From chafing dishes to bain-maries – keeping food warm is always a must

A variety of appliances, a warm treat

Whether in a snack bar or a commercial kitchen – keeping food warm is almost always necessary. Depending on the dish, different appliances are suitable for maintaining the desired temperature. The following, for example, have proven their worth:

• Chafing dish: The term is a combination of the French word ‘chauffer’ – or the anglicised ‘chafing’ – meaning ‘to heat’, and the English word ‘dish’, referring to bowls, crockery and the like. Essentially, this describes how it works: it is a device designed to keep the food inside reliably warm.

  This involves a combination of a frame, a heat source, a water tank and a container for the food. The heat source consists of fuel paste or is electrically powered. The water bath ensures that the entire contents are heated evenly. To ensure the widest possible range of applications, the GN 1/1 size is often used – which also makes cleaning easy.
  Chafis, as they are commonly known, are used, for example, at buffets, in canteens or for catering, as they allow the food to be presented in an appealing way.

• Bain-Marie: A bain-marie is a water bath used to keep food warm, but without a directly visible heat source – here too, the term is derived from French. The heated basin is available with or without a water drain tap. In the food industry, bain-maries also adhere to GN standards, ensuring that the containers used in them are universally compatible and can be changed quickly.

  Due to the boiling point of water, the maximum temperature is 100°C. This is particularly beneficial for delicate dishes, which are thus prevented from burning. As bain-maries are designed for deep containers, they are suitable not only for gentle heating but also for melting – and they also perform well when keeping soups, stews or sauces warm.

• Heating appliances for specific drinks and food: As well as bain-maries and chafing dishes, there are many other appliances designed to keep specific foods or drinks warm. These include food warmers for soups, stews and other liquids. For mulled wine and hot drinks, there are also special Multitherm containers fitted with a tap.
  When it comes to keeping sausages warm, or deep-fried When it comes to chips, there are specific requirements. These are particularly easy to meet using specialised equipment – such as sausage warmers or chip warmers. The former are particularly handy thanks to their practical glass cylinders. This gives the snack bar a quick overview of how many are available. Chip warmers manage to pull off the little feat of keeping the chips crisp and crunchy.

The range of appliances for keeping food warm goes far beyond these examples – take a look at our range to discover much more.

All the trimmings

Food-warming appliances such as chafing dishes are a practical solution for keeping a wide variety of dishes at the desired temperature in catering establishments. This is true, at least, as long as the heat source operates reliably. Depending on the operating mode, heating pastes are required for this purpose; these ensure a constant temperature thanks to their even burn. They are odourless and therefore do not mask the enticing aroma of the dishes. Alternatively, heating can also be achieved using a special electric heating element. This eliminates the need to top up or replace the paste.

The benefits of heat retention technology

In commercial kitchens, the catering industry, catering services or for buffets of any size, it is often necessary to bring prepared food to the desired temperature or to keep it at that temperature. This enables certain dishes to be served continuously without having to cook them from scratch every time. Another advantage is that the variety of dishes on offer brings a high degree of flexibility, as there is a suitable warming appliance available for many different foods.

This is reinforced by the relatively compact size of bain-maries and similar appliances. The food warmers are quite easy to transport, set up and dismantle. As is the case in many areas of the food processing industry, stainless steel is used remarkably often in food-holding technology. This is not without reason, as the material is easy to clean and does not alter the food.

Ehlert: A specialist wholesaler to keep things going

Here at Gustav Ehlert GmbH, we support you not only with food production but also with the appropriate presentation and serving of meals using the right catering equipment. We stock a wide range of food and beverage warming equipment to ensure you’re fully equipped for all your needs. Take advantage of the vast selection of products available in our online shop. We’d also be happy to advise you if you’re looking for the right equipment for your catering business.