What is your strategy for keeping everything hot when you serve it?
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Anonymous
| We are hosting Thanksgiving this year, and there are going to be many more dishes than I'm used to serving. I'm wondering what tips you all have for keeping everything hot until the point when it hits the table. Usually when I have several items at once, some stuff is ready sooner and cools off, and then if I microwave that to heat it up, the other stuff that was ready is starting to cool off, etc. What are the nuts and bolts of how you approach this? Be kind to this newbie! Thanks! |
Anonymous
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Keep warm settings on your microwave and oven, and for things that just need to be warm, not piping hot, the back of the stove is a warm spot, too.
And cut out a couple of dishes. 
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Anonymous
| Ceramic an cast iron dishes will help to keep dishes warm, too, especially thick ceramic dishes with lids. Even the mashed potatoes stay warm in a ceramic or cast iron dutch oven. |
Anonymous
Use chafing dishes.
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Anonymous
| Cover with warm lid or aluminum |
Anonymous
Shake your tits and wink |
Anonymous
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It's a great time to use all your cast iron cookware. It will keep stuff really warm - potatoes, stuffing, any kind of casserole. Use the oven for the Turkey and they keep that other stuff on the stove top on super low heat. Last minute do the gravy on the stove top.
You might be doing too many dishes as well.... My thanksgiving is (I have 1 oven, one convection microwave, 6 burner cooktop): Turkey (oven), mashed potatoes(made in advance, keep warm on stove top in dutch oven), stuffing (made in advance keep warm in oven, lower rack, or on stove top in dutch oven), green beans (steam on stove top in advance. Shock in cold water, close to dinner sautee shallots and toss in beans), a salad (no cooking required), cranberry relish(made in advance serve room temp), gravy(last minute, stove top), rolls (place in oven while turkey rests to warm). Pie at the end (make ahead, place in oven while eating dinner to warm). |
Anonymous
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I have 2 of these
http://i5.walmartimages.com/dfw/dce07b8c-9a64/k2-_7d3fd515-f5a5-4570-be2a-411e20e7ca44.v1.jpg I bought it at Walmart. |
Anonymous
| Accept that not everything will be piping hot. Think about what dishes are most important to serve hot and which are fine being served at room temp, and then prioritize which get the oven at what time. We basically make all of the sides ahead of time, and use the oven to cook the turkey that day. Once the turkey is done, it has to rest for awhile and be carved (we serve it carved), so while that is happening, we use the oven, toaster oven and microwave to reheat the sides. Then cover with tin foil to try to keep some heat in the dishes, and as a pp said, the top of the stove will be warm from the oven being on so it is a good place to leave cooked dishes. I'd say that most of our food is room temp when everyone sits to eat, and it works out just fine. |
Anonymous
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Thanksgiving foods are all meant to be served at a luke warm temp. That includes the salad.
At least, that has been my experience. |
Anonymous
| Gravy. Hot gravy on Luke warm turkey, mashed potatoes, etc. = hot food. |
Anonymous
| Warming drawer at base of oven; otherwise chafing dishes! |
Anonymous
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I use a lot of ceramic bowls for serving. While the food is cooking/heating, fill the ceramic bowl with piping hot water, and let it sit for 10 minutes. Then pour out the water, dry the bowl, and quickly put the hot food in it. Cover with a double layer of foil.
Once the turkey is out of the oven, turn the oven off and leave the door open for a few minutes. Once it is partly cooled down, put all of those ceramic bowl in the oven and leave the door cracked while we carve the turkey. Hot gravy is also definitely key. |
Anonymous
I bought 2 of these as well from Amazon the first time I hosted a Passover Seder. You can use it as a plain warming tray and put your dishes on top or use the 3 smaller provided section. I move hot food to the warming trays as I finish cooking them. I make sure the dishes are well covered and don't open till it's time to eat. Really, really helpful. I also use my slow cooker on warm setting if I have a too many dishes to fit on the warming trays. |