Q: How do I keep dinner warm when everyone eats at different times?

A: We get this question often, as so many of you are you are trying to juggle varying schedules while avoid hanger meltdowns - the struggle is real folks. Fortunately, in the age of modern kitchens (what a time to be alive), there are several ways to keep that dinner warm, and most are very simple - dare we say, even obvious. And, don’t overlook the value of a room temp meal like grain bowls, etc.

15 minutes or less

Aluminum Foil

To keep food warm for a just a few minutes (up to about 15 minutes), simply cover plated food tightly with aluminum foil. To avoid waste, you could also use a sheet pan or another plate.

Warm Plates

If there’s not a ton of time between when dinner is ready and when you’ll serve it - but enough time for the food to cool - heating the plates before serving is an elegant and easy solution. To warm plates, set your oven to the lowest temperature ( usually about ~175°F), then place your plates in an oven (they can be stacked) for 10 - 15 minutes. Alternatively, plates can be warmed by microwaving them for 1 - 2 minutes. Make sure you’re using oven-proof plates (i.e. this won’t work with your toddler’s plastic plates), use mitts to remove the plates from the oven or microwave, and never place a warm plate on a cold surface.

15 - 30 minutes

Your Oven

To keep food warm for longer then 15 minutes, our preferred method is either in the oven or your toaster oven (the oft overlooked workhorse of the kitchen). Instead of turning your oven off when you’re done using it, set the temp to 225°F (some ovens even have a "warming" setting or drawer, though ours isn’t that fancy) and transfer your cooked food to a baking sheet, then loosely cover with aluminum foil before placing in the oven. Plate when ready to eat.

This method works well to keep food warm for 30 minutes or so. After that, you may need to increase the oven temperature a bit - to ~300°F or - to bring food back up to serving temperature.

30 minutes or more

Your oven, again

If you’re serving food 30 minutes or more after it’s ready, we recommend reheating - rather than keeping it warm. To do this, transfer your food to a sheet pan or oven safe dish when you’re done cooking, and store at room temperature (cooked food can be safely kept at room temperature for 2 hours). About 15 minutes before you’re ready to serve, place your sheet pan in an oven preheated to 350°F (300°F for fish) to bring food back up to serving temperature (~180°F). Plate when ready to eat.

Notes on food safety and texture

• Deep-fried items keep warm and reheat best on a single layer on a cooling rack set on a sheet pan.

• Covering items loosely with foil will prevent additional browning.

• Sauces, stews, and soups, etc. can be kept and reheated in pot or pan they were prepared in. Just bring back up to simmer before serving.

• Microwaves are great for reheating soft textured foods - say soups, mashed potatoes, even pasta or rice. But, for roasted or fried food, go with your oven for a better texture.

• As mentioned above, food can be safely stored at room temperature for 2 hours. After that, food needs to be chilled or reheated to above ~180°F.