WHY YOUR HOLIDAY MEALS NEED CHAFING DISHES
Originally published by Tramontina USA, 2018
The holidays are the season for dining rooms full of crowds and kitchens full of food, with family all around and delicious smells filling the house. You’ll spend a lot of time in the kitchen whipping up classic traditions and creating new ones. When it comes to preparing big dinner parties, the question always arises, “How do I get everything to come out perfectly at the same time?” Timing is one of most challenging aspects when cooking for a crowd. But we’ve got one solution professional caterers have been utilizing for decades: the chafing dish.
WHAT IS A CHAFING DISH?
A chafing dish is what you see at many buffet lines or catered receptions. A steel pan hovers above a thin layer of water that’s kept warm with a hot flame from underneath. Steam is generated in the space between the water and the steel, surrounding the pan in a blanket of heat and keeping food warm for hours.
The Tramontina chafing dishes each come with a 18/10 stainless-steel food pan and water pan, along with the fuel burner stand underneath. You can find a 9-quart rectangular dish with a stainless steel lid or a 4.2-quart oval one with a tempered glass lid.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
A chafing dish keeps all that tasty food you’re making hot. Everyone serves a cheese plate or the same cold dip for holiday appetizers. Instead, have your family snack on savory meatballs or stuffed mushrooms while you put the finishing touches on dinner. Serve them in a chafing dish, and you won’t have to worry about anyone’s food getting cold. Simply tend to your cooking and let them eat.
Additionally, oven space is a coveted commodity during a big dinner party. The chafing dish makes that issue fizzle away. First, bake the stuffing or scalloped potatoes in the stainless steel food pan and then transfer to the prepared chafing dish. Now you have an open oven to cook off the pork tenderloin or baked ham. No need to play oven tetris or stress about keeping the food hot. The chafing dish will take care of it.
HOW IS THE PRESENTATION?
Functionality is the main reason you’ll love having a few chafing dishes around. But they also look professional and elegant on the holiday table. No need to use platters when you’ve found an equally as good-looking system that also keeps food hot. And with servingware so gorgeous, you’ll be delighted to serve the cold items in them as well. Just make sure you don’t light a burner. Presentation at its finest.
There’s nothing better than finally setting out all that fantastic food and calling in everyone for the holiday feast. With a few chafing dishes, you can trust your creations will be piping hot and your guests over-the-moon satisfied.