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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Making Christmas lunch without an oven

24 replies

Littleloaf · 19/12/2018 13:50

Having DM, MIL, PIL and BIL over for Christmas lunch, and our oven has broken! Have four rings on the stove and a microwave to work with.

What could I feasibly make for lunch?

I know it'd probably make more sense to go to one of their houses but it's our first Christmas in our new house and we've been very excited about doing it here!

OP posts:
JudasPrudy · 19/12/2018 13:51

Is there anyone nearby you could stick the turkey in their oven? Or just buy a new oven before then Confused even a halogen oven for pigs in blankets etc

JudasPrudy · 19/12/2018 13:51

Also you can make a ham in the slow cooker and it'll be lovely.

Babdoc · 19/12/2018 13:55

Get the relatives to cook the turkey the night before, refrigerate it and bring it with them, so you just need to warm the slices up after carving.
Alternatively, does your microwave have an oven function? It might be big enough to squeeze a turkey in at a pinch.

FrogFairy · 19/12/2018 13:58

Do you have a pressure cooker or slow cooker? This would give you more scope.

Original poster
Littleloaf · 19/12/2018 14:00

I do! I'd completely forgotten about it.

forgot to mention that I'm also a shit cook as well as an under-equipped one

OP posts:
stressedbeyond123 · 19/12/2018 14:00

Do you have a slow cooker/crockpot - get a small turkey and pop it in one of them on Christmas Eve to cook - failing that, as one of the relatives coming over Christmas Day if they wouldn't mind cooking the turkey and bringing it with them.
everything else can be done on stove/microwave

for what its worth - i done Christmas Dinner at my house last year for the first time as we had our kitchen done, but wasn't quite finished. I had an oven, but no hob, no sink....we got there and in a way it kind of added to the fun of the day x

FourFuxxakes · 19/12/2018 14:01

Get a cheap but large slow cooker and do the meat in there.
Microwave mash and veg.
Par boiled and deep fried "roast" potatoes and parsnips.
Do without a turkey or Yorkshire puddings.

Original poster
Littleloaf · 19/12/2018 14:07

Ah yes I could fry potatoes. It'd be an awful lunch without roasties

OP posts:
seventhgonickname · 19/12/2018 14:11

BBQ the turkey.My brother did this when they had a power cut and managed pigs in blankets(boiled the sausages first,wrapped in bacon on the BBQ after the turkey came off to cook the bacon,parsnips don't bbqwelk but carrots were ok.The other veg were done on the camping stove.It was a lot of fun and because of the candle light no one noticed the caramelised bits.

vivavivaviva · 19/12/2018 14:29

I had this, our first married Christmas - 4 in laws to host as well!

I did a boiled ham, mashed potatoes, red cabbage, lovely balsamic carrotty thing and gravy.

But saying that, I didn't have a slow cooker. I would probably now cook a chicken in a slow cooker, as boiled ham is a bit meh.

Good luck!!

knittedjest · 19/12/2018 14:32

Have an Australian Christmas. Deli meats, fresh fruits and seafoods, pasta salads etc.

WendyWoofer · 19/12/2018 14:38

Ask one of your guests to cook the turkey, roasties and pigs in blankets and fetch them with them, together with the fat to make gravy.

Malibucyprus · 19/12/2018 14:54

Meat and potatoes in the slow cooker, won't go crispy but they'll cook.

Microwave mashed potatoes, Sainsbury's own are the nicest.
Veg on the hob.

orangejuicer · 19/12/2018 17:24

Newborn in the house so no big dinner this year :) We're having steak instead - frying pan, easy!

Ihatemyseleffordoingthis · 19/12/2018 17:31

This happened to us 3 or 4 years ago. DD and I are vegetarian so didn't much care but my proposals for dealing with it were:
have poached salmon instead
use the camping dutch oven

Fuck it, do this fireplace roast dinner hack for laughs

nevermorelenore · 19/12/2018 17:32

You can get mini oven thingies for about £50, which would be handy for potatoes, pigs in blankets etc. I often see them second hand on Facebook marketplace.

If you get a turkey crown it might fit in the slow cooker.

SoftSheen · 20/12/2018 02:38

I don't think you can cook a decent traditional Christmas dinner.

I would do:

Smoked salmon as starter (on blinis with cream cheese, or however you prefer)

Steak with peppercorn sauce, saute potatoes, green beans and tenderstem broccoli

Christmas pudding etc

This would be somewhat festive, but would not require an oven.

Cherries101 · 20/12/2018 02:47

Instructions on how to microwave a turkey www.ehow.com/how_2300167_microwave-turkey.html

Also, you can pan roast potatoes or any veg on the hob. For roast potatoes a baking tray, an inch of oil, herbs and salt, and keep shaking them every now and again. Medium heat.

Roobub · 20/12/2018 04:43

You need to buy one of those freestanding plug in electric ovens. A large turkey crown would fit in I think. Then once cooked, if well wrapped in tin foil and tea towels it will stay warm / rest while you do the roast potatoes in the oven. All other veg can be fine on the hob. You'll have to forego other trimmings like pigs in blankets and yorkshires (if you have them).

Although in all honesty it's the best meal of the year... I think you'd be better off going to someone else's house where you can do it justice in a fully functioning kitchen! Maybe you could offer to host on boxing day and lay on a buffet / cold spread which would be much easier to achieve without oven!

Original poster
Littleloaf · 20/12/2018 05:00

Thanks so much for some great ideas. Has no idea you could use a baking tray on the hob. Also, smoked salmon and steak sound amazing.

Looks like our heating is also broken though so I might have to give up on the whole idea. It's one thing serving steak instead of turkey, another entirely that all your guests are bundled up in their costs because it's 10 degrees inside! Gotta love moving house Angry

OP posts:
BikeRunSki · 20/12/2018 05:58

If you on the UK mainland, Co-Op electrical cab deliver you an oven on Saturday. They take away the old one. If you are have an electric oven, and have one of those big separate oven sockets, you just need to plug the new one in.

BikeRunSki · 20/12/2018 05:59

Sorry - didn’t see update that heating is broken too.

sashh · 20/12/2018 06:05

I'd buy a steamer.

And get some SC liners

Cook the meat i the SC, lamb cooks wonderfully well so maybe a leg of lamb - you might need to bend it a bit but you will get it in.

Buy a second small SC and use it for pigs in blankets - stand them on the ends, if they are falling over then put them in mugs or ramekins.

Prep your veg and put in the steamer then you just need to set it to go 30 mins before you eat.

Boil soe potatoes and then fry them (deep frying is best) to give them the appearance of roasties.

Microwave the Xmas pudding and serve with shop bought cream.

Best of all the clean up will be minimal.

KirstyAllsoppsFatterTwin · 20/12/2018 06:11

Have you tried to get someone out to mend the oven? You still have a few days. Surely that would take less effort than trying to find ways to cook Christmas dinner on a hob.

If your oven and your heating have gone, you might have a problem on your main fuse board. There might be something faulty that is tripping other things.

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