We’ve all been there: It’s the last quarter of the Super Bowl, and over on the buffet, the chicken wings are cold, the guacamole is brown and the once-lush and smooth dips have taken on the consistency of wallpaper paste.
If you’re hosting, there’s a better way. These tips will ensure your game-day spread is warm and inviting throughout the evening, while letting you actually enjoy the game.
Fully Cook Dishes Ahead of Time
Just as with any party prep, you’ll want to get as much as you can done ahead of time. This allows you to focus on keeping hot food hot the day of the party and not on any last-minute stirring of onions into sour cream.
Ideally, everything that needs to be hot should be cooked well before game time, then reheated just before you need it. To that end, the key word is “reheat,” not cook. Most people think hot food needs to be cooked through fully just before serving, but ask any caterer, and they’ll tell you that’s not the case — nor is it advised.
Here are a few things you can do the day before, so the day of, you’re only on reheating duty.
Fry or roast chicken wings.
Dan Pelosi’s garlic Parmesan wings can be prepared ahead of time and dressed at the last minute.Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
But don’t toss them in their coating sauces just yet. You’ll do that the day of. Just before people come over, blast them in a hot oven for about 10 minutes. As they reheat, take the time to prepare or heat up any sauces, then transfer them to a large bowl. There, they’ll be ready to catch the wings as soon as they’re out of the oven, so all you have to do is toss and serve.
Chicken Wing Recipes to Get You Started: Buffalo Chicken Wings | Baked Buffalo Wings | Garlic Parmesan Wings | Oven Fried Hot Wings | Rio’s Spicy Chicken Wings | Chicken Wings With Gochujang, Ginger and Garlic | Chipotle Honey Chicken Wings | Air-Fryer Spicy Chicken Wings | Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings | Crispy Sour Cream and Onion Wings | Lemony Roasted Chicken Wings | Tajín Chicken Wings
Grill or roast your pork ribs.
Ribs are also an excellent option that can be made ahead.Credit…David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Making chili ahead of time is a given: It only gets better as it sits. But did you know you can also cook up some ribs the day before? Like the chicken wings, you’ll want to keep from adding any final glazes until after reheating the day of. (Both wings and ribs can cool up to a day ahead of time in the fridge.) Once they’re hot and ready to serve, quickly brush the ribs with sauce and let your guests enjoy.
Rib Recipes to Get You Started: Balsamic Glazed Oven Baked Ribs | Oven BBQ Ribs | Baby Back Ribs With Sweet and Sour Glaze | Oven-Smoked Ribs | Slow Cooker Hot Honey Ribs | Jerk Ribs | Sticky Guava Ribs | Iga Babi Bali (Balinese Sticky Glazed Pork Ribs) | Salt-and-Pepper Beef Ribs
Partly cook any burger patties.
Kenji López-Alt’s thick backyard burgers. Undercooking your burger patties ever so slightly allows you to reheat them to your ideal doneness.Credit…Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
When searing burgers ahead of time, you’ll want to undercook them slightly so that when you reheat them in the oven (with a slice of cheese on top), they’re perfectly cooked to your liking and ready to go from sheet pan to bun in a second.
Burger Recipes to Get You Started: Smash Burgers | Diner-Style Burgers | Black Bean Burgers | Chapli Burgers | Thick Backyard Burgers | Double Smash Burgers | Gochujang Burger With Spicy Slaw | Oklahoma Onion Burgers | Smashed Chicken Burgers With Cheddar and Parsley | Juicy Lucy Burger | Spicy Turkey Burgers | Mushroom Smash Burgers | Salmon Burgers
Make all your dips.
Run Melissa Clark’s bacon-Cheddar dip under the broiler just before serving.Credit…Nico Schinco for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Hot dips, by and large, can be made ahead of time and reheated: Pop any into the oven for 10 minutes, and perhaps put them under the broiler to get any tops that need crisping nice and crunchy. As for cold dips, most actually benefit from at least a day or two in the fridge. This gives the flavors time to marry and textures time to thicken up. If you really want to prep like a pro, store your dips in their serving vessels in the fridge. That way, when it’s time to put them out, all you have to do is remove the cover.
Dip Recipes to Get You Started: French Onion Dip | Miso-Labneh Onion Dip | Pimento Cheese | Whipped Tofu Ricotta | Green Feta Dip | White Bean Dip With Cumin Chile Oil | Herby Cottage Cheese Dip | Spicy Green Tahini Dip | Bacon Cheddar Dip | Beer Cheese | Salsa Taquera | Jalapeño-Corn Dip | Creamy Queso With Pickled Jalapeños| Vegan Onion Dip
Stagger Your Rollout
Credit…Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
This last tip is critical in avoiding dried out bean dips and cold, congealed burgers. It’s tempting to put out every single thing at kickoff and then sit back while the game unfolds over the next few hours. But unless you’re serving just snack mix and popcorn, the food will start to suffer after about 30 minutes.
Think of treating the run-time of the game like a tasting menu, so you can course out different dishes throughout the night.
Before the game: Start with cold dips and chips and popcorn first, since those things can sit out while people arrive and offer some snack to quell any “hangry” pangs while the rest of the food is getting ready.
During the second quarter: Trot out the nachos, hot dips, potato skins and other appetizer-like foods. They’ll give your guests a little something with heft to sink their teeth into and will fuel them through the halftime performance.
Just before halftime: Heat up those chicken wings, burgers, ribs, chili and any other “main event” food you’re preparing, and serve it up at the start of the third quarter.
And, at the start of the fourth quarter: Break out the cookies, brownies, ice cream sundaes, or whatever desserts you have. They’ll wake everyone up just enough to make the end of the game memorable and ready to leave your house as the final seconds tick down.
Chili Recipes to Get You Started: Slow Cooker Chili | Chili | Turkey Chili | Classic Chili con Carne | Texas Chili | White Chicken Chili | Vegetarian Skillet Chili | Spicy Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili | Ground Beef Chili With Chocolate and Peanut Butter | Chili Mac
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