topic Re: Christmas Dinner 2022 - beautiful and budget in Off-Topic

Christmas Dinner 2022 - beautiful and budget

TallTrees — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 11:24:03 GMT

Christmas Dinner 2022
This Christmas I am thinking of budget both with using energy and overall cost of food but still healthy fresh, tasty and best of all I should be able to achieve all the Christmas Fayre by using different methods of cooking to achieve economy one way or another.
I have always been fascinated by cooking not only the food but the way it is cooked and in what and the heat generated to carry this out.
Sometimes I want a couple of Jacket Potatoes, but to heat up a huge oven for these would not be economic, so these are 7 of my go to it - little helpers:
Getting away from the Electric Oven (use it less and fully utilise it when using)
1. A Tower Slow Cooker (Electric) This is great, put meat veg etc., in pot, first thing come home to hot dinner.

2. An Omnia Yacht Oven (I have only used on Gas hob) This cooks everything bread, cakes, meat, stew etc. Jacket Potatoes

3. A Dutch Oven or a cast iron Le Creuset pot (can be put on hob or inside the oven under grill on barby and freezer safe) I also put this on a cast iron stone on the gas hob gets the heat down really low. 24cm seems to do it all size wise. This will cook everything including bread etc.

4. Cast Iron Stone (mainly for gas hob but good for electric hobs) scotch pancakes, Welsh cakes, heats up wraps or making flat breads ~ then after finished, use up remaining heat put on Stove Kettle, then only needs top up heat for tea/coffee.

5. Cast Iron Griddle mainly used to grill sausages, meat etc.

6. Tower Pressure Cooker this is very versatile.

7. WOK

I have had these "can't do without" for years and used them over and over.
I am not hampered by only Roast Turkey or Chicken etc., for Christmas but all my little ovens will cook everything economically, depending on size of course!
I don't have an air fryer so anyone likes to join in I would love to hear

Christmas Festive Food using this.

Photos too.
African Ladies :
The ladies of South Africa make a Wonder Bag. Basically a shaped and lidded soft bag filled full of polystyrene beads. They cook on an open fire a casserole everything is cooked as usual (using small pieces of meat and small veggies) and simmered for a few minutes, then put lid on pot. A thick wood board is placed in the bottom of the bag to prevent bag from burning. Tied up and left all day about 8hrs. Cooked for next to nothing.
Need to make sure all is thoroughly cooked so experimenting will be necessary.
If things continue as they have been with energy prices, I will be there, too.

This is as "Fuel economical" as I can get presently:
Turkey Dinner ~ my Le Creuset will cook a Turkey Crown roasting style on top of Hob - Good size one too
Gammon Ham - my Le Creuset will cook this perfectly and is succulent too.
I use a Trivet for the Ham with about 1ltr of water for 3hrs. very low heat. Found great gammons at 1kg
Chicken Dinner ~ Roasted in the Le Creuset - good value Whole Chicken (or just chicken breasts prime meat no waste)
Everything else can be cooked in my Omnia. Roast or Jacket potatoes. Stuffing balls etc.
Sausages and or bacon, I cook on the hob too on my Cast iron griddle pan.
Depending on the amount of vegetables needed ~ cook in the pressure cooker or in a saucepan lid on low heat.
What's for my Christmas Din Dins?
Steak and Kidney Puff Pastry Pie : cooked in the Dutch Oven Le Crueset

Cauliflower, Peas and Carrots, Mashed potatoes: Pressure cooker

What's for Pudding?
Chrissy Pudding in the Pressure Cooker
I love Christmas Pudding! I buy small ones good value and don't take much to heat up in the pressure cooker.
Sweet White sauce with dash of brandy and orange zest, love it and some cream.
Chocolate Yule Log
I like a chocolate log, proper one with Belgian Chocolate, expensive so ~ I am baking my own
Chocolate sponge: Chocolate Ganache Fresh Whipped Cream inside with a dash of brandy

Cover cake top in Belgian Chocolate Ganache. Should do the job nicely. Decorate holy leaves from garden.
Baked in Oven 8 to 10 mins at Fan 180C will pop in some mince pies and later freeze them, filling oven keeping freezer full so more economical running.
Not bothered with wine love fresh juices and real lemons so will stick with that.
There will be offers of very good wine etc. so enjoy

Love to hear your special recipes or favorite foods

Thank you
ENJOY YOUR CHRISTMAS DINNER !! HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

Re: Christmas Dinner 2022 - beautiful and budget

jonsie — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 12:09:40 GMT

Think I'm coming to yours for Christmas dinner @TallTrees 😋

Re: Christmas Dinner 2022 - beautiful and budget

TallTrees — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 12:45:17 GMT

Great @jonsie

Good food 🤗 Good idea

Re: Christmas Dinner 2022 - beautiful and budget

Cleoriff — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 13:25:25 GMT

What a great post @TallTrees.

