Anyone else obsessed with hot plates or is it just my mum?

[ditalini]

My mum is absolutely obsessed with keeping food hot and is convinced that hot food being put onto cold (or even warm) plates will make the food "freezing" in the time it takes for it to be brought to the table.

This caused much angst at Christmas when there was a constant juggle of needing space in the oven/microwave for cooking, and for endless piles of serving dishes and plates to heat up. (I am kind of with her on serving dishes although I wouldn't consider a meal ruined if they weren't red hot)

Both my brother and I have on separate occasions reassured her that no-one in our respective households is bothered by hot plates so if she needs the space she could just heat her and my dad's plates and we would be fine, but to no avail.

Obviously when she eats at my house I make sure her and my dad's plates are hot as this is her preference.

So, what is it with hot plates people? As I stood at a sink of very hot water on Christmas Day dunking plates I really was wondering.

(She also has a thing about pasta going cold and shrieks from the kitchen to eat up before it freezes as I'm carrying plates through)

My mum too! I've never heated plates.

My parents are too!

Yep, my mum too, drives me bonkers!

Buy her a plate warmed from lakeland

I used to think it was bonkers but our utility room where the plate cupboard is is freezing and it does make a difference for the plates to be at least room temperature

plate warmer!!

My mum is the same. Used to annoy me, but now she's older it makes me smile.

My FIL, he will only eat off a hot plate.

My inlaws will plate a hot meal straight from the oven and microwave it to make sure it's hot. Insane

My husband does this. I tell him if he wants he can heat his plate. I do wonder about it though as my food does seem to cool quickly.

My mum too, think it’s generational and while I don’t care about a warmed plate, I have inherited her over concern about food being hot. It really bugs me when people don’t come to the table to eat their food hot and I have to remind myself it’s up to them.

Your mum is absolutely right and it's especially important when it's a roast of different elements rather than, say, lasagne that will hold its heat.

To warm them when the oven is occupied, put them on top of the saucepans in place of lids. They only need a minute or two each each the bonus is the edges don't get too got to handle.

I don't like eating a hot meal from a cold plate. I like my food to stay hot while I eat. I'm surprised by the replies so far!

My DGM was into hot plates and whilst I think she had a point I just cannot be arsed.

Hot plates now mean restaurants to me!

If I'm doing a roast then I like to warm the plates up so that the food stays fairly hot whilst I'm dishing up the different elements on to them. It IS probably something I inherited from my mum/gran. Also I like to have gravy piping hot to help keep the veg from going stone cold at the table.

My mother was equally obsessed.

I have a plate warming drawer but the problem comes when you are using serving dishes that aren't directly in front of your hot plate - and the plates are too warm to hold as you put food onto them.

Maybe I'm just a greedy guts that never gives my food time to get cold

Plate warmer you say? This is genius! Will have to remember for next Christmas. www.lakeland.co.uk/6045/Electric-Plate-Warmer

I’m totally with your mum.

I hate a warm dinner served on a horrible cold plate. The veg definitely stays warmer for longer if you have a hot dinner plate.

I have to say as I get older I am more interested in having my plates hot. Emergency run under the hot tap better than nothing, but I try and put them in the warm oven after it's turned off if the roast is resting.

We had a proper argument at Christmas when my mum declared the plates weren't hot!!

Always hot plates here! Mum is the same so I guess it's inherited.

Why do you think restaurants keep their plates in a plate warmer. If hot food is put on a cold plate it will cool very quickly. I thought everyone warmed their plates?
I did 3 years at catering college when I left school. If any of us plated up onto a cold plate we would have been in trouble

My parents debate this before every meal. My DM asks "should we have hot plates?" and my DF says "Cold food cold plate" or "Hot food hot plate". You can only imagine the drama in those days after Christmas where cold meats are being served ON THE SAME PLATE as reheated roast potatoes or bubble and squeak. The dilemma!

@Positivelypatient

If I'm doing a roast then I like to warm the plates up so that the food stays fairly hot whilst I'm dishing up the different elements on to them. It IS probably something I inherited from my mum/gran. Also I like to have gravy piping hot to help keep the veg from going stone cold at the table.

See, it's partly the language (not picking on you, honest). The veg doesn't go stone cold really - I mean, maybe not quite as hot as you would like but it's not hot to freezing in the few minutes it takes for people to start eating.

In my mum's world the imperfectly served food is always freezing or stone cold too. (I do like hot gravy though)

I think it’s a generational thing.

When I was a waitress about 30 years ago it was a thing a lot of people where really bothered about.

We’d all say”watch out the plate is hot” when serving food and the number of people who would then burn themselves checking was really funny.

The plates where kept hot all day in an industrial warmer and then often put under a halogen light for a few minutes too. You could have cooked a steak on them.