do you have christmas dinner displayed on the table help yourself style ?

[littlepaddypaws]

i wonder about this when i see this onads or in shows when all the food is on the table and dishes are handed round to god knows how many people. doesn't the food get cold ? do people rush to put it in the microwave ?
when i plate up a normal dinner, if it's cooling it has a quick blast inthe microwave, however roast is very full on.
so what do you do ? cold food or get in the queue and heat it up ?

We do have a hostess trolley but as long as your plates and serving dishes are all warm you’re fine. Make sure the gravy is hot!

My house is tiny, so my kitchen and table are small. I couldn't fit all of the serving bowls/platters in the centre of the table, even if I wanted to. Heck I have no storage to keep all of those bowls and platters in either! I plate up all of the meals straight from the oven/hob and bring to the table.

Does anyone know what temperature non-ovenproof plates can be put in an oven up to and for how long? TIA.

Ours is help yourself. I honestly think if you’re conscious of food waste it’s the best way to do it as everyone can take the amount they want and the left overs can be stored for later.

My DH eats 2/3X the portions I do. So does my DB/BIL and DF. DM eats even less than me and MIL Varys- no way I’m guessing how much everyone wants 👍🏻😂

I always serve roasts in a 'help yourself' style heated bowls, platters...but my OH really doesn't like it...after 5 years have now found a compromise that I'll carve and dish up some meat, stuffing and roast potatoes in the kitchen, bring in the plates plus all the rest of the veg etc in bowls/ serving dishes to the table (aswell as some more carved meat, stuffing and potatoes on a platter)- gravy stays heating on the stove as I can keep refilling as and when- kind of prompts my way instead of starting with empty plates (which is the bit I think he doesn't like)....

He's cooking this year.....just decided!

I plate it up in the kitchen as there’s not room on my table due to all the candles, ivy n shit, glassware and silverware.

Growing up it was always all the dishes on the table and passed round (although there were only ever 6/7 of us - so not like a huge gathering) Except my dad would carve the bird at the table give everyone a bit of different kinds of meat (breast or dark or whatever)and stuffings, then the bird would be put out in the kitchen out of the way.

DW is in charge of the dinner and she plates up, but there's no rationing involved because she piles it so high no-one could possibly complain about not getting a good share. Then smothered with piping hot gravy until the whole lot is nearly pouring off the edge of the plate.

I'm salivating now, can't wait another two weeks!

I genuinely did not realise that this was still a thing.
Nobody plates up here (Germany), it is unheard of. Food is put out on table (or on sideboard / in kitchen etc if no space) and everyone helps themselves. No plate warming either, and I've never noticed that the food gets cold.

Basillica

I would Love to do this but alas, our table is tiny. We're at MILs this year and she puts everything on the table to help ourselves. Can't wait!

Ours goes on the side in hot serving bowls and everyone helps themselves according to preference

No way would we fit it all on the table and it would take much longer to pass things round

I always go overboard on the favourites so no one has ever been short even when going last
People who are mean with Yorkshire puddings, roast parsnips and pigs in blankets should not host Christmas dinner!

@ohprettybaby as a PP said, you don't need ovenproof plates to warm them in the oven. You don't want them to be so hot that people can burn themselves, just have the oven at a low temperature (50 C) to warm them. That's cooler than a dishwasher.

Other ways to warm them are to run them through the dishwasher, put them in hot water in the sink or in the microwave with a small cup of water/plate warmer pads.

We always have serving dishes. If the dishes and plates are hot, the food stays hot. The food goes straight from the pan into the hot serving dish, into the warm oven for a few minutes while the rest of the food is put in dishes, then to the table along with the warm plates. It's more likely to get cold while you plate up for multiple people.

Every meal here is serve yourself, I hate someone choosing my food except in a restaurant

keep bowels and platter warm by placing them on portable warmer

My bowels are self-heating.

I have teens so it it was buffet style they would inhale the lot before anyone else got any!
I plate up what I consider a good amount and leave the rest on the side so people to help themselves to more.

My in laws have those warmers on the table like they use to use in Chinese restaurant - just need tealights!

the first person who goes round takes everything and is finished before the last person gets to sit down with their one small parsnip

So they don’t wait so everyone can eat together?

My MiL serves plates up, I think it’s weird.

Always help yourself, in the centre of the dining table.

This year we have 11 people in total though and although we have a massive long table (the dining and kitchen tables pushed together!) I don’t think it will be quite enough room.

We’re having turkey and beef this year so I think dh will have to plate up the meat (or at the very least the turkey) in the kitchen and just have everything else as serve yourself.

My friend has one of these which is brilliant, not least because you can plug it in anywhere, so it doesn't have to take up room in the kitchen: electric plate warmer

Ours is plated meat, stuffing and the first roastie for everyone.

Gravy, veggies and the rest of the potatoes are in the middle of the table to serve yourself.

There is always plenty of meat and stuffing left for those who want seconds, sometimes we put a plate of those in the middle and other times people get up to help themselves as required.

TBH we do a lot of meals that way - as it reduces waste and allows any fussy people to only take what they want. But others to take plenty if they want it.

Also, I hate the ‘responsibility’ of plating up...even when it’s just a Tuesday night spag Bol for me, Dh and the dc.

There’s always ds1 who’s not that hungry or ds2 who’s starving so wants loads or I have to remember one of them doesn’t like x so leave it off...faff.

Can’t even imagine trying to plate up for extended family too, I’d have a nervous break down

We're borrowing the MIL's hostess trolley - so 70s!!

Might have to crack open the Croft Original too

But to answer the Q, I like help yourself & DP likes it plated up - never realised this was working class - can't wait to burst his middle England aspirations -

I really don't like my food piping hot so this has never occurred to me as a problem

How cold are your kitchens/dining rooms that you need to warm serving dishes?!

Yes we have a ‘serve yourself’ for any roast dinner, there will be 11 or 12 of us this year (like most) and we don’t need to warm the dishes.

Mum and Dad used to use a hostess trolley, very 80's! When Mum and Dads sister come round to ours for Xmas dinner they help themselves, we never plate up. Its just grab it whilst its hot.