Do not panic in the kitchen

Annette Leitz

Disasters should be avoided, says Annette Leitz. This includes good planning and, above all, good preparation. Because when the roast is first burned, can rarely really save something. Your tip: No experiments! Better play it safe and cook dishes that you know are 100 percent successful. Ironically, when it comes to trying out complicated recipes is really the worst possible time. An exquisite menu can be easily planned with one or two very simple things, such as classic chocolate vanilla pudding or different types of ice cream. Nicely decorated are the simple but delicious desserts.

Do without bells and whistles
Do not overdo your ambition and do not overdo yourself and your guests. Better prepare goose legs than a whole roast goose - because who can really carve today?
avoid stress
Nobody would like to celebrate with hosts who come out of the kitchen completely harried.
Try to avoid dishes that bind you to the stove all evening. Instead, choose food that you can prepare well the day before or even earlier. The key to a successful party is that the food is masterfully conjured up from the kitchen. And then the hosts also have something of the evening.
Make a list
Think about what should be available in good time and make a note of when it can best be prepared - the day before, in the morning or à la minute. Gratin, braised meat or veal stew, for example, cook well the day before and only need to be warmed up later.
Even mousses, creams or jellies already, preferably even two days before cooking - and always with an extra test portion. Very important: Schedule the reserve time - if the brawn does not become firm or if the mousse does not fall.
In the morning you can then prepare for example salad (spin dry and in a freezer bag in the refrigerator) and vegetables.
Replacement in mind
If I've never made a mayonnaise, I do not have to start Christmas Eve. If it does, I still have a glass of mayonnaise as a substitute in the fridge. This is exactly how it is with Hollandaise sauce, for example - if the homemade sauce goes awry, it will do the same out of the bag.
In the event that something really goes wrong in the kitchen and you need more time, it is good to have a plate of trifles (sorbet, crackers, salad or salmon snacks etc.) in the hindquarters. Such a small greeting from the kitchen shortens the waiting time of the guests.
Especially with roasts and other meat dishes, the quantities stated in the recipe can not be easily converted for more or less people - then it can easily happen that the roast dries out or floats in too much liquid .-->
Equipment
Embarrassing, if you realize in the evening that you do not have enough plates or spoons for your guests. So you better go through everything before.

Balls instead of cake

Frauke Prien

The tip of Frauke Prien: When Klitschigem cake only one thing helps: No matter whether nut or sponge cake, crumble the best cake and add a few tablespoons of rum. Then dissolve the chocolate in a bain-marie (whole milk or bittersweet) and add enough molasses to the crumbs to make a firm dough with stirring. From the dough form table tennis ball-sized balls and roll into chocolate sprinkles. Voilà, the finest rum balls are ready.

Biscuit roll kitten: Now the beautiful biscuit dough is to be processed into a delicious roll, and then the dough breaks ... The first thing to do is: Do not lose your nerve. The cracks in the roll are simply laminated by brushing the roll thick with cream at the end - even if this is not intended in the recipe.

Trifle instead of pie

Hege Marie Köster

Hege Marie Köster: Cake bottoms, which break when loosened from the mold, can be saved by sticking the cracks back together with jam, whipped cream or cake. Missed cakes can also be perfectly processed into desserts: simply roll the cake and fill it into layers with cream or vanilla cream or pudding and fruit - this will make a delicious trifle.

Plea for the roasting bag

Alma Westphal

Alma Westphal's personal tip: For everything that comes into the oven solo, whether fish, meat or poultry, it is recommended to prepare in a roasting bag: everything stays crispy and juicy, you do not need any fat to fry and the oven stays clean.

Against sharp tongues

Kristin Büsing

Kristin Buesing: If dishes are spicy, you can serve fruit salad very well.Also, yogurt can very well soften the burning effect. An Indian cucumber lassi, for example, goes well with spicy dishes. Depending on the food, you can possibly mitigate the effect by adding coconut or canned milk.

This helps

The tips of the ChroniquesDuVasteMonde cooking team.

Attention burnt

meat can usually be easily salvaged if the burned areas are carefully cut off with a sharp knife. The meat is then fried again in another pan. (Especially suitable for roast). In a large roast, you can hide the mishap by cutting away the burned layer and then slicing the slices, dressing them and serving them with gravy.

When burnt sauce it gets harder. Very important: Do not stir any more and immediately scoop the liquid into another pot carefully, so that no more bitter substances dissolve. Tip: A pot sieve as a base provides air between the pot and cooking area and prevents the burning of soups and sauces. On the other hand, the popular recommendation to boil raw potato slices or potatoes proves to be ineffective.

at rice The rescue is very difficult, because he likes to pull through and then it often helps nothing to remove the top unburned layer and continue to cook in another pot. Put on new rice.

is cake has become too dark, or toast bread, you can just cut off the places. Potted cake is glazed or sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Tip: boil the burnt pots with washing powder once more, then the crust dissolves.

Uhh - too salty!

Generally speaking, things that contain fat or starch, such as cream, rice, pasta or potatoes, bind salt and can lessen the effect. With soups and sauces, a peeled potato or a linen bag helps with rice, which is also cooked. They absorb the salt and you can easily fish it out later. For a clear soup add the best noodles. However, if it is badly salted, then only dilute - with water, whipped cream or milk.

Brr - too sharp

If dishes are spicy, you can serve fruit salad very well. Also, yogurt is great for lessening the burning effect. An Indian cucumber classi, for example, goes well with spicy dishes. Depending on the food, you can mitigate the effect by adding coconut or canned milk. Even sweets defused - just a little sugar in the food.

dumplings, which disintegrate in a saucepan, are skimmed off, placed in a strainer lined with kitchen paper and gently pressed. Then you can layer them in a thin greased casserole dish and baked with cheese.

Cracked dough: Sponge cake soils, which are broken when loosened from the mold, can be reassembled at the break points when they are spread with egg white and pressed gently.

Too fluid

proteinthat does not stiffen, you can save a few splashes of lemon juice or a pinch of salt - but only if the egg white was separated clean. If egg yolk is involved, this measure will not help.

is Mayonnaise clotted - Take the blender or start from the beginning and use the curd of mayonnaise instead of the oil.

Breading dissolves

When roasting the breading of meat or fish solves - no problem. The breaded pieces can be breaded again: Take the breaded pieces from the pan, remove the breading and then dab dry carefully. Bread with flour, egg and breadcrumbs and fry in hot fat.