Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Christmas dinner with no oven

67 replies

TheDramaLlama123 · 05/12/2018 22:18

I need ideas for Christmas dinner. We’ve been without a fully functioning cooker for 6 months, was hoping to get one by Christmas this year, but I can’t. We have one working hob and a microwave.

So need Christmas dinner ideas.

I can’t afford to eat out before you suggest that (I wish I could!)
It’s just me and three DC’s. they are sick of stew. I’m really depressed at the idea of not having Christmas dinner. Any ideas welcome!

OP posts:
Avrannakern · 05/12/2018 22:21

Can you afford to buy a counter top oven? They start around £40. I have one as an extra oven for big dinners and for breakfast muffins etc. You could roast a chicken in it, and then kept wrapped in foil to keep warm whilst you cook any other oven food for Xmas dinner.

Sweetooth92 · 05/12/2018 22:21

Have you a slow cooker? (Can get for around £10 if not) Could do the meat in there, get a pre stuffed one so there’s stuffing, pop pigs in blankets in too and can make gravy in there after with the juices, then a steamer pan on the hob with potatoes for mash & veg ontop. Could get cauliflower cheese/microwave veg if not. Won’t be perfect but about as close to a Christmas dinner as you can get!

Cleanermaidcook · 05/12/2018 22:26

Buy sliced cooked chicken/Turkey and do veg in a steamer, mashed potatoes in pan, sorted ☺

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Events & celebrations General food
Joinourclub · 05/12/2018 22:31

Cleanermaidcook yes! Like I remember School Christmas dinners! Sliced ‘sandwich’ turkey with hot gravy. Yum. There are recipes for pan cooked roast potatoes eg www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes/pan-roast-potatoes

Original poster
TheDramaLlama123 · 05/12/2018 22:33

Brilliant ideas, I like the slow cooker ideas as could be helpful after Christmas too! Can’t really afford a counter top oven.
Thanks all for the ideas!
Was very depressed at the idea of beans on toast for Christmas!

OP posts:
chickhonhoneybabe · 05/12/2018 22:35

Steam veg on the hob, and re heat chilled chicken from the chilled section in the microwave. Not sure about frozen Yorkshire puddings but assume you can bung them in the microwave too

PinkFizzz · 05/12/2018 22:36

You could buy one of the cooked chickens from supermarket on Xmas eve, carve and reheat in a pan with gravy on the day. Mum does her turkey like that to save faff of carving it while trying to serve everything else.

Excitedforxmas · 05/12/2018 22:37

A halogen oven

Cleanermaidcook · 05/12/2018 22:38

I sometimes do a 'cheat' roast in the week if I can't be bothered or haven't got time to cook a joking and buy sliced cooked meat from the deli counter and pour gravy on it 😁😁

Ormally · 05/12/2018 22:38

Not sure about how you would work out the veg you would want to have, but I might try:
saute potatoes in a frying pan on the hob instead of roast (sad not to have roast though) - they are cut smaller and squarer but usually turn out closer to roasties than chips. They are nice if you add a bit of parsley or garlic powder at the end and shake around.
Likewise fry chipolatas and streaky bacon pieces, not sure that pigs in blankets would completely cook but they could if deconstructed.
You could keep the above warm in a dish that's sitting within a larger dish with boiling water poured in between the 2 (keep topping this up if it gets cool while you are doing the rest). And cover with foil.
Boil other veg that will cook together in a saucepan - carrots, peas, leeks?
Then I think I'd say consider one of the following:
Get a cheapish plug-in grill in advance (only know of the George Foreman ones but others are available) and grill a couple of chicken or turkey breasts at a time in it. Butterflying them will make this pretty quick. Marinate these overnight (look on the web for inspiration) if you want. This should not take as long as it would to fry or bake them.
or:
do boiled smoked gammon in a very large saucepan instead (add a mini apple juice carton, half an onion, not chopped, a bayleaf and a stick of celery and a carrot cut lengthways to the stock, only simmer rather than boil violently). This will take much longer than sausages and veg though, would say about 2 hours, so might have to be kept warm while you do the trimmings afterwards instead of the other way round.
Hope you find something that you like!

chickhonhoneybabe · 05/12/2018 22:39

Slow cooker is also a good idea for the chicken/turkey ect you could throw in some veg towards the end or you could cook a ham in it too

Cleanermaidcook · 05/12/2018 22:39

Joint not joking (auto correct fail)

Graphista · 05/12/2018 22:41

Meat - can be done in slow cooker or sliced covered in gravy & done in microwave.

Pigs in blankets - either slow cooker or fried

Potatoes & sprouts - can also be fried at least partly

Mash, other veg - on hob as usual

Yorkies can apparently be made in microwave or pan, or frozen ones heated in micro?

