MasterChef's Poh Ling Yeow reveals plans for upcoming 50th birthday

For years fans have been commenting on Poh Ling Yeow’s youthfulness and begging her to share her skincare secrets after learning her real age.

The TV personality, who has been described on social media as “eternally youthful” and an “ageless beauty” since launching to fame on the inaugural season of MasterChef in 2009, is gearing up to celebrate her 50th birthday on December 17.

Poh tells Yahoo Lifestyle that in an effort to make the holiday period “stress-free” for her and her family, she has decided to merge her birthday celebrations with their Christmas festivities.

“My 50th birthday falls close to Christmas, and my dad wants to combine the two celebrations this year,” she details.

“The key to a stress-free Christmas is reducing your personal workload, and I can’t think of a better way to get into the festive spirit than sharing preparations for the big day with family. It’s always potluck at the Yeow family Christmas!”

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Speaking about curating a menu for Christmas lunch, Poh shares that her biggest tip for fellow home cooks is to focus on one or two “centrepiece mains” and ask your guests to bring a side or dessert.

“I love a grated beet, chickpea and mint salad with white balsamic that’s full of crunch and almost like a pickle,” she says. “Also, a Thai roast chicken and glass vermicelli salad, and a Korean japchae (sweet potato noodle salad).

“My family, bless them, loves a proper retro trifle. It starts with making finger jello by adding 1 tablespoon of powdered gelatine to a raspberry or strawberry jelly so you can easily cut them into cubes after it’s set.

“Then it’s just a matter of layering sliced, store-bought jam rollettes drowned in regular strawberry jelly mixture, tinned peaches, fresh strawberries, custard made with powdered custard mix, fresh cream then piling on the prepared jelly cubes.”

Poh's Christmas ‘hack’

Poh adds that her “hack” for making easy, stress-free Christmas dishes at home without the worry of complex skills or equipment is to use an air fryer.

“The Philips 7000 Series XXXL Airfryer is a great quality kitchen appliance that you can set a timer for and simply let the Airfryer do the rest,” she describes.

“One of my favourite features is the integrated thermometer. As someone who didn’t grow up with roasts, cooking a big piece of meat is an ongoing phobia so I have to give props to the handy integrated temperature probe in the airfryer too! For anyone who might be worried about under or overcooking that Christmas roast – the temp probe will definitely alleviate any fears and deliver the perfect ‘fineness’ or cuisson as the French would say!”

To show how the airfryer makes cooking high-quality meals at home easier than ever thanks to its innovative features and smart technology, Poh went head-to-head with home cook Jarrad Duggan-Tierney in the kitchen.

You can watch the video below.

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