Food Steam Table Uses

Restaurants, cafeterias, catering outfits and even food carts use steam tables in their daily operations. While the number of uses may be limited, how this equipment is used and maintained can make a difference between food served properly and food that is not. Workers new to the kitchen environment should be trained on all aspects of usage and maintenance requirements for best results.

Primary Use

The primary use of a food steam table is to keep foods hot prior to serving. Food that falls below a temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit is at risk for acquiring bacteria, so it is imperative to keep all food products at or above this temperature during service to prevent foodborne illness. Steam tables can not be used for heating up cold foods, only for maintaining foods that have been properly heated in an oven, steam kettle or on a stove top or griddle.

Serving Hot Foods

Steam tables also provide a platform from which to directly serve hot food, as often seen in a cafeteria or catering setting. Workers can increase the efficiency of the steam table, and keep foods from fluctuating in temperature by keeping the steam table covered when not serving and regularly switching pans out if service is slow.

Types of Steam Tables

While some restaurants and cafeterias have stationary steam table units, many itinerant operations, such as catering or food trucks, have smaller, portable steam tables that stay warm electrically or with the use of portable alcohol gel. These may also be called chafing dishes, but have the same basic design and function as a permanent steam table. Commercial steam tables generally accommodate a standard-size well of 12-by-20 inches, and may have up to five wells, but smaller units are in use, often seen in street food carts such as those operated by hot dog vendors.

Function and Maintenance

Most steam tables work by heating a small amount of water in the open well of the table and inserting a tray of hot food into the well. When steam tables are in use for several hours over the course of the day, it often becomes necessary to add more water into the well, since the heated water evaporates over a period of time. Because these units don't heat the food directly, they stay relatively clean, but do need to be wiped down and sanitized at the end of the work day. Any water remaining in the water well should be discarded, and the well dried and sanitized before further use, to prevent bacterial growth.