Fandango Catering Offers 4 Tips for Serving Small Hot Plates at Events

Small hot plates are trendy this year for cocktail-type events, and today we offer 4 tips for serving this type of food successfully.

Small plates of hot food are a bit heartier than room temperature hors d'oeuvres, and are popular now for cocktail events that run through the dinner hour, say, 7 to 8pm or 9pm.  So a cocktail event that starts at 5pm and runs until 8pm, or one that starts at 6 and runs until 9pm, would be good candidates for this type of food.

Small hot plates are popular at corporate or work-related events, where many of the guests (typically young single professionals) will pretty much make of what's served their dinner, or if the guests include many people with heartier appetites.

Examples of small hot plates include meatballs, mini chicken parmigianas, sliders, crab or other seafood cakes, small hot pastas, or other hot dishes served in small portions.

There are a few things to keep in mind when including small hot plates in your event planning:

The food should not be too difficult to eat--Avoid bright red sauces (too messy, can stain clothes), long pastas like spaghetti, foods that are very saucy or soupy, etc.  Do not serve any small hot plate that requires a knife; only a fork should be necessary and it should be possible to eat the small hot plate standing up.
Keep in mind that hot food served away from a heating source becomes cold in about 1 minute--So ditch any idea that requires serving hot food in unusual containers that don't retain heat.  For instance, say you're planning a teen's party and the guest of honor wants sliders but wants them served in Chinese takeout boxes, lined up in rows.  Served this way, the sliders become cold immediately and lose flavor and juices--though the box presentation is certainly unusual.  We suggest to clients a mix of hot and cold foods (and saving the unusual presentations for foods that do not taste best hot).  There are now very modern chafing dish subsitutes for those that dislike chafing dishes.  But the fact remains that hot small plates or any hot food not served in a heat-retaining container will just not be (as) good.  If you like the idea of a mashed potato bar, make sure you have sufficient help to keep bringing out the bowls of hot mashed potatoes for guests, or that you're using some heat source to keep the potatoes hot on the station.  If you don't, then you may want to rethink your menu.
Keep plates small, 7" or less--Or you may run out of food quickly. People can always go back and serve themselves more.
Choose a menu that mixes small hot plates with a few cold ones--If you handle your own event, this is easier on you.  If you pay someone to handle it, it will cost more if you serve all or mostly all hot dishes, so this is a consideration for some people.

Serving small hot plates can be a great idea as long as you keep in mind a few things they require to do successfully.

Warmly,

Kristina

Fandango Catering and Events
(713) 522-0077
www.fandango-catering.com