May 2019 - Heating Without Fire

A commercial catering service is useless without the right appliances, namely the buffet burners used for keeping the food items warm during events. The right kind of buffet burners not only boosts the business but is also cost-effective.

However, there are many factors caterers must consider before selecting the right kind of buffet burners to be used while serving food at small and big events. Here are some of the most important things you must keep in mind while choosing buffet burners and other commercial appliances for your catering business.

7 Factors to Consider Before Buying Buffet Burners and Other Commercial Catering Items

1. Does the Buffet Burner Fit the Purpose?

Will your buffet burner be able to keep large quantities of food items warm for long hours at indoor as well as open venues?

Apart from the size of the buffet burner, also consider the heating power of the appliance to see if it suits your requirements. If you are catering for a big event, less powerful buffet burners might not heat the food evenly and you will end up providing cold tasteless food to the guests at the event. Moreover, overworking a small buffet burner will also lead to regular breakdowns and will thus increase the maintenance costs of the business significantly.

2. Is the Buffet Burner Energy Efficient?

Did you know that using energy efficient kitchen equipment can reduce up to 20 percent of the utility bills?

When it comes to buying buffet burners and other catering equipment, it is best to focus on the long-term costs along with the short-term goals. An eco-friendly and energy efficient buffet burner will not only promote sustainability but will also reduce the utility bills significantly. Sustainable buffet burners like the EcoHeat System not provide consistent heat for long hours but also promote safety as they use neither fire, water, or electricity to produce heat.

3. Is the Buffet Burner Safe to Use?

Chafing fuel is widely used in the catering industry to heat chafing dishes and keep the food warm. However, using chafing fuel comes with many safety, health, and environmental risks. Chafing fuel creates an open flame that increases the chances of a fire or conflagration taking place. Apart from the risk of fire, there are also toxic fumes that are released when chafing fuel is burned. These fumes are inhaled by the guests and also the employees of the catering business who must tend to the chafing dishes.

These toxic fumes can cause headaches, respiratory diseases, nausea, and many more health complications. The impact the chafing fuel has on the environment is also something that cannot be ignored. Disposing of the used chafing fuel after the event is over will not only pollute the environment but will also increase the pollution level we are currently battling. Therefore, choose a buffet burner that is safe, environmentally friendly, and easy to dispose of.

4. Is the Buffet Burner Suitable for Catering at Large-Scale Events?

As stated earlier, buy sustainable buffet burners that can be used easily while catering for all types of events – big or small. The EcoHeat System developed by Heat Factory perfectly matches all these requirements as this heating equipment is big and sturdy enough to heat large chafing dishes. The air-activated EcoHeat warmers can be used as compost after being used to heat chafing dishes. The EcoHeat System will be able to fulfill all the large scale demands of a commercial catering service without a hitch.

5. Can the Buffet Burners be Used in the Future Complying With Guidelines?

We should always invest in things and equipment for the business that would still be useful in the future and not rendered obsolete due to some new rules and regulations. In case you want to expand your catering business, always buy buffet burners that would help you do that rather than hold you back and compel you to buy new equipment.

EcoHeat buffet burners will be able to provide excellent service for the long term as they are eco-friendly and sustainable and are energy efficient to the core. It is easy and safe to dispose of EcoHeat warmers and thus they would not violate any regulations and guidelines set by the authorities to protect the environment.

6. Will the Buffet Burners Fit?

It is best to buy buffet burners that are neither too small nor too large. Minuscule buffet burners will not be able to provide the required heat and a very large buffet burner might not fit on the table at the venue. It is also very cumbersome to set up extremely large buffet burners at the event venue. Therefore, it is best to invest in buffet burners keeping in mind the space it will be taking up at the venues you will be catering.

7. Will it be Too Costly to Maintain the Buffet Burner?

Buffet burners that make use of chafing fuel are not only unsafe to use but also very difficult to clean. It is very important to keep all your catering equipment spic and span and in working order to maintain quality and consistency when it comes to cooking and serving food at events and parties. The buffet kits using open flames require more time and energy to keep the chafing dishes and burners clean, resulting in an increase in the maintenance costs.

It is best to use buffet burners like the EcoHeat system which make use of neither fire, water, nor electricity to provide consistent warmth to the chafing dish. Thus, cleaning this buffet burner is a piece of cake that requires very little time and effort.

