Finding a technique to keep the food warm is frequently necessary, whether you’re preparing a lot of food for a holiday feast or batches of pancakes on a weekend morning. Fortunately, you have various options in your kitchen to prevent French toast, fried food, and even mashed potatoes from getting cold.
Cooler / Insulated Bag To Keep Fast Food Warm
When transporting food that needs to be kept cold, we would think of using our cooler or an insulated shopping bag, but both are excellent at keeping food warm as well. If the food is not in a covered dish, move it to one and store it in a cooler or bag or wrap it in aluminum foil. Every so often, check the food’s temperature to make sure it doesn’t fall below 140 F.
Let Car Help To Keep Fast Food Warm
When it comes to keeping your fast food warm, if your car has heated seats, you’re in the clear. Put your fast food packets in the passenger seat if no one is sitting there and turn up the heat. Cold food and chilled seats can both be used in the same way. Certain car seats with temperature control weren’t intended for this, but regulations are made to be broken, right?
Slow Cooker / Chafing Dishes To Keep Fast Food Warm
Use a slow cooker or chafing dish on the low setting to keep warm hot veggies, sauces, stews, and soups. Similar to an oven, if you intend to keep food for more than an hour, you can find that the texture or flavor has changed. Even when the appliance is set to warm, a small amount of slow cooking may still occur with the dish.
Oven To Keep Fast Food Warm
Some ovens will actually have a “warm” setting, usually 170 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit, or a warm drawer that’s used to keep food at a level, warm temperature. If your oven doesn’t have one, set it to 200 to 250 degrees. Transfer cooked food to a baking sheet, oven-safe pan or baking sheet and cover with aluminum foil before placing in the oven.
If you want to keep batches of pancakes, waffles, churros, or any fried food warm, place them in a single layer on a cooling rack above the baking sheet to prevent them from getting wet or soft. You may also want to cover loosely with foil to prevent further Browning on the outside.
For foods that must be kept warm for more than 15 or 20 minutes, check with an instant-reading thermometer to make sure the temperature is at least 140 degrees Fahrenheit; If not, raise the oven temperature slightly. Keep in mind that if you try to keep food warm for more than an hour or two, the texture may become fluffy or the flavor may change. Consider reheating closer to serving time.
Rice Cooker & Other Steam-Based Cookers To Keep Fast Food Warm
If you cook your rice in a rice cooker, it will probably stay hot and moist on the “warm” setting for an hour or longer. When preparing something by steaming it, you can usually keep it warm by turning off the steamer’s heating element (or removing it from the cooktop if it’s electric) and setting the cooking utensil aside. To prevent the food from continuing to cook, you may wish to briefly open the lid and let the steam out. When you are ready to serve, replace the lid and store the cooker.
Warm Plates for Serving To Keep Fast Food Warm
Heating the plates the meal will be served on is a solution if there isn’t much time between when the food is finished and when you’re going to serve it, but there is enough time for the food to cool down slightly. Make sure your plates can go in the oven; ceramic plates do a good job of retaining heat.
Stack plates in an oven for 15 minutes at the lowest oven temperature, such as 150 to 200 F, to warm them up for serving. If large enough, you may also use a toaster oven or warming drawer. As an alternative, you can reheat the dishes for one to two minutes in the microwave. An electric plate warmer can be something you want to get if you entertain frequently.
When warming plates in the oven, always wear an oven mitt, let others know that the dish is hot, and avoid shocking the plate by placing it in a cold environment, such as a refrigerator. The plate may crack as a result of the thermal shock from hot to cold.
Storing Takeout In Microwave To Keep Fast Food Warm
My companion removed the food from the microwave before we could sit down to dinner. Why did you put it in there? his wife perplexedly questioned. Was the food being reheated? No, he reasoned, the food would keep warmer inside the shielded microwave than it would if it were left out on the kitchen counter.
Aluminum Foil To Keep Fast Food Warm
Aluminum foil can be wrapped around food or used as a covering to keep it warm for a brief period of time. Just remember that the foil will only withstand the heat for around 30 minutes.
A roast, steak, or whole bird will benefit from being tent-covered in aluminum foil while it rests in two ways: The liquids can redistribute while maintaining a warm temperature. Just be careful to wrap it in foil loosely; if you wrap it firmly, the hot meat will sweat and you’ll lose the important moisture you’re wanting to preserve. Prior to carving, a roast should be rested for 10 to 20 minutes, depending on its size. Depending on its size, a turkey can sit for 20 to 45 minutes (the larger the bird, the longer the resting time). Before serving, let steaks or chops stand for 5 minutes with a foil tent over them.
Summary
An important thing to keep in mind is that food that is kept out and not kept adequately warm or cool (lower than 40 F or higher than 150 F) may be dangerous to consume. Keep a thermometer handy to check food temps.