Love all the different pots you use. Love the story of the Wonder bags used by the ladies of South Africa.

I haven't cooked a Christmas lunch for years now. After 40+ years of cooking them, we started going to my son and his partner's. When they went their seperate ways, we used our local carvery for a wonderful 3 course lunch.

It's a long time since I used my electric oven.

We have a combi Microwave, which grills and is an oven as well.

We also have an Air Fryer which nowadays has to be a 'must have' for a lot of people. It cooks food from frozen in the shortest time.

We have used it to cook Fish, Pies, Kievs, Steak, Gammon, Bacon, Roast Chicken, Roast potatoes, chips etc etc.

A wonderful gadget.

Saves time and money.

I also have a slow cooker, which, when I was working, was a life saver.

Back to Christmas. When I cooked a full Christmas lunch I made full use of my electric oven. The turkey crown and beef was cooked in the oven the day before. On the day, I used the oven to cook the pigs in blankets, roast potatoes, yorkshire puddings and stuffing.

My potatoes for mashing, vegetables were all cooked on the hob.

Gravy was made from the beef juices, oxo, bisto, cornflower, mixed with water from the drained potatoes and cooked either in the oven in the roasting dish, or poured into pan and brought to boil. (my mums recipe)

I stopped cooking a pudding as no-one could eat it. 😂

Our lunch this year is on Boxing day, so on Christmas day we will have steak chips and mushrooms. Yummy. 🤤

Thanks again for your post. xx

🎅Happy Christmas to you. 🎅

Re: Christmas Dinner 2022 - beautiful and budget

Breanna — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 14:15:39 GMT

Amazing! Thanks for sharing @TallTrees.

I've never heard of an Omnia Oven but it sure does look like a clever little thing to have.

Still not sure I'll ever be able to picture "pudding" the right way in my head.

I still see this 😂

Re: Christmas Dinner 2022 - beautiful and budget

TallTrees — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 16:46:15 GMT

Well fabulous, @Cleoriff

Absolutely the Combi Microwave/oven, excellent better than oven multi use, better size.

My electric oven is really too large to just do a couple of kievs etc., (love kievs) I put the kievs into my Omnia on the hob, cooks in the same time too.

You seem to do everything in the Air-fryer, good to hear.

Thank you!

and enjoy all the great food over the Christmas Holidays.

🍿🍗😁

Re: Christmas Dinner 2022 - beautiful and budget

Mi-Amigo — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 16:49:01 GMT

What a great thread @TallTrees

Some good ideas which I`ll bear in mind.

Re: Christmas Dinner 2022 - beautiful and budget

TallTrees — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 16:53:15 GMT

Hey @Breanna

Well your pudding looks fine😋

Omnia Oven was invented in Sweden mainly used on Boats, Yachts, on the Gas hobs that are fitted in the Galleys. It cooks everything, I have made bread in it. It does need a bit of getting used to it but there is a book. Many Omnia users love giving their recipes too that they have cooked.

What are you cooking up for the Holidays?

What is your special meal?

Happy Holidays

Re: Christmas Dinner 2022 - beautiful and budget

TallTrees — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 16:55:03 GMT

Thank you @Mi-Amigo

What is your favorite dish for a special occasion?

Re: Christmas Dinner 2022 - beautiful and budget

RafaC — Tue, 13 Dec 2022 12:16:56 GMT

Excellent post @TallTrees, thanks for sharing so many superb tips with us! Mouth-watering menu for your Christmas Dinner by the way 😋

Re: Christmas Dinner 2022 - beautiful and budget

pgn — Sun, 18 Dec 2022 13:47:28 GMT

And for those colder days, this little story from some years back has a wonderful recipe for a Yuletide punch, if anyone is feeling the need to get a dose of Vitamin C and a medicinal shot 🎄

Re: Christmas Dinner 2022 - beautiful and budget

TallTrees — Sun, 18 Dec 2022 17:15:33 GMT

@pgn

Re: Christmas Dinner 2022 - beautiful and budget

TallTrees — Sun, 18 Dec 2022 17:24:21 GMT

Couldn't wait for Christmas so made chocy log, eaten before decorating just belgian chocolate spread 😋

Before chocolate ganache full of whipped cream with brandy