chafing-dish

A silver chafing-dish keeps the food warm on the dining table.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A portable cooking apparatus: A "chafing-dish" is a metal pan or dish, typically with a heating apparatus underneath (such as a burner or candle), used for cooking food at the table or for keeping food warm during a meal. It is commonly used for fondue, buffets, or serving dishes that need to stay hot.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The waiter brought a chafing-dish filled with steaming meatballs to the buffet table. (A portable dish with a heater used to keep the meatballs warm.)
  • We used a chafing-dish to prepare the cheese fondue right at the dinner table. (A cooking dish with a burner underneath, used for tabletop cooking.)

Advanced Usage

• "to use a chafing-dish": to employ this specific piece of equipment for warming or cooking.

  • The chef set up a chafing-dish with Sterno fuel to keep the soup hot during the party. (The chef used a portable heater under the dish to maintain temperature.)

• "chafing-dish cuisine": a style of cooking that involves preparing food directly at the table using a chafing-dish, often associated with fondue or flambé dishes.

  • Chafing-dish cuisine became popular in the mid-20th century for its theatrical presentation. (Tabletop cooking with a chafing-dish.)

Variants and Related Words

• Chafing (n): the act of rubbing or warming, but in this compound, it refers to the heating effect.
  • The chafing of the metal pan against the burner creates heat. (The friction or heating process.)
• Dish (n): a shallow, flat-bottomed container for serving food.
  • The dish itself is made of stainless steel, but the chafing-dish includes a stand and heater.

Synonyms

• Bain-marie: a water bath used for gentle heating (though a chafing-dish often uses direct heat).
• Hot plate: a portable heating surface (though a chafing-dish specifically includes a dish).
• Sterno dish: a colloquial term for a chafing-dish that uses Sterno (canned heat) as fuel.

Related Idioms

• "To bring out the chafing-dish": to prepare for a formal or elaborate meal, especially one involving tabletop cooking.
  • For the anniversary dinner, they brought out the chafing-dish to make steak Diane. (They used the special equipment for a fancy meal.)
• "A chafing-dish affair": an event or meal where such a dish is used, implying a certain level of sophistication or retro style.
  • The party was a chafing-dish affair, with fondue and shrimp cocktails everywhere. (The event featured portable hot dishes.)