How to Equip Your Kitchen for the Ultimate Aussie Christmas
Find out everything you need to equip your kitchen to cook up a storm on Christmas Day with House. See what you need to cook Christmas lunch & dinner now.
Believe it or not, it’s nearly that time of year again. Christmas time in Australia conjures up lots of familiar images. Hot summer days lying by the pool, walks on the beach, watching cricket from the couch inside by the aircon; and, of course, plenty of food. From trifle and rum balls through to roast ham and fresh seafood, Aussie Christmas food is distinctive and delicious. It’s also a big task putting together the ultimate spread for your friends and family if it’s your turn to host Christmas day.
It might be the most wonderful time of the year but preparing to feed an army on Christmas day can quickly become overwhelming. Managing gift shopping and food shopping whilst battling busy crowds throughout the month of December means gathering the right supplies can quickly become a stressful task. We’ve compiled a list here of some kitchen essentials you’ll need in the lead up to Christmas to take a bit of stress out of the process; because making sure you have the right cookware ready to go is key to ensuring a smooth and relaxing day. Take inspiration from this list of classic Christmas dishes and their accompanying necessities. This guide will have you enjoying the fruits of your Christmas day kitchen labour in no time.
1. Roast Ham
When planning the centrepiece of your Christmas day spread, it’s hard to go past the old faithful leg of ham. There’s plenty of different ways to dress up your ham to make it a standout. Prepare a traditional Christmas roast with a maple mustard glaze or try a rich and flavourful whiskey and honey glazing. Paired with roast veggies and salad, it’s sure to be a Christmas winner.
What You’ll Need
Once you’ve picked up your ham from the butchers and settled on a glazing, you’ll need somewhere to start roasting it. You can simplify the process with a roasting pan from our extensive range, which’ll make your Christmas day preparation a breeze. Try looking for a roasting pan fitted with a non-stick suspension rack for even heat distribution to make the cooking process even easier. You can simply pop your ham in and leave it be until it’s ready, giving you more time to enjoy the festivities.
You’ll also need a ham bag to store the leftovers you’ll be making sandwiches with for days to come. You can find ham bags in our reusable food savers bags range, to make sure your ham stays fresh for as long as possible.
2. Seafood Platter
Nothing says ‘Christmas in Australia’ quite like a platter of fresh prawns. You can keep it simple with a tray of king prawns or get as creative as you’d like. Seared scallops, fresh centrepieces such as lobster or Morton Bay bugs, or oysters paired with a bottle of champagne all add a little extra pizazz to your Christmas spread.
What You’ll Need
You can ensure you’ve got all the tools you need for Christmas lunch preparation by browsing the House kitchen gadgets range, which has every seafood tool you could possibly need, from crab crackers to fish tongs. Cracking open shellfish and drawing out meat from hard-to-reach places doesn’t need to be difficult
If you need somewhere to display your seafood spread, you can find all sorts of serving platters in the House platters range. Whether you want a wooden, marble, or festive Christmas-themed serving platter, this extensive collection will surely have something that’ll catch your eye.
3. Side Veggies and Salads
Make sure you’re getting your greens in with fresh salad and roasted vegetables to accompany Christmas meat and seafood. Roasted potatoes and carrots served with a generous helping of gravy pay homage to the traditional British roast dinner, while fresh green and potato salads invoke summery Australiana, providing a light option so you’re not too full for seconds.
What You’ll Need
To prepare perfectly crisped roast vegetables, you’ll need to invest in a high-quality roasting pan to get the job done. Start sizzling your Christmas sides with a roasting or grill pan from the extensive roasting pans range at House. Try a roast and grill multi pan with a two-part design so you can get multiple sides cooking simultaneously, saving you precious time on the big day. All the roasting pans on House are highly durable, ensuring they’ll last for a lifetime of Christmases.
4. Christmas Pudding
Now for everyone’s favourite Christmas dish—dessert. Filled with sweet fruit flavours and a hint of brandy, Christmas Pudding is the quintessential Christmas day dessert that’s hard to say no to. Paired with a drizzle of custard or a dollop of fresh cream, it’s the ideal traditional sweet treat to end a day of Christmas feasting.
What You’ll Need
A pudding steamer is one of those things you mightn’t have lying around. Ensure you’ve got enough pudding to feed everyone by checking out the House pudding steamers and bowls range. The steamers come in a festive hue of red that’ll tie in with the rest of your Christmas décor.
5. Beer, Wine, and Bubbles
A hot summer day by the pool or the beach means you’re probably going to get thirsty. Once you’ve picked out a couple of bottles of white wine, beer, or champagne to pair with Christmas dinner, you’ll need a convenient way to keep them cool. Have a look through the House wine coolers and ice buckets range, which offers an assortment of coolers and ice buckets to make sure all your drinks are kept icy cold. Ranging from single bottle wine coolers to jumbo party tubs, there’s plenty of options to suit your needs.
