To want to eat my Xmas dinner while it is hot?

[XmasSprouts]

So today we had Christmas with some family we don’t normally see for Christmas.
They gave us cold plates and all the trimming were put on the table and we were told to serve ourselves. No sign of the turkey. Then they cleared the table to make way for the turkey. It was brought out like Simba in the lion king, I think we were supposed to gasp in delight.
Then it was slowly carved at the table whilst our food went cold. By the time I got my first bite everything was stone cold.
I really prioritise having everything hot when I host. Hot plates, warmed serving dishes and meat carved before serving everything else. Gravy put in jugs last so it is piping hot.
So AIBU to want my Christmas dinner to be hot?

ps this is tongue in cheek as I am grateful not to cook today and know not everybody has the experience to present a good meal for a large group.

This really made me laugh 🤣

Yes, I do at Christmas. We have two ovens. I heat the crockery in the small oven towards the end of the time when the roast potatoes and parsnips are cooking in the big oven. When there are a lot of different components to a dish having hot plates, gravy boat and serving dishes help considerably with keeping the food hot all through the protracted business of serving up. We have everything in the middle of the table and people help themselves.

If you’re in the ‘I want to eat while it’s hot’ camp this is the thing to do!
Carbs and pigs I find stay warm easily and the carrots, sprouts etc. go cold quickly, so they get served last.
We have some carving faffers in the family too. The plates go in the oven while they slice, gravy goes in a hot boat and what’s left stays on the hob for refills.

This is why our mothers had a hostess trolley. Veg all cooked, kept warm. Turkey arrives, carved (or in bil's case cut up like jack the ripper) and then the veg pops out of the trolley, with warm plates and last fresh from the hob 10 pints of gravy...think enough to slice

So stand up and microwave it. The ‘must be piping hot’ brigade annoy me because I don’t particularly care and they’re always there shoving their plates at the already full oven while I juggle the 15 constituents having prepped and cooked alone.

I got a heated serving caddy to help but apparently DPIL want it to actually scald their mouths.

We had chafing dishes this year.... Life saver.

Also meant anyone for second/third helpings had hot food :)

quickest way to heat plates, …pour boiling water over them, Easy 👍

I have never heated plates. I don't like really hot food, I was brought up to wait for my dinner to cool down before eating. It was considered rude, greedy and impatient to rush and there was a risk of burning yourself. Warm yes but not super hot and definitely not hot plates that you can't touch.

Honestly, I think the obsession with "piping hot" food is ridiculous.

Even if food is scalding hot when it's served, it will cool down when you're eating it. Unless you are eating it straight out of the oven, it will always cool down.

YANBU.

I really dislike cold food that was supposed to be eaten hot.
I cannot understand people putting hot food on cold plates either - to be fair MIL does not do this.
When eating at MILs, there is a queue at the microwave with people waiting to heat up their meals.

I was somebody's guest and mine was cold too. Stone cold plates and tepid gravy. All the veg put into cold bowls to serve from. Meat left on the side for ages. It really annoys me, as I always serve food piping hot on warm plates.

I laughed out loud at your Simba comment op!

We had a Spanish exchange student this year who could not understand the British obsession with eating food whilst it is hot, he says he eats most food at home at room temperature

he said it is probably to do with it being so cold that the only heat we get is from our food being hot and drinking hot beverages 😁😁😁

he was not being rude just terribly serious about trying to understand cultural differences

The only place I've heard it is MN, or my.mother. I'm certain many families don't bother with this anymore. Can't say I've ever noticed food served on or from unheated dishes as cold either.

My mum would always complain food wasn’t hot enough. She would drink a cup of tea the second it was made
I remember my dad giving her some soup that was actually bubbling and she said “it’s cold”
his reply was “wtf do you want, lava?!”
i am sure it was a default response to any form of food or drink

Racism!

Either straight out of the dishwasher, or microwave them in our house.

That sounds annoying and why I plate up in the kitchen and zap in the microwave. No faffing about with crackers etc etc either as serving food hot is a priority for us.

Microwaved plates or mugs taste of ceramic.

I just pop the plates in the oven for a minute or two after everything else comes out. It's hardly complicated. Even sitting them near the vents of the microwave takes the chill off, if I'm using it.

Agreed, utterly bizarre. I find it incredibly annoying when you are told to mind your plate in a restaurant because it's hot, I don't want a fucking scalding hot plate! Sometimes they do it when it's a child's meal!

My food goes straight from oven to table for people to serve. It hardly has a chance to cool. What are people doing for it to get so cold?

I'd far rather have luke-warm food I can tuck straight into than roasting hot that I can't eat for 10 minutes.

I haven't seen anyone warm a plate for years but if I was as someone's house and saw they were planning to I would politely request a normal room temperature one to be kept aside for me.

Not warming plates is a working class thing.
Hot food is supposed to be served on warm plates.
You should never get a cold plate with hot food in a restaurant either.

Well I think that's bollocks.

Do you normally keep your plates in the fridge? Why do they have "a chill"??