TigerChef

As we gear up for holiday parties and catered events, keeping food warm and fresh is a big consideration. Chafers are not only traditional…they serve a purpose no other piece of kitchen equipment does. In fact, chafers are the most-purchased item for the professional kitchen at this time of the year.

It’s no wonder they are so popular, since chafers really shine during holiday social events. These events tend to go on for several hours, and chafers are the best way to keep food at the optimal temperature. Certainly, chafers are indispensable in volume situations, and they are especially useful for outdoor events and cocktail receptions.

Chafers work by supplying heat continuously to keep food at the proper temperature. They also ensure that food will taste as good as when you cooked it. The heat supply can be the flame from a candle, electricity, steam, or sterno canisters—anything that will keep the water hot enough to maintain the food’s temperature. To keep food safe and delicious, food should be kept at 141°F or more.

Some foods absolutely have to be kept warm or they risk being ruined. One dish in this category that comes to mind is Alfredo sauce. If the sauce gets cold, it often congeals. Keeping it warm during serving is vital for the success of the dish, and a chafing dish is the way to go. An attractive chafer for serving large quantities of Pasta Alfredo is the Winco 18-Quart Crown Chafer.

Types of Chafers

Chafing dishes vary in size, shape, and style. A full-size chafer is 8 quarts, and a half-size chafer is 4 quarts. While chafing dishes can be made of a number of materials, most standard chafers are made of 18/8 stainless steel. More durable dishes use 18/10 stainless steel. Some are more formal, so they can be displayed at more elegant events, such as this simple and stylish Volrath Stainless Steel Mirror Polished Round Chafer with Gold Plated Legs and Handles. Others are more utilitarian and are suitable for less formal occasions.

The key to using chafers is replenishing them- often! This, of course, raises client costs, as this close attention requires additional labor, so this aspect is best discussed ahead of time. If the client wants to keep costs down, you may decide to use fewer action stations.

Chances are your professional kitchen already contains chafers, but consider adding some new styles and shapes to warm up your holiday events!

Filed under: How-To • Holiday • General • Top Picks • Food Quality

Tags: chafers chafer, chfing dish, commercial kitchen, professional kicthen