"Be careful, the plate is hot." But why?? And why SO hot??
Mar 4, 2015, 10:53 pm
#16
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Restaurants, typically big or low end ones have heat lamps. It keeps the food warm while they're waiting for it to be picked up. It does have the unfortunate effect of drying the stuff out and cooking the meat while it's waiting there. Not a big deal for 'mexican' food since its all mostly mush anyways.
Mar 5, 2015, 2:34 am
#17
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My grandparents (Scottish, like me) were obsessed with having hot plates. They had (opaque) Pyrex plates, which lived in the lower oven, and every meal, these plates were treated like the inverse of an ice cream in the desert - if you weren't served food on a plate hot enough to scorch a tablecloth, it was an embarrassment.
I do like that it keeps food hot (obviously, not great for salad) but the problem was it kept cooking the food on it. So if you're having a leisurely meal over plenty chatter, you end up with burnt food welded to the place.
I do like that it keeps food hot (obviously, not great for salad) but the problem was it kept cooking the food on it. So if you're having a leisurely meal over plenty chatter, you end up with burnt food welded to the place.
Mar 5, 2015, 7:22 am
#19
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My parents prefer food on warm plates, my mother would pop them into the oven for the last couple of minutes of food prep time. If the oven wasn't on (say, we were having Indian food takeaway) she would put the oven on low to warm the plates before she went out to pick up the food!
I have a warming drawer on my over for the same reason, but frankly it just stores my baking trays and cake pans!
I have a warming drawer on my over for the same reason, but frankly it just stores my baking trays and cake pans!
Mar 14, 2015, 5:31 pm
#21
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I too have had hot plates in many different types of restaurants, not just Mexican.
I also love them! I'm a slow eater and a hot plate keeps my food warm longer.
Hot food on a cold plate....yuck!
Oh and I warm the plates at home as well.
I also love them! I'm a slow eater and a hot plate keeps my food warm longer.
Hot food on a cold plate....yuck!
Oh and I warm the plates at home as well.
Mar 16, 2015, 11:03 am
#22
Join Date: May 2012
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I have been in Mexican restaurants where the food arrives at
the table sizzling and everyone turns their head to see what
the ruckus is about.
I have also been in restaurants where they flambe tableside.
In those situations I know enough to keep my fingers off the
plate and out of the fire and be careful with the food so I do
not burn myself.
Understandable it is not everyone's cup of tea.
the table sizzling and everyone turns their head to see what
the ruckus is about.
I have also been in restaurants where they flambe tableside.
In those situations I know enough to keep my fingers off the
plate and out of the fire and be careful with the food so I do
not burn myself.
Understandable it is not everyone's cup of tea.
Mar 16, 2015, 11:29 am
#23
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None of us tried.
Mar 16, 2015, 2:04 pm
#24
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I'm fine with steaks and fajita ingredients on sizzling hot plates. Anything else that comes on a plate too hot to touch, as opposed to just a warm plate, has been heat-lamp heated, I suspect, and turns me off. I'm also opposed to hot food on cold plates (I don't mind hot food on r00m-temperature plates; that's how we eat at home; I mean hot food on truly cold plates) and cold food (e.g., salads) on hot plates.
Mar 16, 2015, 3:08 pm
#25
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There's also a number of Chinese dishes that needs to be served on piping hot skillet. Like bean curd with egg, whereby the egg is cracked over it just be for being sent out of the kitchen. Russian shashlik is also often served on a hot plate.
So I guess it depends on the food you are having, and how the chef believes it should be served/plated.
So I guess it depends on the food you are having, and how the chef believes it should be served/plated.
Mar 16, 2015, 4:25 pm
#27
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Mar 17, 2015, 7:28 am
#28
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Heat lamps only keep food at safe temperatures, somewhere in the neighborhood of 140F, which is not insanely hot to the touch like the OP is referring to.
Mar 17, 2015, 9:13 am
#29
Join Date: Mar 2010
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I want my food hot and cooling on MY time! A hint that the plate is hot could be the towel or hot sleeve the server is using to prevent burns. DOH! When I make pasta dishes, I use some of the boiling water to heat the bowls before serving. If you don't like a hot plate, don't go to Mexican restaurants (or ask them not serve it w/cold cheese, beans, etc) Most use a salamander.
Mar 19, 2015, 12:18 pm
#30
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It's not due to a heat lamp. The early posters were correct - at Mexican places they finish the dish by adding the sauce and cheese and then blasting it in the salamander.
Heat lamps only keep food at safe temperatures, somewhere in the neighborhood of 140F, which is not insanely hot to the touch like the OP is referring to.
Heat lamps only keep food at safe temperatures, somewhere in the neighborhood of 140F, which is not insanely hot to the touch like the OP is referring to.