No matter how much you love to throw a dinner party, they’re nothing
short of nerve-wracking when they spring up spontaneously and you don’t
have enough time to prepare properly. You don’t have to be restricted to
take-out from a nearby restaurant when you have an unexpectedly large
party to feed on short notice, though; you just have to keep these 10
life hacks and others of their ilk in mind. By making the most of your
time and the resources at your disposal, you can pull off a last minute
party with the same aplomb as one you’ve planned for weeks.
- Chill Wine in a Hurry – White wine is best served
cold, but chilling a bottle on short notice is a tall order. Stow the
bottle on ice while you throw together the meal and maintain the chill
by tossing in a handful of frozen white grapes. To make this hack work,
get the grapes washed and in the freezer before you do anything else.
While they freeze and the wine chills a bit, prepare your meal.
- Ice Down Warm Beer – A cold beer is refreshing, but
a warm one can be downright disgusting. If you have a warm six pack and
a thirsty crowd, just wrap individual bottles in wet paper towels and
stow them in the freezer for about 15 minutes. They’ll be as cold as the
Rockies!
- Boost Speaker Power – It’s just not a dinner party
without background music, but it’s hard to play DJ when all you have is a
smartphone. Drop your phone and its killer playlist into a glass vase;
it will amplify the music and eliminate the need for more powerful
external speakers.
- Quick-Peel Garlic – Few food prep tasks are as time
consuming and frustrating as peeling garlic. Fortunately, there’s a
life hack for that. Just smash the bulb with the heel of your hand to
separate the cloves and then toss them in a bowl. Cover with another
bowl and shake brusquely for about 10 seconds. When you’re finished
shaking, the peeled cloves will be nestled amongst the papery skins,
ready to chop.
- Avoid Boil-Overs – When you’re working under time
constraints, it’s easy to make a mess by allowing a pot to boil over. To
prevent this scenario, just place a wooden spoon across the top of the
pot. Boil-overs are averted, even when the eye is turned all the way up.
- Make Quick Work of Dessert – Cupcakes can be baked
in a short time, but they require plenty of time to cool before they can
be iced. Rather than wasting time fooling with icing and cool-down
periods, just pop a marshmallow on top of each cup before you throw the
pan in the oven. As the cupcakes bake, the marshmallows melt over the
top and create a tasty, gooey covering that eliminates the need for
icing altogether.
- Slice Soft Foods With Ease – Putting out a cheese
platter is a great way to keep guests’ hunger pangs at bay while you
throw together a feast, but simply slicing soft cheeses can be a
time-consuming task. Rather than taking forever to hack out chunks of
soft cheese with a knife, make uniform slices with dental floss. It’s
quick, easy and will result in an elegant cheese platter.
- Last-Minute Condiment Platter – For an impromptu
backyard barbecue, save time and effort by eschewing multiple ramekins
in favor of filling the cups of a muffin pan with ketchup, mustard,
diced onions, relish, shredded lettuce and other toppings. You’ll only
have to carry out one platter, rather than a series of smaller ones, and
you can cut the clutter that comes with hauling all of the bottles
themselves outside.
- Test Egg Freshness – An egg that’s gone bad isn’t
pleasant, but it’s difficult to determine the freshness of the contents
without cracking the shell and risking a stench. By filling a deep,
transparent bowl with water, you can test your eggs in a flash. Just
gently drop the eggs into the water, and watch where they go. Very fresh
eggs sink to the bottom and lie flat on their sides, but even those
that stand upright on the bottom of the bowl are edible. An egg that
floats, however, is bad news and shouldn’t be cracked.
- Photographic Memory – A quick run to the market in
preparation of your last-minute dinner party can be a hectic one indeed
if you don’t have time to make a list. Rather than relying on your
memory, take a picture of the inside of your refrigerator and the inside
of your pantry before you leave the house with the camera on your
phone. While you’re shopping, you’ll have a visual reference that’s
almost as good as standing in your kitchen.
Each and every one of these life hacks is the result of someone
thinking outside of the box. Don’t be afraid to branch out with your own
thinking while you plan an impromptu dinner party; you may be
pleasantly surprised at the things you come up with!
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