Ted Allen’s Holiday Cooking Tips

Ted Allen, host of Food Detectives and a frequent judge on Iron Chef America, has teamed up with Bank of America to provide a few tips for holiday cooking and entertaining:

Use food and other natural items for your centerpiece. Rather than buying flowers, there’s nothing prettier than a big bowl of lemons, apples, or other fruits and veggies. Other great ideas for table decoration are branches and autumn leaves, right from your own yard.

Save on soda and bottled water. Save attractive glass bottles from wine and gourmet juices in the weeks before the holidays. Fill them with filtered water and chill the day before dinner. Add lemon, lime or orange slices for a gourmet kick. (Depending on your weather, chill them in the garage—thus conserving precious fridge space).

Save while you spend. Use coupons, look for sales and 2-for-1 specials or sign up for a savings program like Keep the Change® from Bank of America. For every purchase you make with your Keep the Change check card, Bank of America rounds up the purchase to the nearest dollar and transfers the difference from your checking to your savings account. For more information, go to bankofamerica.com.

Go potluck! Share the cost of a big meal by delegating drinks and dishes to friends and family (just remember to reserve some oven space for reheating!)

Re-use your disposable pie tins. Disposable aluminum pie tins are great to use after the first time. Wash and store them for future baking or use them as storage for extra leftover (instead of giving away your precious Tupperware).