Warming Plates: How do you do this?

[abooja]

I warm plates as often as I get around to it, but have to be careful not to get them too hot, as we have a glass-topped dining table. I often resort to placing cheap, cork mats from Ikea under the dishes before placing them on the table. Not a good look.

Incidentally, my husband finds it very amusing that I bother to warm dishes at all. He says, "Who does that?", outside of a restaurant setting. I can now say, I know a whole bunch of people who do.

[JHeald]

You can easily have a lot of hot plates for a dinner party.

I have a lot of small shop towels whcih I got from Home Depot. I just wet them and place them in between each plate and stack the plates. I put the stack of plates inside the microwave.

Soon I will have hot plates for everyone to enjoy their food.

dcarch

That is a good point on the wet towels as I have hear it not wise to put the empty plates in the MW - plus the moisture perhaps carries the heat more evenly?

The moisture in the towels is responsible for the heat: microwaves heat water, so the moisture in the towels is responsible for the hot plates. By placing a towel between each plate, dcarch is ensuring that each plate is in contact with a hot surface (or two).

A very good idea indeed!

[BarbaraY]

I set the convection feature on my microwave/convection oven at 150º and put the plates in it.

Pancakes or waffles on a cold plate are just disgusting.

[andiesenji]

I set the convection feature on my microwave/convection oven at 150º and put the plates in it.

Pancakes or waffles on a cold plate are just disgusting.

What do you do if the ovens are in use for something else? That was my problem and the reason I use a warming tray.

[Kouign Aman]

We often warm plates over the oven vent, which is below the smallest burner.

When that's not an option (oven not in use), we use the microwave. Sometimes I put in a small bowl of water, sometimes not. My plates dont seem to care. Some of our glazed things shouldnt be microwaved, even full. Something in the glaze (metal probably) grabs the heat and the darn things will take the skin off your hand even when the contents remain lukewarm.

The wet rags sound great for even heat, dcarch.

[Alex]

I set the convection feature on my microwave/convection oven at 150º and put the plates in it.

Pancakes or waffles on a cold plate are just disgusting.

What do you do if the ovens are in use for something else? That was my problem and the reason I use a warming tray.

The top of my Breville (click for pic) is suitable for plate warming. It's not quite wide enough for two dinner plates, so I usually stack them, covered with a baking pan. The bottom one gets hotter than the rest, so I'll pull it a minute or two before plating.

[Jaymes]

I've been known to stick plates into the dishwasher and turn the dial to "dry" for a few minutes, if I have a lot of plates to warm.

Otherwise, we use this gadget - Electric Griddle - for a lot of things. In addition to cooking stuff on it, it has a "warm" setting that we use for warming plates, serving, etc.

The thing only cost us about $30 or so, and it has far too many uses to count.

(ETA: I'm not sure the one we have is that exact brand, and it probably isn't. But whichever brand, it's a griddle/warming tray similar to that one.)

Edited April 15, 2011 by Jaymes (log)

[pax]

Hot food, hot plates, on whatever is going to do the job and is already running. Top of the cooker, in the nuker with a damp towel, whatever. I hate food that is supposed to be hot and isn't.

[jsmeeker]

I have to try the plate(s) with a wet towel in the microwave trick next time.

[Katie Meadow]

Confession time....I don't heat up my plates although I know it would be nice. Question: how should you heat up plates that have a gold rim? I assume you don't put them in the microwave. Can you put them in a warm oven? The oven will be in use up until the main is served. I'm having my husband's siblings over for dinner tomorrow and want to use my lovely Limoges plates inherited from his family (I still don't know why I was lucky enough to get them) and which they never see otherwise.

[lstrelau]

I have a warming drawer and also a small second oven so not hard to warm plates even with gold trim but as long as the oven isn't too hot you should be fine with your oven once the main is out - (leave door open to cool it off??). Otherwise, if you have room in a sink you can run hot water over the plates. Except then you have to dry them all off and if you have a lot of guests they won't stay that warm by the time you finish.

For future (probably too late for tomorrow), there are electric pads (sort of accordian fold) that will heat plates also you can buy metalized plastic discs that you put in the microwave to heat them up and then interleave them with your plates (stacked on the counter). You don't have to put the plates themselves in the microwave.

[CKatCook]

Wow, I didn't realize the practice was this common. I never warm the plates. Really didn't think about it in a home setting before now.

I do like the griddle idea....

[Jmahl]

New Samsung stove has warming draw. Just have to remember to stack dishes in there and turning it on.

[IndyRob]

Our oven has a warming drawer, but I've only used it once or twice (it usually has a broiler pan and a couple of other things in it). I do occasionally finish seared steaks on plates on the oven, but this is strictly a special occasion/guest sort of deal.

[dcarch]

This is what I do if I have a large main dish that I have to keep hot (not just warm) for the entire meal:

I have my main dish on a ceramic platter, and the platter on my cast iron griddle, and the griddle on a table-top butane stove.

The cast iron griddle is to help the heat distribution to be more even.

I have done this many times. I have never cracked a platter or plate.

dcarch

[cbread]

I often use plates as a cover over some pot on the stove. The trapped steam beneath warms the plates nicely. Just before service I use a towel to remove the condensed steam droplets underneath. I will often put a folded towel on top of the top plate as an insulator to keep heat in the plates. I usually cook for just one or two, so I am not trying to heat a stack of plates.

[Dakki]

Toaster oven on a low setting. Anyone else?

[liuzhou]

Microwaves, plate drawers, blowtorches.

How do you do yours?

[KennethT]

Since I rarely use my oven, and have practically no counter space, I set my oven to as low as it'll go. Winds up around 180F. My parents have tons of space - they have an electric hot-tray which works very well.

[Chris Amirault]

Moist plates and the microwave if we are short on time (which is typical).

[Darienne]

I'm with Chris Amirault here.

[sadistick]

Preferably I fill the sink with hot water and submerge - I find you get a more consistent overall plate warm - the only down side, is drying.

I hate the microwave and try to use it as little as possible! Evil spawn!

[Martin Fisher]

I pull the trays out of the dehydrator and set it on high, it'll warm plates in short order.

~Martin

[dcarch]

I bought workshop cotton towels from Home Depot, 50 white ones and 50 pink ones. They are about 12" x 12" each.

Put one wet one in between every two dishes and microwave. You will have a pile of hot hot hot dishes. The pile stays hot for over and hour until you put them out.

The towels are for general kitchen use, White for clean, and pink for dirty. When they get soiled, they go in the washing machine. It is very convenient to have lots of towels in the kitchen and not have to use paper towels.

For large serving platters, I use a table top butane stove under the platter. It keeps the platter and the food hot the entire dinner. Never cracked a platter.

For some recipes, I have a large block of Himalayan salt that I heat up in the oven to serve food on.

I refrigerate the salt block to keep sushi cool the entire meal.

dcarch

[Darienne]

I bought workshop cotton towels from Home Depot, 50 white ones and 50 pink ones. They are about 12" x 12" each.

Put one wet one in between every two dishes and microwave. You will have a pile of hot hot hot dishes. The pile stays hot for over and hour until you put them out.

The towels are for general kitchen use, White for clean, and pink for dirty. When they get soiled, they go in the washing machine. It is very convenient to have lots of towels in the kitchen and not have to use paper towels.

For large serving platters, I use a table top butane stove under the platter. It keeps the platter and the food hot the entire dinner. Never cracked a platter.

For some recipes, I have a large block of Himalayan salt that I heat up in the oven to serve food on.

I refrigerate the salt block to keep sushi cool the entire meal.

dcarch

Brilliant!