What You Need to Know about Stainless Steel Chafing Dishes

What You Need to Know about Stainless Steel Chafing Dishes by Jacque Crook

If you are considering the purchase of stainless steel chafing dishes there are a number of well crafted products on the market from which you can use. There are also chafing dishes that are made from silver or aluminum. Although the design and sizes of these cooking accessories vary a great deal they all perform the same basic functions.

Stainless serving dishes are commonly seen in a number of restaurant settings. However you can also use these in your home or at a community gathering. In fact chafing dishes are a convenient and reliable way to keep foods warm when serving food to guests may take place over a long period of time.

There are two main sections involved when you are speaking about stainless steel chafing dishes. These are the two pans that are designed in a nested arrangement. Essentially the design is a modified double boiler.

The bottom pan functions as the boiler and it holds the water. The top pan, or the blazer, will hold your foods. Stainless serving dishes also have a wire frame for support when they are in use. The frame holds the chafing dishes above the table surface. This allows a heating source to be placed under these pans. The heat can be controlled and as a result you are able to warm the water to the desired temperature.

For the heat source most people use "canned heat" products such as Sterno. Other items can be used including electric heating units and even alcohol lamps.

The heat source and the wide variety of chafing dishes are generally used as a way to keep foods warm until serving time. However some people actually cook with chafing dishes. Today traditional styles of this type of cookware also include a long handle that is practical as well as functional.

These dishes first became popular in the 18th century. In the US a chafing dish was used by many cooks during the 1890s-1900s. For a short time they lost their appeal and they once again resurfaced during the 1950s. Today you will find that many restaurants, caterers and home cooks like the ease and convenience that stainless steel chafing dishes offer.

You can use this cookware to prepare a number of elegant, tasty dishes. Eggs, chicken and sauteed mushrooms can all be cooked in a chafing dish. Even rich sauces, dips and potatoes are able to be cooked using this type of cooking arrangement.

Some people point out the fact that stainless serving dishes can be used to let the chef to demonstrate their cooking talents out in front of an appreciative audience. This is certainly true because with this type of cookware you have the ability to move the cooking from the kitchen to the tabletop.

It should be mentioned that this type of food preparation can be difficult for those who are not experienced in using these heated dishes. Just a little misstep can utterly destroy a special meal that you have spent time and effort on. Unless you are using these pans to keep your food warmed you need to become very comfortable with the cooking techniques that are required before you prepare a meal for a crowd.

StainlessChafingDishes.com offers high quality, affordable stainless steel chafing dishes that are perfect for serving food at all events!



Article Source: ArticleCity.co.za