In Conclusion:

The reliability of a buffet burner depends upon all the factors listed above in this article. Before you commit to and buy a particular buffet burner, ensure that it meets all the above-mentioned requirements. A catering business runs smoothly only when you can serve warm and tasty food at events for a long time.

Parties, events, and celebrations have always been an essential part of the human social experience. Nowadays, outdoor parties have gained great popularity. After all, who doesn’t love celebrating in the open air?

However, outdoor events and parties do pose one significant problem – outdoor venues don’t have kitchens or stoves. In the absence of these, it can be quite hard to keep the food items warm over the hours.

The solution is to use portable food warmers for parties. Usually, these food warmers work with the help of chafing fuel. The fuel is burned to produce an open flame, over which the food items are placed in chafing dishes. The flames heat the chafing dish and keep the food hot, thus solving the problem effectively.

However, chafing fuel also causes many problems and has several important drawbacks. Some of these issues have been listed below.

1. The Danger of Open Flames

Food warmers that make use of chafing fuel typically create an open flame over which the food items can be heated. This is a problem because open flames are dangerous and always pose a fire hazard. With a number of open flames in a venue, there is always the risk that an accident might occur, causing a fire to start.

This could put the lives of all the staff members and the guests at risk. To avoid this, caterers need to constantly monitor the flames to ensure that the temperature is right, sufficient fuel is available, and that there is still enough water in the pan. Even the slightest mistake or inattention could lead to a lethal accident, endangering everyone present.

2.The Effects of Toxic Fumes

Chafing fuel, when burned, emits fumes which can be harmful to living things if inhaled. Typically, the chafing fuel-based food warmers for parties release these toxic fumes in the event venue, where they are then inhaled by all the guests and catering staff. These fumes can cause severe health issues, particularly if the area is not very well-ventilated, leading to a buildup of the fumes over the hours.

Those exposed to the toxic fumes may experience respiratory issues, headaches, nausea, etc. If someone is exposed to these fumes on a regular basis, they may even develop permanent health problems as a consequence of this exposure.

3. The Environmental Impact

Chafing fuel is harmful to the environment. The fumes that it releases when burned can cause air pollution. Moreover, when chafing fuel is disposed of, it can form toxic waste and cause environmental degradation. If some gel or liquid fuel is left over when the container is thrown away, it could leak out and seep into the soil.

Eventually, this toxic fuel can end up in the drinking water of those living in the area, leading to widespread health problems. In the worst case scenario, it could even lead to people getting poisoned. Even if that doesn’t happen, millions of containers of chafing fuel being disposed of around the country will definitely have a severe negative impact on the environment.

4. Unhealthy Work Environment

Working with chafing fuels can be very dangerous and detrimental to the health of caterers. First, due to the omnipresence of open flames, workers are always at risk of sustaining burn injuries. Secondly, inhaling the toxic fumes released by the food warmers for parties day after day can cause respiratory problems and other health issues. Thirdly, the slightest distraction or mistake on the part of the workers could lead to a fire in the venue, endangering everyone.

Thus, working in the catering industry can be much more dangerous than many people believe, especially if the business makes use of food heaters containing chafing fuel. Switching over to a fire-free food warmer would help create a much better work environment for employees of the catering business.

5. Unnecessary Expenses

Chafing fuel can also be quite costly. The fuel itself is expensive, but there are also several hidden costs borne by those using chafing fuel-based food warmers for parties. These food heaters require a lot of time to be set up for use, which means that caterers have to work longer hours when using them. Two employees need to work together to set up each unit of the food warmer. Since several units are needed for a single party, a lot of manpower is required.

Moreover, the presence of open flames also drives up the cost of insurance policies, so that the business has to pay higher premiums in order to avail maximum coverage. Dismantling and packing up these warmers is also quite time-consuming, and employees might need a whole hour after the event is over just to pack up their equipment and leave.

In Conclusion

Mentioned above are some of the reasons why you should avoid chafing fuel-based food warmers for parties and opt for fire-free warmers instead. These warmers can be operated without any flames, electricity, or water, making them very safe.

They are also eco-friendly and provide consistent heat without needing to be constantly monitored. For the best results, you can purchase the EcoHeat warmers, manufactured by Heat Factory, which come with a set of high-temperature, air-activated warmers, proprietary supports, and a customizable skirt.

7 Things to Consider Before Selecting Buffet Burners for Keeping the Food Warm