With events starting back up, buffet service of all types will be back at events. From the breakfast buffet to the dessert buffet, one of the staples of the buffet line is the chafer or chafing dish. A chafing dish can be used with many types of foods to keep them at the perfect serving temperature. Here a few easy tips to make sure your chafers are being utilized correctly.
Chafers:
1. Use only canned fuel in the burner of your chafer. Non-standard fuel can be hazardous.
2. Fill the water pan, urn or kettle before lighting the burner. Heat is transferred to the water surrounds the interior pan keeping the food in the interior pan evenly warmed.
3. A low flame is sufficient to maintain proper heat. You are only warming foods, not cooking them so low heat works perfectly.
4. Food pans can be used for cooking and/or placed in the oven to retain heat before being placed in the chafer. This way food is already hot and the chafing dish is reducing heat loss.
5. Start with hot water in the chafing dish to ensure that there is no heat transfer from the food pan to the water.
6. Be sure to check the pan during your event and add water if needed. Over the course of an event the water level will drop and may require a refill.
7. Do not use without water. The base will get extremely hot and you will get hot spots that burn the food in the top pan.
Chafers are easy to use and one of the simplest ways to safely hold food for events where you don’t have access to electricity. Cook’s has a wide variety of chafers, chafing fuel and chafer stands.
