When should Warming and Holding equipment be used?
If your establishment wants to warm cold foods or keep recently cooked items at serving temperatures you’ll need the right equipment to ensure food safety. Keep in mind that warming and holding equipment isn’t solely for maintaining food temperature, but should also keep the food fresh for your customers.
Uses for Warming and Holding equipment
- Holding items with long cook times, such as stews or potatoes. These items can be placed in the holding equipment while hot for service.
- Warming or reheating foods such as breads, pastries and soups.
- Heating plates and bowls.
- As self-service units.
A note about use
Warming and holding equipment shouldn’t be used to reheat large, cold, perishable items such as whole birds or big pieces of beef because they spend too much time in the temperature danger zone.
Hot foods usually need to be held at 140°F or above for safety. That often requires top and bottom heat to surround the food.
You can be sure that you equipment has the ability to maintain these safe food holding temperatures if it is labeled with NSF (National Sanitation Foundation) approval.
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