DH complaining about my Christmas Dinner

[TuffasOldBoots]

Primarily the beef! Which wasn’t good - tough as old boots he said. Reminded him of a shoe etc.

DH worked Christmas Day, home at 2. We have small children and I spend the morning/afternoon running between the kitchen and the living room cooking/playing with the kids/opening presents/building toys and cleaning and cooking a big Christmas dinner.

Main was a huge turkey crown which was beautiful, everyone enjoyed it. All fresh veg, homemade cauliflower cheese, Yorkshires, all the trimmings etc. Beef was an extra (small joint) but not the main event. Texted DH in the morning-help! I’ve never cooked beef before (I eat mostly a vegetarian diet) how long does he want me to cook it for? Just guess! Was his reply!

Served up the dinner and he moaned and moaned about how the beef was like an old boot and he could barely cut through it.

It was very tough-told him to leave it and just eat the turkey.

To make it worse - his family came over in the evening and they asked how our dinner was and all he could mention was the beef being like old boots and our kids laughed along. His Mum then offered to teach me how to cook beef. Grr! He also commented on how much I had spent on the turkey this year-it was expensive but I was alone with the children and had to wait for DH to be home so I could shop for it, not much left and spend a lot more than usual.

Felt like I was in the kitchen for several hours prepping, cooking and cleaning. I was exhausted when he came home. AIBU? I was v.embarrassed when he mentioned it in front of his family and it sounded like the whole of my dinner was shit when it was only one of many other dishes.

Obviously it should say beef not book 🙄😂

did the beef write this

Well on this occasion it was because the DH wasn't even in the house at the time the meal was being cooked. He was at work. It says so in the OP.

Besides, the OP said she'd tried to find out what the cooking instructions were and got confused because there was too much contradictory advice. So I provided the correct cooking times for an ordinary beef roasting joint.

If he is going to complain he should cook next time.

He’s an ungrateful arse and he can do it all for yiu next year. I ccomoletely understand how hurtful it feels when you’ve made so much effort. I once hosted Christmas dinner for my ex’s family of 17 and when I asked him what he thought of the meal, he said he thought the turkey was too moist! No surprise that he became an ex a year or so later 😂

Whatever you do next year, don't be trying to do all the prep on Christmas Day. Therein lies madness and missing time with the family. Prep absolutely every last thing the day before and then it's just a case of sticking stuff in the oven, turning on the hob etc.

Google is your friend, so is a meat thermometer. Best advice my vegetarian friend gave me who prepares tonnes of meat dishes, particularly roasts, for her Greek husband. So much so, that I didn’t know she was vegetarian (well, pescatarian).

she looks up how long per weight and at what temp to cook things. She also has recommended loads of marinades. Tells me it helps create the juiciest meats, never dry. And she doesn’t eat it!

we go out often together for girly days/nights out. I usually order fish or shellfish because I don’t get it at home so much (never shellfish), so I never noticed.

What an utter git, so disrespectful. Even when I have a kitchen disaster DH is usually saying it’s fine whilst I complain (and yes some beef is just crap).

Next year I suggest you both prepare everything the day or two before Christmas. We spend time on Christmas Eve peeling and parboiling vegetables, making stuffing etc so on Christmas day it’s much easier. Then stuff is put out in dishes for people to help themselves so I’m not spending ages dishing up and remembering who wants what.

I’m at my Mums all day Christmas Eve so prepping in advance is difficult. I will definitely scale back if on my own next year and definitely no beef! 🥩

If my DH did that I would never cook a meal for him again. Your DH is an entitled arsehole.

As per a previous poster, prep as much as you can prior to Christmas Day. It doesn’t have to be done Christmas Eve either. I peel and chop veg then bag it up a couple of days in advance. Potatoes can be par boiled and coated in the fat/oil of your choice, spices, etc the day before Christmas Eve. Mashed potatoes can be prepared and refrigerated ready to be heated up and cream/butter to be added on the day. Gravy can be made ahead. Everything can be pre-prepared (almost). Next year just plan what you’re having and prep ahead. It just makes it so much less hassle on the day. Your DH, however, is an arse!! Big hugs OP xxx

IF you agree to cook next year it's nut roast for everyone I'm not joking. He's so rude.
I would really fall out with him over this.

That was so mean of your DH, you managed fantastically to cook a Christmas feast whilst opening gifts and entertaining your young children. I know difficult this is!

As for the beef, I don’t think it was your fault. I’ve had a couple of really tough/unchewable joints from Tesco, usually on the Clubcard special offers. Perhaps you could buy just one more for your husband to cook as a new Year treat and see how he gets on, ungrateful git.

If I am attempting to cook anything that I am not sure what Fan oven temperature to use or how long to cook it for then the very first thing I do is GOOGLE it before I even make a start!! 🙄
These days there is really no excuse for ignorance unless of course you don't have a smart phone or the internet but thinking about that surely there might be someone in the family, Mum or Gran who could be rang for info?! 🤔

Slightly your own doing I'm afraid, you should have got him to do jobs then he'd shut up. What a git.

He does sound a complete douche, however nowadays most meats do have a recommended cooking time printed on the label so all you need to do is read that

If purchased from a supermarket meat has the timings on it or it’s a simple google just as quick as to type a string of texts back and forward. Also if he was working he won’t be able to sit there and type out a list of how to cook it? I dunno we had beef yesterday and it wasn’t the best we’ve cooked and we both made comments about it and joked but it depends how your household/ relationship works I guess. I’d much prefer the way he did it to someone pretending it was lovely

Fucking twat. Why on earth did you even give yourself so much work by cooking two meats? Your dinner sounds lovely and he’s some cheek criticising one element of it.
I’d be giving him a piece of my mind.
As an aside, didn’t the beef have any instructions on it? You could also have googled it as others have suggested, but that’s by the by.

This, absolutely.
One element of the meal (an unnecessary part IMO) was sub par, the rest was lovely. And yet rather than praising the lovely dinner he rubbished and made fun of the less good element. To other people. I would be SO angry about this, it would be a long time before he got anything other than beans on toast

I cook all beef in the crockpot/slow cooker. It never fails to turn out fork-tender and quite delicious.

Cheese sandwiches for him next year!

Tell him to piss off and cook it himself next year!!