Keep your food warm by preparing warming dishes ahead of time.
Keeping food warm when the grill is turned off can create a problem if you have guests to serve. Depending on the amount of food to be kept warm, there are several options to maintain heat. Think ahead before your next gathering to prepare your warming dishes so you can transfer food directly to them without losing any heat. Your options include items you can find around your home, or ones that you can purchase from a kitchen appliance store. Surprise your guests with creative and stylish ways to serve hot food.
Instructions
1. Put your food in the oven. Set the oven at a low temperature, 250 degrees to 300 degrees, to keep food warm and retain moisture. The low temperature will prevent the food from becoming over-cooked. To prevent certain food from drying out, such as mashed potatoes, place a moist dish-towel under the lid of the dish to retain moisture.
2. Put your food in a Crockpot. Crockpots work well for dips, potatoes, certain appetizers and soups. They can be set on the counter and plugged in, and if the temperature is set low, they require minimal supervision. Crockpots can be purchased at kitchen appliance retailers.
3. Purchase a buffet server to keep multiple items warmed at different temperatures.
4. Line a cooler with aluminum foil and place hot dishes inside. The cooler will retain the heat only if it is lined. Place only one or two dishes in the cooler and don't allow them to touch the inside edges of the cooler. This will prevent the sides from melting. This method will keep food warm as long as the lid remains shut. Too much opening and closing will allow air into the cooler and cool the food off.
5. Use a chafing dish. Fill the bottom of the dish with warm water and set the food you want to keep warm in the chafing dish. While these are more expensive, they are worth the cost if you entertain a lot. Chafing dishes can be purchased at kitchen appliance stores and offer a wide selection of decorative exteriors so they can be placed in the center of the table.
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