I secretly love the challenge of coming up with menus that have a “wow” factor but has plenty of make-ahead options so I can reduce my workload on the day. Nobody wants to be stuck in the kitchen when they have friends and family over. But also because I secretly dream of being a poised cooking goddess, Nigella Lawson style, who can swan out gracefully from the kitchen with plate after plate of food without breaking a sweat. I’m still working on that part. As for the not being stuck in the kitchen part? I’m getting pretty good at that. And for Christmas feasting occasions, one of my handiest secret weapons is to make glazed ham the day before!
How to make glazed ham the day before
The thing with glazed ham is that it doesn’t actually need to be cooked because it’s already cooked. It’s just about getting that glaze just right!
Use any ham glaze!
While I’ve referenced the two ham glazes on my website throughout this post (my favourite Maple Glazed Ham and classic Brown Sugar Ham Glaze), these make-ahead steps should work for any glazed ham. However, I do recommend covering if you have time to fully cool the ham. For precaution and also so you don’t cross contaminate foods with odours. Nobody wants ham flavour infused in their mini cheesecakes! Add water as needed to prevent pan juices from drying out (we want a syrupy sauce at the end to serve with the ham!) You shouldn’t need oven time with the foil off to re-caramelise the glaze but you can if needed. I hope you found this tip useful! I’d love to know what you think if you make your glazed ham ahead of time this year. Tell me in the comments below! – Nagi x Christmas cooking stressing you out? I get it. See my 6 best tips to make Christmas cooking easier right here!
Life of Dozer
Dozer confirms he can’t tell whether the glazed ham was made today or yesterday.
