Christmas dinner small kitchen can't keep food warm ??

[cleo333]

Hi , does anyone have any ideas to help with a kitchen with limited space to cook and 10 for dinner where we struggle to keep all the food hot ?

We have all the adults kids on Xmas day but really struggle to keep the food hot , we only have a standard oven and microwave and not much work top space ( we can set up another table though) . Every year we find the food is not that hot any ideas ?

I’d say you have to keep it fairly simple, not a mass of different sides and vegetables.
If you’re having a turkey, or any other good-sized roast, it will keep hot for ages (and carve better) if wrapped in foil with a couple of tea towels on top. (Before it dawned on me that this was the way to go, I used to have the same dilemma - a lot of guests and not enough kitchen/oven space.)

That will give you plenty of time for roast potatoes (pre parboiled) plus any other roast/baked items (e.g. roasted veg, pigs in blankets) and any veg that are cooked on the hob.

As pps have said, hot plates are a good idea.

Slow cooker is a good shout if you have one or can borrow one. We have the warming trays others have linked to and they are really handy! Not just for Christmas but any occasion when you’re feeding a crowd. The top section comes off leaving a warning plate which I use when we have takeaways to keep it warm when returning for seconds! At Christmas I put them on the dining table, turn them on then put stuff in there as it’s ready. We have two small ones so gives 6 sections.

Do you have or can borrow a large cool box? It will keep food warm.

Get two extra washing up bowls and put 5 dinner plates in each. Fill them with boiling water. Put a tight tin foil lid on each and set aside. They'll stay very hot for about 45 mins to an hour in another room (safe from little prying fingers who we do not want to get burnt)

Hot plates go a long way to keeping food hot.

Make your gravy into a large teapot. And I wholeheartedly advocate the instant kind. Not faffing about with pan juices - they just go cold too quickly. Make it and put a cosy on it and again put it out of the kitchen away from little fingers. It's my best Christmas advice. Hot gravy really helps a meal. And a teapot is a lot safer than a gravy boat or a random jug. Everyone will nick this idea because it's brilliant. Trademark Crucible....

When a vegetable is cooked, strain off the liquid into a strainer and put the strainer over the hot pot it came from, over the turned off gas hob, which should still have residual heat. Put a smaller plate (probably a side plate size will fit) over the top of the strainer) and you'll have them steamy and still warm for longer. Trap the steam!

Beware of extractor fans and open doors. Yes you need air and people need to move about but don't lose ambient cooking heat in a smaller kitchen.

Peas are hard to keep warm. Make them last of all, probably when food is being served, and line the serving dish with tin foil.

Most of all, wrap the joint in clean fully towels, and make sure it's on a towel too. A cold surface can rapidly cool a turkey dish. Do not cook it in a big foil tray, the ones that get flogged everywhere at this time of year to save washing up. They're an absolute safety nightmare for a big joint. Get a proper dish to roast in. It will stay hotter. Charity shops usually have something.

Good luck. You'll be grand X Merry Christmas.

Cook the turkey first then wrap in tin foil and tea towels. It will stay hot for over 30 mins and good to rest it anyway. Put roast potatoes (cut medium size), sausages, stuffing and dauphinoise potatoes in the oven - thirty minutes does the lot. Dauphinoise stay hot longer than boiled because of the creamy sauce (I cheat and buy ready made). For veg I usually do carrots, green beans, sprouts and cauliflower. This can all be done with one four ring cooker.

I'm loving the teapot idea, definitely going to try that this year. Thank you Crucible😄

Most welcome!