How to Store and Transport Chafing Dishes

Quick answer: Clean every piece, dry it completely, and store each set together with something soft between the parts. When you move dishes, keep hot food at 60°C or hotter and cold food at 4°C or colder, and carry fuel capped and secured, apart from the food. Follow the label on your fuel.

Clean and dry everything before it goes away

Let every part cool completely, including the fuel holder and any used fuel can, then wash each part following any instructions that came with your dish. Our step-by-step cleaning guide covers the general routine.

Dry every piece before you pack it. Check under the pan, around the fuel holder and wherever the lid meets the pan, because water can collect there. Care guidance from equipment makers agrees on drying completely before storage.

Check each dish before you store it

Pack-up is a good time to look for damage, because you can fix a problem before the next booking. These checks are general good practice.

• Check any legs, handles and fuel holders for anything loose or damaged.
• Check any hinges and moving parts. A hinged lid that will not close fully may be seated wrongly or paired with the wrong pan, so read your instructions and do not force it.
• Look at the pans for cracks, open seams, and surfaces that are flaking or pitting.
• Look at glass lids and glass dishes for chips, cracks and scratches. Take any damaged glass out of use.

If a dish fails the check, take it out of service and label it until it is fixed or replaced.

Protect the finish and keep each set together

Put a soft cloth or paper between pieces that touch. Metal rubbing on metal can scratch finishes, and abrasives can scratch or dull coloured and highly polished finishes. Finishes vary, so follow the maker's instructions. See also our gold and silver care guide.

Avoid heavy stacking, and keep weight off lids, frames and legs. Keep each set together, because some makers say to match each lid to its own pan. Put the lid, pans, frame or stand and fuel holder for one dish in the same box, and label it with the line, size and finish.

Many of our dish pages list a packed size and weight for the shipping box, so you can plan shelf space. The Rolling Top Line 9 L rectangle in gold, for example, ships in a box that measures 69 x 53 x 33 cm and weighs 9.0 kg packed.

Choose a dry, cool place

Store dishes in a dry, cool room, and avoid places that collect damp, such as a basement corner, a shed or a garage with condensation. For seasonal storage, do the full check first and open one box part-way through the off-season to confirm nothing has gone damp.

Pack and secure dishes for the road

These are general good-practice tips. Follow any packing guidance that came with your dish.

1. Put out the flame following your fuel's label and let every dish cool completely. Never carry a dish with a lit fuel can under it, and do not move one that still holds hot water or hot food. Sort leftovers first, keeping only food that stayed hot and that guests did not serve themselves from, as our cleaning guide explains, and then apply the temperature limits below. Glass needs extra care, because a sudden temperature change can break it.
2. Pack the heaviest pieces at the bottom of the box and put lids on top. Wrap glass lids and glass dishes separately in soft cloth or paper.
3. Fill gaps so nothing slides, and strap boxes down in the vehicle.
4. Count the parts when you load and again when you unload. The chafing dish care checklist gives you a list to work from.

Move pans in an insulated food pan carrier

The 90 L insulated food pan carrier has racks for food pans, an insulated body, four wheels, a side handle and a latched door with a carry handle. The listing says the insulated body helps keep food at temperature in transit. Before the event, check that your pans fit the racks and that the door latches with the pans in place. The listed weight is 15.5 kg.

An insulated carrier helps keep hot food hot but does not heat it, so load pans of food that are already hot. Some carrier makers suggest warming the carrier with hot water first. If your carrier's instructions say to, follow them. Never put a lit fuel can or any other heat source inside the carrier.

Keep food at safe temperatures on the road

Health Canada puts hot food at 60°C or hotter and cold food at 4°C or colder. The range between is the danger zone, where harmful bacteria can grow. In Ontario, public health rules apply these limits to potentially hazardous food in food businesses. If you cater for the public or run an inspected kitchen, ask your local public health unit what applies to you. If you host at home, treat the limits as good practice.

• Start with food that is already hot. Toronto Public Health says, for special event food vendors, that chafing dishes must not be used to reheat food, so heat it in an oven or on a stove first. If it was cooked earlier and chilled, reheat it to a safe internal temperature first. Health Canada gives 74°C (165°F) for leftovers.
• Check the food as well as the carrier. Put a clean, sanitized probe thermometer into the thickest part and wait at least 15 seconds.
• Keep cold food in a cooler with ice packs, out of direct sun.
• Throw out perishable food that has spent more than two hours in total between 4°C and 60°C, or one hour on a hot day. Health Canada does not give a temperature for a hot day, and HealthLink BC uses above 32°C outdoors.

Transport fuel safely

Keep fuel tightly capped and away from flames and sparks. Health Canada gives that advice for the liquid and gel fuels used in fire pots and fondue pots, and the same habit makes sense for chafing fuel. Follow the label on your fuel.

• Let a used fuel can cool fully before you handle it.
• Carry fuel upright and secured so it cannot tip or slide, and do not leave it in a hot, parked vehicle. Check your fuel's label and Transport Canada's rules for dangerous goods.
• Pack fuel apart from the food and the dishes.
• Ask the venue whether open flame is allowed and where fuel can be handled. Many venues do not allow open flame, and the local fire department can require approval. Our fuel and hot holding guide covers refuelling and keeping food hot at the event.

Common questions

How long can hot food stay in the insulated carrier?

It depends on the food, the pans, how full the carrier is and how often you open the door. We do not give a hold time. Check the food with a probe thermometer when you arrive, and throw it out if it has dropped below 60°C and you are unsure how long it has been there.

Can I leave fuel in the dish between events?

Take used cans out once they have cooled fully. Store unused fuel with the cap on, in a cool, dry place away from heat and flammable materials. Follow the storage directions on your fuel.

Do I need to wash dishes again after storage?

Yes, it is good practice. Dust collects in storage, so wash, rinse and dry each piece before the first event, following any instructions that came with your dish.

If you are adding dishes for a busy season, browse our insulated food carriers, or send your list through our wholesale page and we will help you plan the order.