A Guide to Chafing Dishes

By Amy Everet

When it comes to arranging parties, food is the main concern. The overall ambiance of any occasion and festivity is greatly enhanced through good quality food which makes the guests remember the occasion for a long time. In order to create an appeal through food it is equally important to use good quality crockery and cutlery. Moreover unless you serve food sufficiently warm you can not have a memorable gathering on your credit. This is what chafing dishes are used for.
Many people think of them as something used merely to create an impression on the guests or something which is mostly suited for more formal occasions. This may be the case but it is not entirely true. The use of chaffing dashes is not restricted for ceremonial occasions. Even if it is a more intimate gathering, a less formal one, they can be very helpful for keeping the food warm for a long time. The question is how do they do it? Well these dishes are available in many sizes and varieties. Some use flame burners while others use electricity for indirectly warming the food. The burner dishes have a container placed on top of a rack above a water bath which is over a flamed burner normally provided with coals or some sort of a flammable material. This assembly produces heat for efficient warming purposes.
The electric dishes have food containers placed amidst electric heaters which run by fuel cups. This gently warms the food without any kind of direct contact with the flame. Most dishes come with covers while some are open faced but you can also purchase lids as additional accessories. Then there are also electric warming trays which have cold areas for beverages. The electric dishes can be cordless while all of them have heat proof handles which stay cold no matter how hot the food is which facilitates grasping and carrying them.
These dishes are not cheap and there prices are can be in the range of several hundred dollars. The stainless steel varieties are comparatively economical, however for long term use it is better to purchase pure silver ones because they last for many years and increase in value. These dishes offer the host the advantage of attending to the guests without being at the mercy of the waiters or without spending hours in the kitchen to cook dishes so that they are warm when served.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amy_Everet

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Keep Parties On Heat With A Chafing Dish

A chafing dish is used to keep food warm without further cooking it and thereby altering the taste and quality. It is most commonly set over a heat source, typically a canister of wax-like fuel these days. It is a familiar fixture at parties and other social functions involving food where guests are not table-served by waitstaff and requiring cheap party supplies. Disposable varieties are often used for more informal get-togethers such as company picnics and church potluck dinners. These are almost always made out of aluminum. Durable ones can feature fancy designs.
Chafing dishes were originally set on tripods and heated with charcoal in a brazier. They can serve as cookware and were once employed mainly in that capacity. They are now most often encountered in buffets serving as food warmers. A special kind of chafing dish called a bain-marie exists specifically for fish and other more delicate foods. This variety of chafing dish offers a double dish with a protective water jacket. Chafing dishes are still deployed by many restaurants to cook the food at the table. There were even specialized chafing dish cookbooks during the eighteenth century!
Chafing dishes go back a long way. The Conquistador Hernan Cortez reported that the Aztec emperor Montezuma was served his meals on a chafing dish. They were present during the reign of Queen Anne, and early American colonists owned some. Then there are those chafing dish cookbooks just mentioned, with detailed instructions on their use as kitchenware, suggesting their novelty.
The chafing dish is even mentioned in an old folk song, the sea shanty "The Keeper of the Eddystone Light." The lighthouse at Eddystone, England, has become famous in the maritime lore of the region. It overlooks the treacherous Eddystone Rocks, and had actually gone through three previous iterations (involving rather dramatic circumstances) before settling on its present fourth incarnation. The ditty, presented in relevant part, follows:
My father was the keeper of the Eddystone light And he slept with a mermaid one fine night Out of this union there came three A porpoise and a porgy and the other was me! Yo ho ho, the wind blows free, Oh for the life on the rolling sea!
"Oh, what has become of my children three?" My mother then inquired of me. One's on exhibit as a talking fish The other was served in a chafing dish. Yo ho ho, the wind blows free, Oh for the life on the rolling sea!
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-and-family-articles/keep-parties-on-heat-with-a-chafing-dish-2852274.html
About the Author

Written by Paul Wise, who has used a chafing dish before, recommends BargainsLane.com for cheap party supplies and other party necessities.

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