There’s no way to serve food hot for 11 diners

My SIL complained my serving bowls were too hot, some people are never happy. Every roast I've ever had at MILs is half cold though (not that I'd complain).

A roast is a terrible meal to serve to lots of people because there are so many bits that all need to be hot at the same time. I have a large stove with 3 ovens and 5 rings. We take the bird out to rest (covered in foil and blankets) and then have the big oven on low and put the roast veggies in their serving bowls in there while the last minute boiled veg and gravy are done on the stove top and the pigs in blankets and roast cabbage are done in the side oven. Plates warming in the third oven. Everything was piping hot when it was put on the table but my meal was cooling by the time I sat down because I was sorting out other people first.

Crackers and toasts were done before the starters which were cold and the pudding sat in the slow cookers until it was needed so it was warm as well.

Any other time i'm cooking for 12, I do a big casserole with just a couple of side veg. Much easier.

She didn’t criticise it. Didn’t you read the op? She asked to warm it up in the micro. The op herself says it wasn’t warm

ive never had food cool utterly quickly you don’t have five mins to do a toast or pull crackers. So clearly something else here caused this. As it must have been out for at least 20 to 30 mins for it to need reheating.

I do the same as you, serve everything in hot dishes straight from the oven and people help themselves. to be honest, i can’t say it’s ever been cold but it’s never been to the point of something being too hot to eat. i think that you’d struggle unless you got a heated trolley or something.
make sure you heat the plates up too.

Do your serving dishes have lids?

I think the best (only?) way is to do is to put the serving dishes on an electric hot plate.

Given that it was your SIL's house and she clearly doesn't have one then surely it's her fault! I don't see what your other options were. If I was you I'd be petty and try to slip that into conversation at some point when you get the chance. Or if you do have to host next year then make a point of it then. Other than that, just forget it.

I know you all served yourselves but I hope people helped you get it all on the table.

All the people saying they couldn't cook for large numbers,you can you know it is just more food. (Probably more space). We had a hostess trolley for the first time this year and it was good. It was positioned between the kitchen and dining room so easy for helpers to access.

What you really need are non rude guests.
(Also try not to take offence too easily)

At a meal for 6 and Both the adults microwaved before eating. It’s not an insult just food cools quickly.

Well, the meat shouldn’t be “piping hot”- it should rest after coming out if the oven. The rest I don’t really understand- how long were you doing crackers and toasts?

I am intrigued by the number of people who want things blisteringly hot. Reminds me of a French phrase book I had as a child that had a warning on the page for “going to a restaurant” that in France food is often served less hot than it would be at home. Made me imagine lots of angry Brits complaining that their soup wasn’t hot enough to scald them and sending it back 😭

I feel like you have wrote this before somewhere 😂

@Beercrispsandnuts Where did I say it wasn't warm?

What a rude, ungrateful woman. SIL could have used her own microwave to heat up her dinner in her own kitchen that you cooked for her.

We've always done crackers after the main course in our family. I'd be annoyed if I had to do them while food was getting cold, though I wouldn't say anything. Surely, they would feel rushed too as everyone just wants to eat?

We had six. We covered all with tin foil then removed it at last second. We do crackers after the meal. Ours were lovely and hot.

I'm just amazed you managed to cook for 11 people in a kitchen your probably not familiar with either. Bloody well done lovely! To criticise the food you had cooked was rude of her.
Absolutely do not offer next year!

freed up table space I meant

Last year we were 15 and we put all the food on the counter covered and you helped yourself like a hotel in a line. Worked really well and freed up counter space.

Anyone that criticises food another person has made for them for free is an utter knob though.

Sounds like she was just being rude. Food goes cold fast, if I left food on the gantry at work with no light on it would be cool in minutes. If I was serving that many I'd of just popped each plate in the mic for a minute before sending it out, and I'd of definetely said crackers and toasts after dinner not before :)

Roasts yes.

If I’m hosting 11 I wouldn’t even attempt a roast. Too many dishes and timings.

My go to lots of people sit down meal:
Beef bourginion ( on hob in large le creusent type pot with lid), potato dauphinois ( large dish in oven), garlic butter green beans dish ( or other similar veg) also done on hob. All one pot type things, all stay hot.

I didn't have a question, and I'm definitely not about to source/buy something so massively bulky when as I said I have zero plans to ever host so many 🙂 (and honestly whenever I've been served from a hostess trolley the veg is massively overcooked from sitting in there hot and waiting 🤷‍♀️)
2 little kids here, we have enough stuff filling our space, and I suspect many won't have space for something like it 🙂

If it was me and my food was cold I would have sucked it up and not mentioned anything as I would have appreciated what the host had to do to cook for that many people and get it to the table. It was a bit rude I think but don't let that get you down you did a fantastic job

A few of us popped it in the microwave too. I was on warming duties, I kept alternating the things we cooked earlier to heat them but by the time everything’s out it’s not that hot. Don’t feel offended, it’s hard to do. I would just say in advance if anyone wants to warm theirs up let me know as hard to get it all out and stay hot when there’s a lot

After two decades of hosting I'd bite your hand off for a lukewarm meal with hot gravy that I didn't have to shop/prep/cook and imho the people most apt to criticise are the buggers who've never actually hosted on that scale before

This is so true. Your SILs are rude arseholes OP, let one of them see how they get on next year

She was rude. I struggle with 4 roasts, so 11? Silly woman.

Forgot to add. We bought a heated plate warmer a few years go and it's a life changer. Plugs in and you sit the plates between heated padded fabric. It can probably heat 6 to 8 plates and works brilliantly. Relatively inexpensive too.

Like others have said, skip the toast and crackers. We've never down either of those at the start of Christmas Dinner for the very reason that food will get cold.

It's the hardest thing about cooking for lots of people, so don't beat yourself up about it too much. I would be fine with guests asking to zap in the microwave, but moaning is very rude.

If I had room for a hostess trolley I would definitely get one, but I don't want to have something that only gets used once a year. I might get one if those tabletop heated things one day, but they don't really hold much. Certainly not enough to serve 11. I do use insulated dishes sometimes, but they aren't the prettiest.

Most of my serving dishes are vintage tureen with lids, which helps a bit.

I also sometimes hold back a proportion of things like roast potatoes and parsnips in the turned off oven. The residual heat keeps them hot enough to bring out for the last few people serving themselves.

There's only so much you can do and you aren't a restaurant. Guests should just be grateful that someone else has cooked them the most demanding meal of the year.