Microwave cooking Christmas puddings

I have always done it a portion at a time - no more than 2 minutes. For a whole one I should think 10 mins but at a lower wattage to warm up a pre-cooked one.

Or just keep it in the warm oven while you're eating the main course, but in a closed container to retain the moisture.

Because of the dried fruit I would think it is probably best to go gently and longer rather than quickly at a high heat or wattage.

I find BBC good food good usually.
www.google.com/url?q=https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/last-minute-christmas-pudding&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwippLOd0PCCAxWxhv0HHfGXDOMQFnoECCIQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2cp2Mct7Ny7frSRN8Rw1zj

Thanks - I have cooked them and will wait and see what happens!

It was interesting online in that most of the sites assumed you were wanting to know how to heat up a bought pudding!

I am always fascinated by the growth of fast food use, alongside the increasing popularity of cooking programmes!

I finally got around to making mine yesterday and had them bubbling away on the hob all afternoon. like you Luckygirl3 I made enough for three, large, medium & small, not sure what the weight of each is but those were the size bowls I found when rummaging around in the cupboard. I do seem to have lost quite a number of bowls over the years, take them to someone as a gift but don't always get the bowls back. I was surprised at the cost of suet which I seldom buy, £3 a packet in Sainsburys.

I have three identical plastic bowls with lids, and I share the mix fairly evenly between them. My recipe uses a kilo of dried fruit, so I expect each weighs around 1.5 lbs.

I cook them in the microwave for 7 minutes each at high power.

Oh, and back in the day when I made my own, I made it in the pressure cooker using the recipe that came with the cooker (was given a Prestige PC as a wedding present). However, it wasn't worth the effort as Germans don't do Christmas pud and even if they ate it out of courtesy they didn't appreciate the significance. We were never more than 6 for Christmas dinner and no one ate more than a tablespoonful.

I think 45mins is a bit extreme. My dh once microwaved a single portion of Xmas pud but accidentally hit 45 minutes instead of 45 seconds. First indication of his error was smoke pouring into the kitchen and it took days for the pong of burnt dried fruit to evaporate.

I microwave mine by increments of time, first of all, for five minutes for a small one. If it seems piping hot, that’ll do fine, if I seems to need more, I pop it back in for one minute blasts. No science behind this, just instinct and 🤞

If you have a slow cooker you can reheat in that. I cook mine in it and then pop it in there in the morning and forget about it until we want to eat it, it happily stays in there for a good eight hours with no problems.

I once microwaved an uncooked Christmas pudding for 11 minutes, it came out rock hard and looking like it was made from charcoal.

I suppose it depends what temperature you set the microwave at.

I also make my puddings in the microwave, then they are frozen.
To reheat, I thaw out at room temperature, then cook in the microwave for 8 minutes on Defrost. That's what the recipe instructions tell me to do, and they always seem to come out ok.

Funnily enough, have just found my tried and trusted recipe for microwave Christmas pudding which I am just about to make. It's from an ancient cookbook that came with our first microwave oven from Bejam (now Iceland). It states 10 min for 700w for a 1 pint pudding. Always comes out light and delicious.

Jaxjacky

I find BBC good food good usually.
www.google.com/url?q=https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/last-minute-christmas-pudding&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwippLOd0PCCAxWxhv0HHfGXDOMQFnoECCIQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2cp2Mct7Ny7frSRN8Rw1zj

If you read the comments I think there is something wrong with this recipe. And the replies to the comments are contradictory too!

granfromafar - please could you share yours - given that it obviously works?

I'd never cook them in the microwave, Luckygirl, except for perhaps reheating for just a couple of minutes if I was in a rush.

One Christmas a man burnt his house dow because he reheated a Christmas pudding in the microwave!!

The best way I've found is to cook and then reheat them in the slow cooker if you have one. It can sit there quietly without taking up a hob ring and won't dry out.

I've reheated in the microwave successfully. Just a few minutes (guessing 5?) even for big ones.

I don't have a microwave now (as only used it for dying yarns and don't really do that now) but my daughter does.

I cooked mine in the slow cooker for the first time last year.
Put them on overnight, three nights running.
Came out absolutely perfect.
So thats my method from now on!

Beware high sugar content. Many years ago, my very first microwave, I decided to reheat our Christmas pudding. When started to burn, ex got it from microwave , opened door and threw it down snowy garden , like a black snowball,never again. Our family funny story.

Apologies for not posting the recipe earlier.

50g butter
50g flour
1 tspn nixed spice
75g fresh breadcrumbs
100 dark brown sugar
150g sultanas
75g raisins
50g dates, chopped (or apricots)
50g glacé cherries
125 g currants
2 eggs, beaten
2 tblspn treacle
1 tblspn golden syrup
50ml orange juice or sherry or brandy.

Cream butter and sugar, then add all other ingredients. Put into greased 2 pt bowl and cover with pierced clingfilm. Cook for 10 min at 800w. Leave to stand for 10 min in bowl.
To serve: reheat for 2 to 3 min. It's a lighter colour than some puddings but is delicious.

I have done a couple of Xmas puds in the microwave , mind you small ones which only required something like 40 seconds .
Mick

thanks granfromafar that is great! just what was asked for