HELP! 10 people for xmas dinner only 1 oven?

squeaky

This is a good question for our Christmas board, so I'll move you all across.

Good luck

whatatwit

For the last couple of years, i have got my turkey from the deli where i sometimes work, pre-cooked turkey crown on the bone. (not that plasric stuff)
It carves beautifully into thick slices and then I put it in a large pyrex dish, drown it with warm gravy and cover with foil. This then goes into oven to heat through.
You could as another poster has mentioned pre-cook your own turkey and do this.
I have a hostess tray, with 4 pyrex lidded dishes in the top. if you can get one, they are fab. Ours was a wedding present 15 years ago.
Don't overcook the veg though and only put a drop of water into the dish, as it then steams the veg through. The dishes can go straight to table.

Roasties will take longer than usual, i'm sure it must be due to a power surge through the country as my oven does not get as hot.

Go for a cold starter, melon or prawns/salmon. This can be plated up and on the table ready.
If possible turn the heating off in the dining room, it will soon warm up...

Have fun.

chardonnay_2

you don't have to serve the meat warm especially if you have gravy. try borrowing another shelf from family who are coming to dinner.

clairg_2

We're having 13 for dinner we've told everyone we're not having a roast at all this year, but lamb shanks with figs and honey (cooked on the top of cooker the night before(tastes better)) with sweet potatoe and potatoe mash and some sort of beanie thing, after a few glasses of wine no body will mind what their eating as long as they eat too much of it!! good luck

Debbie_S

My in-laws are using their gas barbeque this year as their oven is small too.

troll35

When I was at university we managed to cook a Christmas dinner for 10 people on a two ring baby belling cooker with a tiny oven the size of a standard grill. We begged and borrowed a couple of steamer pans (this was before electric steamers!) so that we could cook enough veg.
We actually cooked those bernard matthews turkey roasts as it was the only way we could fit enough meat in the oven (you could barely fit a small chicken in it). The meat was then left in foil in the roasting tin and wrapped in several layers of towels to keep warm. The pudding was steamed on the hob and like the turkey kept warm wrapped in towels. This left the two hob rings free for the veg and the oven for as many roasties as we could fit in. The meal was a huge success:)

When it's our turn to host Christmas I do the same, all be it with a proper turkey and a double oven as there are usually 15 to 17 of us for christmas dinner. It's all down to careful planning. Good Luck!

Amanda65

I always cook my turkey on Christmas eve daytime and then leave it covered in the garage overnight to cool. On Christmas morning I slice what I need (much easier to slice cold!) and then lay this at the bottom of a roasting tin with a couple of stock cubes, some of the turkey jelly and some water to just cover the meat. Cover the tin with foil heat up for about a half an hour in a warm oven (Gas mark 5ish) and then move to sit at the bottom of the oven while you roast potatoes are cooking. The 'gravy' kepes the meat moist and can always be topped up with water if necessary adn teh result is lovely moist turkey slices!

wallyberry

I think you're worrying unnecessarily! Don't panic. As everyone almost has said, you can take the turky out so long before you need it that you have time to do everything else. in the one oven you've got. If you want timings have a look in any of the Christmas cooking books (Delia's Christmas Collection springs immediately to mind), which you might well be able to get out of the library or cheaply second hand. I expect there will be plenty of them online too.

I've done Christmas dinner for that many a few times and the key is getting things organised in advance. Try the 'flying in uk Christmas countdown' if you like - a weekly guide to sorting out your Christmas. It started in September but you can still pick it up and make a difference.

In my kitchen it's not the oven space that's the problem, it's keeping the dishes and prepared veg and stuff on the worktops and the people out that is difficult!

reverie

Planning your veg carefully helps. I do things I can warm up at the last minute in the microwave and this always saves me when cooking in my tiny oven for lots of people. Swede/carrot mash made earlier, or sweet potatoes, spinach is also fab as it cooks in 3 mins in microwave. Hope you have a lovely lunch!

Quackers

reverie wrote:

Planning your veg carefully helps. I do things I can warm up at the last minute in the microwave and this always saves me when cooking in my tiny oven for lots of people. Swede/carrot mash made earlier, or sweet potatoes, spinach is also fab as it cooks in 3 mins in microwave. Hope you have a lovely lunch!

I do this too.

I always make my mash in the morning and just heat it up before we eat.

I'm cooking for 10 on Christmas day too.

I do the sausage/bacon wrap thingies under the grill.

The Turkey is cooked on Christmas Eve by my husband

In the oven on the day is just stuffing, roast potatoes, roast carrots & cauliflower cheese.