Content request: keeping components warm/cold when plating

com-chefsteps

Content request: keeping components warm/cold when plating

Brendan_Lee_56950

You need more than one person to do that much work. I used to run 5-6 course dinners for 10-12 people and even with very careful planning it's just impossible to do by yourself, you need at least one other person.

I use my toaster oven set to warm a lot. I put things to be kept warm like sauces (which I tend to keep very hot to make up for anything that may have cooled) and sides inside and things that are resting but still need to be warm on top covered to warm from the heat radiating off of it.

I keep plates in the oven set to 225F, i keep them too hot to touch to make up for the fact that they will inevitably cool when being transported and plated.

Given your example, it sounds as though the dishes are all being served at once as well which really compounds your problem even more, especially if you only have one person doing that work.

For my dinners, I got in the habit of putting sauces in squeeze bottles and quart containers with lids so that they could be floated in the water bath set to 60C to stay warm, no risk of scorching, and then I just grab and use whenever I'm ready without having to fumble with a pan or the oven.

You also have to consider how your are plating. If you are going to be super busy fumbling around, you may consider either making the plating more simple, or plating things that can stand the heat (i.e. vegetables usually) first and letting them stay warm while on the plates so that when you pull a plate to finish it will save you some time. I always used to start my meals or have a course very close to the beginning be a cold dish so tit can be completely plated (or nearly) ahead of time so I can use that extra time to prep for the next hot dish.