2024: How Much Does It Cost to Rent A Chafing Dish? -
  • 2024: How Much Does It Cost to Rent A Chafing Dish?

    banquet table with chafing dish heaters

    If you need to secure a chafing dish rental and you still have questions, you’re in the right spot!

    Here is everything you never knew you wanted to know about chafing dish rentals…

    First: What is a chafing dish and why is it called that? 

    Chafing dishes are food warmers. They come in a lot of different shapes and sizes. Chafing dish is derived from the French word “chauffer,” which means to make warm.

    How Much Does a Chafing Dish Rental Cost?

    The most common chafing dish rental is the 8qt rectangular stainless steel chafing dish which costs $18 per day, but chafing dishes come in a lot of different shapes, sizes and styles, so take a look at your various options here.

     

    8 qt chafer

    How much food does a chafing dish rental hold?

    If you are serving something that has large serving sizes, like lasagna, an 8qt chafing dish will hold approximately 24 servings. For food with smaller serving sizes, like rice, it will hold approximately 40 – 6 oz servings. For salad, it will serve 20-40 people.

    How much water should you put in a chafing dish rental? Note: Never use it without water.

    Fill the base until it is approximately 2 inches deep. Insert the food pan. When you lift it back up, it should be dry. If it isn’t, pour out a little of the water until the bottom of the food pan stays dry.

    Chafing dish with warm food

    How long do chafing dishes keep food warm?

    If you use them with Sterno, chafing dishes will keep food warm for 2-4 hours. Sterno is the fuel source – it’s like a little candle, but it uses jellied alcohol and puts of a lot of heat. (Note: You cannot use a candle as it will not heat up enough.) Typically your rental will come with 2 cans of sterno, which depending on size of the chafing dish, will keep you food warm for a couple of hours.

    Note: chafing dishes are used to KEEP food warm, but will not bring cold foods up to serving temperature. Heat the food to the proper temperature and then add it to the pan.

    How do I set up the Sterno properly? 

    Remove the lid and place the Sterno in the round opening between the feet of the chafing dish. Light the Sterno and then adjust the lid by opening or closing to raise or lower the heat output.

    Catering chafing dishes used cold

    Can you use a chafing dish rental to keep food cold?

    This reminds me of an old joke: the thermos bottle is the greatest invention because it keeps cold drinks cold and hot drinks – “How Do It Know?”

    Fill the water pan with ice or cold water to keep foods cold, and don’t light the sterno. 😉

    What other questions do you have about chafing dish rentals?

    Email us at info@reventals.com and we will add them to this post!

     

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    Summary
    How Much Does It Cost to Rent A Chafing Dishe and Other FAQs
    Article Name
    How Much Does It Cost to Rent A Chafing Dishe and Other FAQs
    Description
    Here is everything you never knew you wanted to know about chafing dishes... Chafing dishes come in a lot of different shapes and sizes, but the most common is an 8qt for $18 per day. 
    Author
    Publisher Name
    Reventals
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    Candace Leak

    Candace is a 3x Start-up Founder and Certified Event Rental Professional (CERP). She geeks out on brainstorming bold ideas and then actually brings some of them to life. She is currently the CEO of Reventals, where her mission is to reduce overconsumption by making it as easy to rent as it is to buy.

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