A Holiday LifeMinute with David Burtka
The celeb chef shares his best holiday entertaining tips and what he and hubby Neil Patrick Harris are doing for Thanksgiving
From the LifeMinute.TV Team
November 16, 2022
Celebrity chef, actor, and father of two, David Burtka, joined us in the LifeMinute Studios kitchen last week to ready us for the holidays. He shared his best stress-free holiday cooking, entertaining, and cleaning tips. Plus, what he and hubby Neil Patrick Harris and their twins are doing for Thanksgiving and their favorite holiday traditions.
His biggest tip to eliminate stress from cooking or entertaining guests is to start preparing food the day before the event. To do so, decorate, set your table, measure, and chop your ingredients, so they will be ready to be thrown together when the time comes. Burtka likes to write everything down on paper and cross things off before the big day. “All I have to do is put my turkey in the oven, and I don’t have to worry about it,” he said. “I can watch the parade on TV and let the turkey roast while I spend some time with family.”
He also loves getting his kids involved by having them help decorate cookies. There are things you can do ahead and while cooking to set yourself up for success afterward. For cookie decorating and any other activities that inevitably result in a mess, he recommends laying down some wax paper or plastic wrap to help easily clean your space. Amid all the fun, if you get a stain on your clothes, treat it as soon as possible before throwing it in the laundry later. He likes to use colorless liquid dish soap and a toothbrush to treat the stain and then rinse with cold water.
Some stains, like gravy, require tougher treatment. For additional help, rinse the area with white vinegar after applying and washing off the dish soap. Toss the clothes in the wash with a high-performing laundry detergent, like Arm & Hammer Plus Oxi Clean Laundry Detergent. Before transferring them into the dryer, check to see if the stains are gone. If not, pre-treat and wash again because dryer heat can permanently set the stain. Check out Arm & Hammer laundry’s holiday stain-off challenge on TikTok.
As far as holiday traditions, this family of four always likes to celebrate big. For this Thanksgiving, they are going to LA to catch their friend Elton John’s concert. Burtka said this year he is most thankful for health. “Taking care of yourself and being healthy and taking care of each other is the most important thing I think right now in my life,” said the star.