Four tips for stress-free holiday meals

Holiday meals are often the highlights of the season, as nothing beats making memories with friends and family over delicious food and good wine. However, planning the perfect get-together can be difficult and even stressful. Between deciding on the perfect menu, finding complementing beverages, grocery shopping and decorating your house with holiday cheer, it's difficult to prepare to host a gathering that will be remembered long after the holiday lights are packed away for the year.

Chef Tom Colicchio (AP Photo/Evan Agostini)

To help you get through this holiday season seamlessly, Tom Colicchio, chef/owner of Craft Restaurants and head judge on Top Chef is sharing his tips for planning an effortless holiday meal that will knock your guests' socks off. After all, entertaining and cooking for loved ones should be fun, not feared.

1. Plan ahead and prep.

Colicchio advises home cooks take a page from professional chefs who live and die by their "mise en place" -- a fancy term for having all ingredients prepped and ready to go. Chop all the ingredients ahead of time: dice veggies or nuts and grate the cheese the day before. You won't even have to pick up your knife the day of your event until it's time to carve the meat, freeing up much more of your time to enjoy your friends and family.

2. Simplify your menu.

Holiday menus can get out of control with a dozen side dishes, but Colicchio says it's no less special if you streamline to just a few. If you look for side dishes that are not only delicous, but also easy to prepare ahead of time, that's even better.

3. Start with the ingredients, not the recipe.

Feeling inspired by seasonal ingredients or memories of holidays past tied to specific flavors? Colicchio says when it comes to ingredients, if it grows together it goes together. He recommends stopping by a farmers market and starting with fresh, seasonal ingredients, then searching by those ingredients on various food and recipe websites or apps.

4. Don't fear your microwave.

Another tip in the spirit of mise en place is to make all of your purees, sauces and chutneys in advance, up to five days, and simply reheat the day of. Many people are hesitant to use the microwave when cooking a special meal, but a quick reheat does not lessen flavor or reduce the integrity of these types of dishes in any way. It's faster, saves a pot to clean, and you won't risk scorching it on the stovetop.