Steaming a Christmas pudding

Must check whether mine (already made in trad. basins) will fit in the slow cooker. I have a feeling it'll be tight.

If they do, how long do you reheat them for on the day, and on which setting?

After reading all the posts I realise that I've saved myself lots of time as I loathe Christmas pudding (and cake) and so do my AC so we bypass all that kerfuffle.

The first year my mum had a microwave she decided to use it to prepare her shop bought Xmas pud. Having read the instructions she decided that 2 mins was a misprint and cooked it for 10! Result was an inedible, rubbery bomb that even the birds wouldn’t eat. She’s never lived it down ?

jellybeabjean grit your teeth, take out another mortgage and buy that Lakeland steamer, it’ll last forever. Always steam my puddings, eight hours initially then three on Christmas Day. I could be persuaded into a slow cooker though - I’m just following family tradition with the steaming - microwave? Not for me, but live and let live! My steamer is in use everyday as all our veggies are steamed.

A pressure cooker – not very fashionable these days – cuts down the time and the sauna effect in the kitchen.

Pour 1.8 litres/3 pints boiling water into the pressure cooker and put the pudding on the trivet. Close the lid but do not fit the weight. Pre-steam for 20 minutes, then position the weight and bring to high pressure. Cook for 2 hours, then remove from the heat. Allow the pressure to reduce at room temperature before removing the weight. Remove the pudding and allow to cool before storing.

To cook before serving, pour 1.8 litres/3pints boiling water into the pressure cooker and put the pudding on the trivet. Close the lid but do not fit the weight. Pre-steam for 20 minutes, then position the weight and bring to high pressure. Cook for 1 hour, then remove from the heat. Allow the pressure to reduce at room temperature before removing the weight.

I don't understand why anyone would steam a Christmas pudding when they are so quick and yummy done in the microwave oven. The recipe in the book that came with mine makes a perfect pudding from scratch. I keep the slow cooker for braising the red cabbage (Christmas Eve), then for mulling the wine or cider on Christmas morning.

Another vote for the slow cooker method,will use it tomorrow as it's stir it up Sunday so will be making the pudding then!

Buy a Slow Cooker 123kitty - doesn't use a hob space, sits somewhere else quietly cooking the pud.

And a steamer for the veg, all in together in layes - boiling destroys the vitamins!

Hours in a saucepan taking up hob space, filling the kitchen with steam- or minutes in the micro?

We use the slow cooker with it resting on a jam jar lid to keep it off the base , put water to about half way. Can be anywhere and for no specific time. Have in the past tried a microwave and it's just not the same as a long slow steam. (Won't have any this year, may be too many syns!!)

I would never let a microwave anywhere my Xmas puds. The two things just don't belong together. Long and slow all the way, including the reheating on Xmas day.

Why did I never think of doing my Christmas Pudding in my Slow Cooker?! What a brilliant idea. Duh! Haven’t made my pud yet, so can try it out this year?

I did try microwaving once but it came out too hard.
I think they tend to be a bit hard and, if done too long, a bit gluey if done in a microwave.

I use a pressure cooker, but have steamed in a saucepan, standing on an upturned saucer, But make sure you do stand it on something if it's in a plastic basin and keep the water well topped up or you are in danger of basin melting. I did try microwaving once but it came out too hard. Home made ones are so much better than shop bought.

Neilspurgeon0 I see your OH uses the colander method as well.

I used to do a lot of steamed puddings when my boys were at home. I always used a saucepan and topped up the water, as I had never heard of steamers then but my Mum used to have something which had holes in the bottom and fitted on top of a saucepan and she just put the saucepan lid on top of that. She had it for years but I’m sure you can get fancier versions now. If she was steaming more than one thing she would improvise using a metal colander on top of a saucepan of water and put the saucepan lid on top. I never thought of steaming in the slow cooker. We don’t really have many puddings now since DH was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and he hates anything with dried fruit in so I just get a small Christmas pud from Aldi and it can be warmed up in the microwave. It doesn’t taste as good as home made ones which were steamed for ages but it is less fuss.

reheat on the day in the slow cooker as it frees up hob space and doesn’t add steam to an already overheated kitchen!
GrAnne me too, you can put it on first thing then forget about it until needed.
Does anyone remember the case of the microwaved Christmas pudding which was done for too long, caught fire and set the rest of the house on fire?

Now I'll have to stay up until about midnight to make sure the water stays topped up.
Thank you Graham Norton, you helped me to stay awake and turn off the puddings.

Has nobody heard of those new fangled things called microwave ovens?
You could (perhaps) reheat a Christmas pudding in a microwaves but the initial cooking needs to be long slow steaming or simmering.
IMO!

If I buy a ready made one I microwave it, takes less than 5 minutes and no steam. But for cooking from scratch I use an electric steamer. I can remove the basket bases and stack them so the pudding sits in the bottom one. Have had an electric steamer for years and probably use it every day for vegetables. Great when all the family are eating as it frees up hob space.

Used to spend hours steaming but now microwave. So quick and easy!

Yes just like gonegirls but about sixty years old. However when we moved one year and couldn’t track it down in the boxes of stuff until after Christmas, her indoors did it in a colonder over the biggest pan, the one we boil the big gammon joint for Christmas in, and that worked fine.

Hi jellybeanjelly,
Like many other posters I use my slow cooker nowadays, though I have used my pressure cooker in the past.
Have you got or can you borrow a deep sided pan for your bigger pud if neither of these options are suitable?

I cook mine in a saucepan with a trivet underneath. But reheat on Christmas Day for 2 minutes in the microwave, perfect. I make enough for 2 years every other year and freeze the spare ones. I love the idea of using a fish kettle. I bought one years ago in a charity shop and have never used it. So 2020 will be it’s christening.

I always used to steam mine, like my Mum always did. Never had enough room on my hob for everything else. Then I realised it can be microwaved in a fraction of the time!

You can do it in an ordinary saucepan but do keep an eye on it to prevent boiling dry.