6 Keys to Choosing the Best Chafing Dishes for Your Restaurant
March 19, 2018The chafing dish, also known as the chafer, is an essential piece of restaurant equipment for any establishment that wants to keep food hot.
This type of restaurant equipment gets its name from the French word, chauffer, which means to heat, and it’s easy to see why. But what goes into choosing the right one for your restaurant?
This type of restaurant equipment has three major elements: a frame, water pan, and cover. Fuel heats the water in the pan, creating steam that heats the food without drying it out. In the catering world, this type of restaurant equipment is a chef’s ideal companion because it keeps food at the right temperature all throughout an event. Chafers take away the worry that is regularly associated with maintaining food temperature. They are also an easy type of restaurant equipment to use and maintain.
Chances are, you’ve seen many chafers in your lifetime. If so, you will have noticed the wide variation in styles, shapes, designs, and qualities. That begs the question: what should you look out for when selecting this type of restaurant equipment? The ability of a chafer to retain food warmth is a paramount consideration, but there are other qualities to look for as well.
Heat Source
Chafing dishes are a type of restaurant equipment that comes with a variety of heating styles. Spots with access to electrical outlets are primed for the use of electric heated chafers or induction heated chafers. If you do not mind an open flame, though, standard fuel chafers are a highly flexible unit for any setting or venue, with no need to worry about finding electrical outlets.
Chafer Construction
As with most products out there, some restaurant equipment is designed for high end usage, while others are designed for economy users. Basically, though, all chafing dishes are constructed from stainless steel. Economy chafers are made of 18/8 lightweight steel, which is corrosion resistant. You can also find this restaurant equipment with 18/10 steel. There are also heavier-duty steel chafers with a more upscale and luxurious look.
Shape
While selecting the ideal chafer for your restaurant, you want to also consider the shape of this restaurant equipment. Chafers come in a variety of shapes, including oval, circular, rectangular, and square. Ultimately, your choice of chafing dish shape will come down to what will be served inside and the decorative element it adds to your buffet table.
Size and Capacity
How much food do you wish to serve at once? This is an important question that must be asked when choosing a chafer. While some of this restaurant equipment come as small as 1.75 quarts, others get to 5 quarts, and full-size chafers can hold as much as 9 quarts.
Finishing and Styling
The style and finishing of a chafer can add to the ambience of your restaurant or buffet table. While some chaffers have an attractive, metallic mirror polish finish, there are many other great options, such as satin, matte, and hammered copper finishes. The handle, legs, and lid trims should also be considered. For this, there are also many options available to you, including gold, brass, and chrome.
Covers
When selecting your restaurant equipment, the cover type is an important consideration. The cover type can vastly improve the ease of working with this restaurant equipment and can simplify your serving or dishing process. There are a number of cover types to be considered. Roll top covers, hinged covers, glass covers, and retractable covers are quite popular. But there also dome/lift off covers and covered handles.
An important consideration in all of this, of course, the atmosphere you’re trying to create in your restaurant – is it a luxurious place for special occasions, or a down-to-earth place for the family? This will dictate the appropriate style. When it comes down to it, customers of your restaurant really want well-heated and tasty food above everything else. Be sure to equip your staff with knowledge of how to get the best out of your chafers and other restaurant equipment. Make sure food is hot when added, ensure the water in the pan is also hot, and adjust the heat to your needs, and you’ll have happy customers!
Roast: What’s Wrong With The Honeymooner’s Kitchen? Kitchen Supplies
Welcome to our new series, “Roast and Toast”! Each month we’ll feature one kitchen that we love and one that… well, could use improvements. The kitchens we feature can come from anywhere – TV, films, popular culture, you name it. We’ll talk about what we love and what...
Restaurant Supplies: The Growing Menu Role of Specialty Cheeses
As a commercial restaurant owner or manager, you might wonder what you can do to revive your menu a bit. There are a lot of fun ways to diversify your menu, but one trend you might have noticed is the growing role of specialty cheeses. We’ve all used common cheeses,...
It’s a Toast: Why We Love the “Friends” Kitchen
Welcome to our new series, “Roast and Toast!” Each month we’re going to feature one kitchen we love and one kitchen we hate. It can be from anywhere – a sitcom, a cooking show, a cartoon, a movie, or any other screen you’d see one on! We’re starting off with a toast...
Ready to Open a Second Restaurant Location?
If your current restaurant is booming, it might be time to consider a second location. Congratulations on your current success – you’ve already beaten the odds! Opening a second location can be easier than your first one – you’ve already worked out a lot of the kinks....
The One Product to Boost Convenience Store Sales
Is there one product that can single-handedly make or break the success of your convenience store? A lot of store owners would say no. When they look at their store, they see products coming from hot dish foodservice equipment, shelves, and a variety of categories...
Restaurant Equipment Spotlight: Gas vs. Electric
Does your Little Rock restaurant use gas or electric restaurant equipment? In all likelihood you made this decision a long time ago, but it’s one that can always be reconsidered. There are benefits to both. If you’re opening a new restaurant location, it’s vital to...
Restaurant Equipment: Self-Ordering Technology
One of the biggest challenges of running a restaurant is keeping up with all the technology and restaurant equipment that is available. You might have thought when you opened your location that you could run things basically the same way for decades. While they may...
Four Tips to Opening a Successful Restaurant
Have you been dreaming about bringing your food expertise to the forefront of you life? Many people have thought about opening their own restaurant. Folks don’t follow through for a variety of reasons – money, fear, or simple inertia. You can be different, though. You...
The Case for Timeless Restaurant Décor
What’s the newest trend in restaurant décor? Evidently, people are loving “Millennial pink,” and they’re using it for everything. If you’re trying to keep up with what’s hot, you better get some new restaurant supplies right away! And remember, this isn’t just any...
Deep Fry Safely & Efficiently
When it comes to kitchen equipment, knowing how to use it correctly is vital. Not only does it keep your employees safe, it ensures that the food comes out well and that your equipment last a long time in good condition. Using a deep fryer may seem pretty simple, and...
Should You Buy Closeout Restaurant Supplies?
As a restaurant owner, you, of course, want to save money in any way possible. Restaurant margins are known for being razor-thin, so every dollar counts. Because of this, you might be tempted when you see a closeout deal for restaurant supplies. After all, you can get...
Choosing Environmentally Friendly Restaurant Supplies
There’s been a lot of controversy recently about restaurant supplies and how they affect the environment. The current focus is on plastic straws, but the same conversation has been had about Styrofoam and a variety of other materials. Can you choose environmentally...
Restaurant Supplies to Prepare Your Location for Spring
In March you can begin to feel warmer weather around the corner here in Little Rock. After all, the groundhog didn’t see its shadow this year, so we’re in for an early spring, right? As you think about how to prepare your restaurant for spring, think about getting the...
Proper Use of Cutting Boards
Food safety is vital to every restaurant – consistent inspections make sure of it! Unfortunately, the day-to-day operations can sometimes mean that safety falls through the cracks. One thing that can get overlooked in a busy kitchen is the safe use of cutting boards....
Four Myths About Food Trucks
You probably know that the food truck industry is booming – it’s grown by 7.3% in the last five years and shows no signs of slowing down. That makes it an attractive industry for anyone interested in serving food – from established restaurants to new entrepreneurs....