How do you rewarm food for a large dinner?

[Anonymous]

I am hosting 22 people for Rosh Hashana dinner on Wednesday night. It's my first time hosting this many people and I can't figure out how to have all the food warm at the same time. We only have 1 oven and 4 burners (plus 2 slow cookers and a warming tray).

I need to prepare some of the dishes ahead of time for my own sanity. How do have foods like chicken, salmon etc hot when guests arrivd if you cook them earlier in the afternoon? I've already made the brisket and it's in the freezer. I think I'll warm it up in the oven and then transfer it to the warming tray. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

[Anonymous]

Can you use your neighbor's oven to heat things up that don't fit into your oven?

My mom would also heat things up then keep them warm by wrapping them in towels and place them on a heating pad.

[Anonymous]

Can you rent those silver dishes with the covers and heating thing underneath that catering companies use?

[Anonymous]

I've managed the sedar for that many before. Tell me what dishes need to be in oven...size of the pans will help

[Anonymous]

If the chicken is whole, cook and debone ahead of time. Then use an electric warming try like: http://www.wayfair.com/Nostalgia-Electrics-3-Section-Mini-Buffet-Server-and-Warming-Tray-BCD-332-NST1026.html Or if you have an electric roaster you can get dividers to turn it into a warming tray.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you rent those silver dishes with the covers and heating thing underneath that catering companies use?

Chafing dishes--and you can get them cheap at Party City and similar stores!

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately asking a neighbor isn't an option (although it's a good idea). We have a kosher kitchen and neighbors I feel close enough to ask aren't Jewish.

I do have 1 warming tray/chafing dish and I can squeeze both the kugel and a vegetable side dish on top. I think I may need to order another warming tray.

My current plan so far is to use the stove top for the soup, rice and potatoes/salmon. (The potatoes need to start in the oven and finish in the pan and reverse for the salmon. I will need 2 burners for each).

I guess my biggest problem is figuring out how to reheat 2 separate chicken dishes, brisket and cook the salmon closer to dinner time. I think warming the brisket in the oven and moving it to the slow cooker a few hours before dinner may work? Would you cook the chicken earlier in the afternoon and transfer to the slow cooker? Leave it out and then pop it back in the oven close to dinner? I like the idea of wrapping it in towels. That should help.

[Anonymous]

Can you poach the salmon in the stove top? Brisket you can do in the slowcooker. I would make the chicken dishes earlier in the day and rewarm in the oven.

[Anonymous]

I use fancy stainless steel chafing dishes to warm all my food.

It takes 2 hours to get large quantities of food - piping hot. I take the food out directly from the fridge and put them in the chafing dishes. If I am in a hurry, I will put in 2 fuel pots below each dish. As long as you have water between the chafing dish and the container the food will not burn.

I usually have two containers of the same dish. One I put on the chafing dish and another I put in the oven. When the food in the chafing dish starts to run low - I replace with the other container.

Appetizers can be put on large electric skillets at low heat to keep them warm. They also work quite well.

[Anonymous]

You can buy the more expensive chafing dishes or you can buy the less expensive temporary foil chafing dishes that use Sterno. You can rent the more expensive chafing dishes, but I don't know if you can find a rental company that keeps dishes Kosher.

Last option, see if you have any Jewish friends who keep Kosher who can loan you a crock pot or two for the meal (brisket once warmed in the oven will keep fine in a crock pot as long as there is juice to keep it from drying out).

Suggestions:
- Heat brisket early, put in crock pot on low, turn to high 20 minutes before dinner
- Reheat chicken early, then put on warming tray. If you have an extra crock pot, do same as brisket. If you don't have a crock pot, put the chicken back into the oven about 15 minutes before serving time on a high 400-450 deg oven to reheat at the last minute
- Use 2 racks in the oven.
- Bottom rack, kugel and vegetable side, these can sit covered with foil on the serving area during the last 15 minutes reheating the chicken
- Top rack potatoes, then salmon. Put salmon on warming tray while reheating chicken
- Stove for rice, soup and the other part of cooking potatoes and salmon

You want to use the top rack to cook the potatoes/salmon and the bottom to reheat the kugel/vegetables. When you use two racks, the top rack insulates the bottom slightly and what's on the bottom rack cooks slower. It's better to cook the kugel and vegetables at least partway first and then put them on the bottom rack, then use the top rack for cooking the potatoes and salmon. This will give you better final results.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you rent those silver dishes with the covers and heating thing underneath that catering companies use?

Chafing dishes--and you can get them cheap at Party City and similar stores!

BJ, Costco, Sam's club have the cheapest price.

Tramontina is a good brand. Horribly expensive on Amazon.

[Anonymous]

You can get the foil chafing dishes, stands, etc. at party city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unfortunately asking a neighbor isn't an option (although it's a good idea). We have a kosher kitchen and neighbors I feel close enough to ask aren't Jewish.

I do have 1 warming tray/chafing dish and I can squeeze both the kugel and a vegetable side dish on top. I think I may need to order another warming tray.

My current plan so far is to use the stove top for the soup, rice and potatoes/salmon. (The potatoes need to start in the oven and finish in the pan and reverse for the salmon. I will need 2 burners for each).

I guess my biggest problem is figuring out how to reheat 2 separate chicken dishes, brisket and cook the salmon closer to dinner time. I think warming the brisket in the oven and moving it to the slow cooker a few hours before dinner may work? Would you cook the chicken earlier in the afternoon and transfer to the slow cooker? Leave it out and then pop it back in the oven close to dinner? I like the idea of wrapping it in towels. That should help.

Is there no way you can do cleansing ritual to make the chafing dish kosher?