When you work in catering you know the importance of keeping the food youve worked hard to prepare warm. However, if youve ever gone shopping for a food warmer you may have become overwhelmed by the sheer amount of machines there are on the market for keeping your food hot. If youve ever felt clueless about food warmers, what they do, and which ones will work best for you below is a list to get you started in the crowded world of food warmers.
Full Sized Warmers are the large food warmers that you often find at large events or hotel banquets. They hold large pans of food in place while hot water is placed in the bottom pan to keep the food hot and moist. Some full size warmers are quite big and designed to hold more than one full-sized pan of food. Other units are smaller. When you purchase a full sized warmer keep in mind that the warmer itself only holds hot water; you will need to buy the pans to hold the food separately.
If you plan to offer a lot of food, such as at a buffet, then you might want to invest in heated shelves which can keep food warm for long periods of time. Heated shelves are different from full size warmers since you dont have to worry about filling trays of hot water. They come in different sizes, and they are offered with different wattage points; bigger shelves need more wattage.