Having all the food hot

[smileannie]

How can I make sure all the veggies that I’ve cooked earlier in the day are hot enough when they are served. Will be using microwave but worried that by the time I’ve done them all the first ones will be getting cold. I thought of just putting them on the table as soon as they are ready and tell everyone to start eating while DH and I heat the other dishes up.

Hot plates will help, as will hot pans, serving dishes and hot gravy!

It’s a fucking ballache and I don’t have the answer but I struggle every year, compounded by the fact my plates have a metallic bit on them so I can’t put them in microwave.

Sorry, no help-just sympathy

Do the best you can and most importantly, hot gravy

This is the hardest part of cooking Christmas lunch. It won’t help you this year but last year we bought one of those buffet food warmer type things, it has 2 big dishes and two smaller so perfect for the vegetables, mashed potatoes etc. Game changer!!

I put them into their dishes and wrap with foil then onto table. Keeps the veg hot and potatoes straight from the oven. Meat rests and then the hot gravy does it’s job.

Warm the plates before serving.

Put the plates in the dishwasher tuned to finish 5min before you want them. They will be hot.

Why cook vegetables before? There is no need at all!

They sit in serving bowls in the top oven. Sometimes need to rotate a bit, if it doesn't all fit.

Very hot serving dishes and plates
Put veg in their serving dishes in the oven while the turkey is resting.
Everyone seated before any of the food comes out!

Also, remember only at home do we eat food piping hot.

Why are you cooking veg the day before? I prep mine the night before and bag them up, then cook on the day in a triple decker steamer, very easy.

Top oven on low heat to keep them warm once you've zapped them?

I could kick myself for not keeping my nan's hostess trolley.

Obviously too late for this year, but could you warm some of them on the hob? I typically have something cooking in water on bottom layer of a steamer pot with two more veggies stacked on top and a stack of plates in lieu of a lid. Sounds precarious written down but it’s quite stable and safe. It takes some of the pressure off the microwave.

I cook things on the hob, transfer into a pre warmed dish cover with foil and place on top of whatever is left cooking.

This keeps it hot. As veg cooks, strain and add to the dish of cooked veg.

I end up with three dishes, covered in foil, one on top of gravy in a saucepan and the others on top of simmering pans of water.

Its how things were kept warm before microwaves in the 1970's. Saves on oven space and nothing dries out.