How to Find the Best Chafing Dish
You may not be a professional caterer with all the accoutrements, bells and whistles or a hosted event manager or business person, but like many people you have probably dreamed about hosting the perfect dinner party. I’m not talking about a gallon of BBQ sauce or plastic ware here either. When hosting a formal gathering you need good food that took all day to prepare. Even with that, the food is only a portion of the experience.
Display is equally important when it comes to food and goes with the saying “you eat with your eyes”. It’s true to a point, because if the food looks unappealing or the display is lackluster, your guests will more than likely pass on eating it. On the other hand, a great spread with gleaming catering equipment will have your guests mentally prepping themselves as they visualize eating your food before they ever sit down at the table.
That’s where trouble can come in when you’re hosting a dinner party; if you’ve been preparing the food all day, how do you keep the food hot or at optimal temperature for serving without drying out, overcooking or letting it go cold as food is served?
The heating equipment used today is very much like it has always been. The modern chafing dish differs very little. These days they use innovations like magnetic heating elements, canned fuels and induction cooking rather than relying on coals.
The most obvious change is in the materials that are used. Older models during the renaissance and earlier periods were less about display and more about function. The chafing dish sets available now are more than just a practical utensil – many establishments and catering companies use them as elegant pieces of kitchenware. Essentially, they are just as much designed to show off the style of the venue as they are to display the food. A prime example are the more premium chafing dish sets with brass legs, glass lids, and a body manufactured from 18-10 stainless steel.
Another factor to consider are the actual dimensions of the catering equipment. Many older pieces of equipment were large and had flaws in their heat distribution leading to cold and overly hot spots in the food. The more modern designs are available as small as 1 quart and overall tend to be better designed and more evenly heated. This doesn’t mean large chafers are not available though, large capacity catering equipment can still be acquired quite easily.
Style is always a personal matter, and that holds true in this case too. If you are planning on hosting a small get together in your home you probably won’t need all the catering equipment the professionals use. With the few pieces you do want though, make certain they are premium quality and don’t be afraid to step away from cafeteria trays and go with something a bit more stylish like high quality oblong stainless steel chafers with brass fittings and such. It isn’t the veggie tray that brings people to a party or makes the meal memorable but a good quality chafing dish can help make the event stand out.
If you need a Chafing Dish for your catering business then stop buying retail. Only shop from premium quality Commercial Catering Equipment. We have everything you need to make your catering business a success.
June 21, 2011 | Posted by Xander Boyde
Categories:
Tags:
