It’s that time of year again! School’s out, the whole country seems to be on vacation, and you are busier than ever. We’re always looking for ways to make life easier and party hosting is no different. A chafing dish is a great co-host. Put food in, keep it warm and go enjoy your party. And, if you put ice in the water pan, it can keep things cold as well.
To help you make the most of your use of chafers and throw the holiday’s most successful events, we’ve compiled a list of the answers to the most frequently asked chafing dish questions. You’re welcome.
What Is A Chafing Dish?
The word “chafe” is derived from an old French word “chaufer” meaning “make hot”. A chafing dish or chafer for short is the best way to keeps food warm for a dinner party, buffet or large gathering. Keep in mind that the dish does not cook the food; it just keeps it hot or warm for some time.
How Do Chafing Dishes Work?
To understand how a chafing dish works, you must first learn about how it is constructed. A chafing dish is a multi-layered apparatus: it uses chafing fuel to heat a large, shallow pan of water, which in turn heats a pan of food above it. The food in the pan stays hot, and the indirect heat, along with the water, keeps it from scorching or drying out.
How Long Can You Keep Food Warm in A Chafing Dish?
Depending on the type and amount of fuel, the dish can remain heated for 2-6 hours. After the fuel runs out, you’ll have to refill or replace the fuel cups.
As long as the temperature in the dish stays above 60°C, the food can remain safely in there for several hours. However, food kept in a chafer for longer than four hours begins to lose freshness and may even start to dry out.
What Should You Look Out For When Choosing A Chafing Dish?
- Shapes
Chafing dishes come in a variety of shapes, the two most popular being rectangular or round. Rectangular chafing dishes are typically used for main courses, while round chafing dishes are best for side dishes, desserts, and sauces. Other shapes, such as half-round or oblong chafing dishes, can be purchased based on particular preferences.
- Size and Capacity
How much food do you wish to serve at once? This is an important question that must be asked when choosing a chafer. Chafing dishes come in three standard sizes: full-size, half-size, and round. Full-size chafing dishes have an 8- to 9-quart capacity; half-size chafers have a 4- to 5-quart capacity; and round chafers typically have a 4- to 7-quart capacity.
9 Awesome Uses for A Chafing Dish You Probably Didn’t Know?
- Pasta Sauces
In a chafing dish, a wonderful tomato sauce keeps up well, but either alfredo or pesto would fit too. If you have a pasta you’ve cooked, just toss it in extra virgin olive oil and keep it warm in one of the chafing pans. It would break down quicker if you mix it with sauce and then put it on the chafer.
- Warm Bread or Buns
If you have chopped beef or pulled pork in a chafer, then give your guests a treat and have 1 half pan for bread and/or buns to go with it. Is there anything more comforting than warm bread? No, is the answer you were looking for.
- Sauced Meats
One of the best uses for a chafing dish is with meats in a sauce. That could be beef, chicken, or pork in bbq sauce, but it could also be fajita beef strips in salsa or meatballs in pasta sauce.
- Casserole and Lasagna
Many dished can be cooked in the half pans and then just transferred right to the chafing dishes, freeing up much-needed oven space. Things like Casserole or lasagne, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, or wine-braised beef brisket would work extremely well. And risotto is especially yummy kept warm in a chafer!
- Seafood
Seafood at the buffet dining experience isn’t everyone’s first preference, but it can become the star of the buffet with the right display. The breadth and scale of chafing dishes make it easy to organize different kinds of seafood entrees or appetizers in a special way that will cater to party guests.
- Salads
The best way to keep salads cooled is a large chafing dish filled with ice, removing the need for extra supplies for serving. It can be an easy, but stylish way of reminding people that salad is more than just lettuce.
- Baked Appetizers
Maybe sometimes you don’t have the time, energy, or inclination to make every food from scratch. Then you can try some frozen appetizers like taquitos, mini quiche and mini spanikopita. Bake them off and just dump them in a half pan to stay warm. You can easily combine different ones in the same pan if you are not saucing them.
- Chocolate Fondue
Without desserts, you can’t hold a decent family gathering. Do you agree with me? Chocolate fondue in a chafing dish is simple as well as convenient. Beside the chafer, just put a tray of cut fruit on skewers, and you are ready to go.
Chocolate fondue is ridiculously easy to make. Melt the bits of semi-sweet or milk chocolate with sugar, a little butter, and some vanilla extract in a double boiler with a pinch of salt and whisk until smooth. Pour into the chafer and keep warm, and you’re done!
- Chili
What comes to mind when you think about a perfect extreme cold weather crowd-pleaser? Chilli, of course! Chilli in a chafing dish is amazingly easy to prepare and to keep warm. The idea that you can use beans or no beans, beef, turkey, or other meat (or no meat) is also incredibly flexible. And the flavors will naturally come together the longer it sits in a chafer.
How to Clean A Chafing Dish?
Sometimes, the food you heat in a chafing dish can become caked on, making cleaning a challenge. To clean your chafing dish and remove any tough grease, grime, or build-up, soak the chafer in lukewarm water and mild detergent. Use a gentle cloth to loosen caked on food and remove any remaining residue. Never use a harsh abrasive cleaning product or scourer – they can scratch your chafer and remove its shiny finish.
Best Chafing Dishes You Can Go For!
If you like to hold parties, or you need to hold a wedding or commemorative party, or any picnic party and stylish dining event, then you can purchase a chafing dish. With ROVSUN’s chafing dishes, you can warm your dishes easy and convenient every time. Go ahead and check prices and availability here: https://shop.rovsun.com/collections/chafing-dishes and host the next best party among all your friends - today!
Bonus Tips - Things to Avoid When Holding Food at A Buffet Table:
- Do not add fresh food into a dish that already contains food.
- Ensure that every dish has the appropriate serving utensils.
- Monitor the food temperature and don’t let it fall below 60°C.
- Keep away flammable material from the open flames of the fuel.
- Maintain the water bath at the recommended level.
- Ensure that the food remains covered when not being served.