudding-filled fantasy. Now that time’s moving at warp speed, you may be fretting about how, given the laws of time and space, every element of this incredible feast is going to get to the table hot, on time, and tasting delicious. Power up the multitasking multi-cookers.
Multi-Cookers Bend Time and Space
Since traditional holiday mains such as roast birds and meats tend to monopolize the oven, plan side dishes you can prepare in advance and reheat, or ones that lend themselves to alternative cooking methods. Multi-cookers come in handy here. The Ninja® Foodi™ Digital Air Fry Oven is an air fryer, convection oven, and toaster oven all in one. It can roast your vegetables, reheat stuffing you’ve prepared in advance, and warm dinner rolls. An incredible space-saver, its unique design allows you to flip it up and store it vertically when not in use.
Since you’re cooking for a crowd, you may wish to add an extra bird or roast. If the oven’s occupied, the Ninja® Foodi™ Pressure Cooker with TenderCrisp™ can turn out a tiny turkey or a good-sized chicken up to 70 percent faster than your oven—including the delicious golden crunch. A ham’s a cinch under pressure, too. And with this cooker, you can produce a batch of mashed potatoes—from peeling to puréeing—in less than 20 minutes.
While the main course roasts, the hard-working nine-in-one air fryer from Emeril can assist with the rest of your of your holiday meal. It packs a range of functions so varied it’ll help with everything from roasted brussels sprouts and potatoes to baked stuffing. Plus it does pies.
Welcome to the Multi-Cooker Multiverse
You can make your holiday meal for a crowd even easier by forgoing the standard dishes in favor of recipes that are scalable. Search online for stews and hearty soups that have traditional holiday flavors. Try a multi-cooker like the Instant Pot® Duo Evo Plus. It makes one-pot prep easy and keeps things warm on the buffet table. Why not go old-school with a luxurious boeuf bourguignon prepared in half the old-world time? Or consider this nonstandard crowd-pleaser: chili. It’s easy to whip up in large quantities and makes a festive presentation when surrounded by bright garnishes like chopped onions and herbs, shredded cheese, and pickled jalapeños.
To grill flatbreads for a holiday buffet in a flash, try this Ninja® Foodi™ 5-in-1. It’s an indoor grill that acts like an outdoor one, heating up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit and imparting a char without the smoke and flames. We love these flatbread recipes for party appetizers:
Steak Flatbread Recipe
Potato Leek Flatbread Recipe
Clam Flatbread Recipe
You can also improvise with seasonal combos like cranberry and goat cheese; sage and prosciutto; or pumpkin, walnut, and ricotta.
Crispy-gooey toast bites are a fine delivery system for holiday flavor combos, and with a sandwich press like this 3-in-1 griddle from Cuisinart, it’s easy to pump out panini for a mob. Cut into small pieces, they’re appetizers. Served whole as sandwiches, they’re a comforting and satisfying main course.
Thanks to these prodigious powerhouses, phenomenal feats can and will occur in your kitchen—even with a full house and holiday schedule. Cheers!