Summerisdone · 05/12/2018 22:42

Can you get a cheap halogen or counter top oven as a temporary? I've used only a halogen for the past 4 years (there is only myself and 4Yo though), but my mum used a counter top oven/ microwave for 2 years, that was including cooking Christmas dinner for 9-13 people 3 times

RomaineCalm · 05/12/2018 22:43

Do you have a barbecue or could you borrow one? Might be an option...

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/dec/20/how-cook-christmas-turkey-barbecue

AutumnCrow · 05/12/2018 22:44

Iceland sells microwaveable meats in gravy. I think their 'trimmings' are microwaveable too (pigs in blankets, stuffing).

RomaineCalm · 05/12/2018 22:45

Another thought... do you have nice neighbours? Could you ask to use their oven the day before to cook a turkey and then just reheat on Christmas Day? They don't need to know that you haven't had an oven for 6 months, perhaps it's suddenly packed up at the worst possible time.

Fluffyears · 05/12/2018 22:47

My mum used to chuck roast spuds into the chip pan after parboiling to save oven space. Get a large pan and heat some oil (no more than 1/3 full) once oil is really hot out in the spuds. Make sure you are constantly nearby and have a teatowel ready....if it goes on fire a wet teatowel will sort it out. Never had a chip pan fire in over 20 years of my mum using one though.

Tony2 · 05/12/2018 22:48

How about chicken thighs, tasty enough (well, to me)! Could fry them off fine, pigs in blankets fried too (lots of frying). Veg on hob, dunno what I'd do about roasters tho. Im sure there's some gizmo you can get to mimic roasting in microwave but more expense. The old Paxo, just add water isn't it, done me fine. I've used those bags of gravy, bit more expensive but good, no need for roasting juices, microwave. Bread sauce on hob, dollop of cranberry sauce. Xmas pud in microwave if it's your thing. Rambling aren't I, sorry.

sackrifice · 05/12/2018 22:49

parboil the potatoes and then fry, fry the chicken in with them, you could also add in stuffing balls to that, you'll need a big pan.

In a big saucepan, pop your veggies, carrots, cauli, brocolli, sprouts etc. Boil or steam.

Use gravy granules for t'gravy and bob's your.

I often refry cold roast veggies for a monday treat if i make too much.

shiningstar2 · 05/12/2018 22:54

Do a turkey crown in the slow cooker. Do day before releasing the slow cooker for next day. Sprouts in slow cooker in the day leaving one hob for lovely buttery mashed potatoes. Take off the hob about 8 minutes before done. Keep in pan in the boiling water with lid on. use the hob to fry pigs in blankets. Wrap in tin foil to keep hot. Return the potatoes to hob to finish. While this is happening put peas and carrots in microwave to do together. Use kettle and jug to make gravy with granuals. Not perfect but doable keeping everything hot and ready together. The turkey will be moist and delicious.

Penguinsetpandas · 05/12/2018 22:57

Just looked online and it reckons you can cook turkey in a microwave and it comes out OK. Best to look at instructions microwave comes with so not to get food poisoning but looks possible. Rest should be fine boiled or microwaved.

Teakind · 05/12/2018 22:59

I know someone who always barbecues their Christmas turkey and says it’s amazing. I’ve never tried it myself but might be worth a try.

The slow cooker idea is probably easier though : )

BiddyPop · 05/12/2018 23:04

I haven’t read other contributors yet, but o remember Nigella once doing something with lamb chops in a hurry - she made “baby roast potatoes “ by frying gnocchi’s in a pan.

Something using turkey steaks rather than a joint and frying them like a beef steak, let them rest before serving, still have gravy.

Do a pancake/frittata type thing of stuffing on another pan - low and slow cooking and turn it a few times.

And a stir fry of veggies. Including carrots, onions, shredded sprouts (if they’ll eat sprouts).

All that should only need a hob and a few pans and a pot.

If you have a slow cooker, you may be able to do a larger turkey joint, possibly on a base of veg.

Or do you have a bbq? I know - it’s winter. But DF loves doing legs of lamb on the bbq and I know some people do chickens that way so I’m sure turkey, or at least joints of turkey, would be possible and do everything else indoors.

Nat6999 · 05/12/2018 23:28

Halogen ovens do the best Roasties, couldn't you do the turkey in the slow cooker & if you can get a halogen oven, do the Roasties, parsnips, pigs in blankets & stuffing in that. Argos have a cookworks one for about £45 that's quite big, you would get everything in it & can use it afterwards until you get a proper oven. I hardly use my big oven, it's easier to use the halogen & takes less cleaning.