Christmas Pudding Recipe Slow Cooker References (2024)

FAQs

How long does it take to reheat a Christmas pudding in a slow cooker? ›

Again your slow cooker handbook may have guidelines for reheating a pudding. Otherwise we would suggest reheating the pudding, using the same method as above, for 5 hours (and it won't matter if it stays in the slow cooker for longer). Check the pudding is piping hot all the way through before serving.

Follow your recipe for the steaming times of your pudding, but if you do need to check then you can insert a skewer through the foil and parchment to check that it comes out clean. Simply patch up the hole with more foil if your pudding needs more time to steam.

After the first 5 hours of steaming the puddings may not look that dark but do not worry as the colour deepens on the second steaming.

To prevent water from getting into the mixture, which would make the pudding soggy, make sure you secure the foil with string and fold the foil back over the string.

If it tastes too heavy or overcooked then unfortunately it may be best to start again. However the pudding does not need a long maturing time so 1-2 days before Christmas would be fine.

Can you over-steam a Christmas pudding? While the pudding won't dry out if it's steamed for too long, some of the ingredients inside may be spoiled by being overcooked.

According to experts, the secret to Christmas pudding perfection is to heat it to precisely 71 °C. If it gets hotter than 89 °C, the sugars within the fruits in the pudding start to caramelise. So no matter how luxurious its ingredients are, your precious pud will taste bitter.

Our answer. Nigella's Ultimate Christmas Pudding (from NIGELLA CHRISTMAS) has a two-stage steaming method. So the larger version of the pudding should be steamed for 5 hours initially, and then 3 hours on the day of serving.

Ideally we would suggest that when the pudding is made it is steamed for 8 hours (the combined time of the first and second steamings) as the steaming is important for the flavour of the pudding. The pudding can then be microwaved to reheat it on Christmas Day.

During the aging process, the many compounds in the pudding begin to break down, releasing new compounds, like aldehydes and esters, which are associated with sweet, fruity flavours and aromas.

Can you eat 3 year old Christmas pudding? ›

Some Christmas puddings, made with dried fruit in the traditional way, are fine to be eaten as much as two years after they were made. "Bear in mind if the pudding is alcohol-free, of course, it will last a good while with the sugar content, but it will not last as long without alcohol to preserve it," stresses Juliet.

The pudding should be stirred from east to west, in honour of the Magi (Wise Men) who came from the east to visit the baby Jesus. It's also a good excuse to enjoy a wee dram or a cup of festive mulled wine! On Christmas Day the pudding has its own ritual.

As for all puddings, it should be stored in a cool, dry place until Christmas Day. For the US our preference would be to use Pyrex mixing bowls for steaming Christmas puddings.

Boil or oven steam the puddings for 8 hrs, topping up with water as necessary. Remove from the pans and leave to cool overnight. When cold, discard the messy wrappings and re-wrap in new baking parchment, foil and string. Store in a cool, dry place until Christmas.

Most Christmas puddings are made with suet (shredded beef fat) and this tends to take longer to melt than butter, so the pudding needs a long cooking time to make sure that the fat has melted and combined properly with the other ingredients.

Reheating Christmas Puddings

Wrap in foil and reheat at 300ºF (150ºC) for an hour or until hot. To reheat on the stovetop, remove wrappings and place the pudding in the original mould. Cover tightly. Set pudding mould on a trivet in a large saucepan and steam 3/4 - 1 hour or until hot.

Reheating your pudding

To reheat your pudding, remove all wrapping, and then use one of the following methods: Wrap in foil and reheat in the oven for one hour or until hot at 150°C. Wrap tightly in foil, place on a trivet in a saucepan over simmering water and steam gently for 45 minutes to one hour or until hot.

Put an inch of water in the bottom of slow cooker and a cup or something to lift the pudding out of the water. Then steam for 3-4 hours ive cooked puddings like this it's the same as using a steamer. I did mine in slow cooker when I was pushed for hob space, it worked a dream.

The easiest way is to place a steaming basket in your slow cooker and pile the vegetables on top. Add just enough water to the bottom of the crock to keep the veggies above the water level. Put the lid on the cooker and turn it on high for 2 to 4 hours or until the veggies are tender.