Warming oven

[hola lola]

HOpefully i'm not the only home cook with this problem!

"The fam" tends to not come to the table when my carefully prepared food is piping hot and ready for them to eat. So, they end up with lukewarm food, which actually doesn't bother them at all as much as it bothers me. I need my food hot!!

So, lets say I prepare something via saute or pan-fry, or even broil, and need it to stay hot... I know theoretically I can cover w/ foil and leave it in the oven, but I dont know what the right oven temp is to keep my food from overcooking (yuck) and yet keep it nice and hot.

Help me!

Mariana

[sanrensho]

Perhaps the (obvious) solution is to get them to the table sooner. I can sympathize, especially when you're making something like spaghetti carbonara where timing is everything.

If it's something that needs to be served immediately, I usually start the countdown at 5+ minutes to go. The kids can pour their own milk and help with setting the table, which takes a few minutes. Another tactic would be to lure them in early with salad/appetizers.

[fiftydollars]

The government says you should keep it at not less than 140 degrees and I tend to agree.

[chef koo]

a typical warming oven in a restaurant is usually between 200-220 degrees. that's for plates but i do'nt see why it can't be used for keeping food warm.

[Taboni]

I have always had good luck holding hot food at 200 for a limited time, but I tend not to try it with foods that would be ruined (eg steak) by a bit more cooking no matter how small.

[jackal10]

I agree with 60C/140F

At that temperature most bugs are killed after 12 minutes.

Perfect also for long slow cooking of meats to rare.

[doctorandchef]

I agree with the above..... 200-250F is good, experiment.

All ceramic plates should be able to withstand that temperature. Remember the dry cycle of a dishwasher usually gets to around 250-300F.

My sister used to be intolerant of people not showing up at the table when the food was ready, and I learned really quickly to be seated and ready before the food was done! I've picked up on that trait and have been known to use a few choice words when people don't get seated!!

Another thing is to keep your serving plates warm in the oven 15-20minutes prior to service. Think about it, temperature involves the exchange of energy, and if you put hot food on room temperature plates, the food molecules will naturally lose their kinetic energy (temperature) by transferring it to the colder plates.

I personally think prevention is the best cure. DEMAND that your family be seated before everything is ready. After all, you did slave over the stove.

[Shalmanese]

I would say 60C/140F for a stir fry to keep the meat nice and tender and juicy. 200F is way too hot, the meat will dry out.

[beccaboo]

My oven, with its digital controls, has 170F as the default temperature for "warming." I usually keep things at 145F, though (that's the lowest it'll go), and it works pretty well.

[turkeybone]

My oven, with its digital controls, has 170F as the default temperature for "warming."  I usually keep things at 145F, though (that's the lowest it'll go), and it works pretty well.

←

I'd say 160ish is ideal if you go right from the cooking into the warmer.. thats a good temp to keep heat, not reheat. Even if you have to go at 200, you'll be alright for most stuff (i.e. not medium steaks) so long as you're not holding it too long. I mean your family isn't coming to the table 30 minutes late, are they?

Warmed plates and covers are also alternatives to keeping food hot a little bit longer.

[Mottmott]

HOpefully i'm not the only home cook with this problem!

"The fam" tends to not come to the table when my carefully prepared food is piping hot and ready for them to eat. So, they end up with lukewarm food, which actually doesn't bother them at all as much as it bothers me. I need my food hot!!

So, lets say I prepare something via saute or pan-fry, or even broil, and need it to stay hot... I know theoretically I can cover w/ foil and leave it in the oven, but I dont know what the right oven temp is to keep my food from overcooking (yuck) and yet keep it nice and hot.

Help me!

Mariana

←

Mariana, "The fam" is kinda passive aggressive, don't you think? Too much trouble to come to the table when you've cooked a nice meal? Eat your dinner while it's hot and stop worrying about keeping it hot for them. If that doesn't work, I'd stop cooking for them and turn to cold cuts til they develop a little respect for what you do for them. It sounds like they've a serious case of entitlementitis which seldom cures itself. Yes, I've grown old and cyncial.

[doctorandchef]

I totally agree.

If you spent all that time and effort, the least they can do is appreciate your efforts by showing up when the food is hot. Don't think this is too much to ask.

If you're aggressive enough, one time if you're making something you semi-screwed up on and don't mind dumping it, pretend to throw a fit and chuck their plates in the trash while you eat your plate. Haha, that'll send a message.

(I've always wanted to do something dramatic like that!)

[annachan]

Speaking of warming temp....I am hosting a babyshower in a few weeks. What temp is good for keeping appetizers warm? I'm not really concern about the skewer meats, more the stuffed puff pastries (not sure what stuffing yet).

More along the line of the lowest setting (150F or so) or 200-250F?

[doctorandchef]

I've tried 170F, and I ASSURE you the food will only be lukewarm if kept for more than 10 minutes. Eating lukewarm food is a BIG pet-peeve of mine to be honest.

I personally use at least 200F, 225-250F if the food is not TOO prone to drying up e.g. spring rolls, fried rice etc. I used to keep large platters of food at 250F when I did catering. One thing to note: not all oven temperatures are accurate. Hope yours is calibrated properly, otherwise buy a cheap oven thermometer. It will help your baking too!

[annachan]

I've tried 170F, and I ASSURE you the food will only be lukewarm if kept for more than 10 minutes.  Eating lukewarm food is a BIG pet-peeve of mine to be honest.

I personally use at least 200F, 225-250F if the food is not TOO prone to drying up e.g. spring rolls, fried rice etc.  I used to keep large platters of food at 250F when I did catering.  One thing to note: not all oven temperatures are accurate.  Hope yours is calibrated properly, otherwise buy a cheap oven thermometer.  It will help your baking too!

←

Thanks for the tips. I'll be using a friend's oven, so I guess I should bring my thermometer over there.

[fiftydollars]

I just tested out my oven's holding capabilities when set to around 160 degrees and the results are not promising. As doctorandchef got me suspecting, the temperature at which you set the oven can differ substantially from the contents. After 4 hours or so of sitting in the oven, a previously boiling pot of water was at just over 110 degrees. While the thermometer in the oven said it was at just under 170.

Air is obviously not the best conductor of heat, but I didn't expect this to be quite so dramatic. I haven't yet tried to see at what temperature the oven might hold the water in the pot at a safe 140 degrees, but I'm definitely curious.

[jackal10]

Err..unless you have discovered some new principle of thermodynamics, I would suspect the thermometer .

If the oven genuinely maintains 140F, then there is no way a pot can cool to below that (First law of thermodynamics: heat flows from a hotter body to a cooler body).

Either the cycling of the oven means that it spends a lot of the time below 140F, or the oven has lots of cold spots, or one of the thermometers is wrong.

[fiftydollars]

Err..unless you have discovered some new principle of thermodynamics, I would suspect the thermometer .

If the oven genuinely maintains 140F, then there is no way a pot can cool to below that (First law of thermodynamics: heat flows from a hotter body to a cooler body).

Either the cycling of the oven means that it spends a lot of the time below 140F, or the oven has lots of cold spots, or one of the thermometers is wrong.

←

You have to be right.

I'm thinking that at such a low temperature the air inside the oven is much lower than the thermostat or the thermometer (magnetically attached to the oven wall)detect since they are both really taking the temperature of the oven itself, not necessarily the volume of air it holds, and as the oven cycles on and off the oven holds the heat while the temperature of the air in the oven drops substantially.

[jackal10]

Unless you have opened the door a lot, or the oven is well ventilated, then the air will be close to the wall temperature. Air has very little themal inertia, and in an oven radiation plays a big as part as convection.