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)

I like my plate warm as I’m not a fast eater and if my plate is cold my food cools faster

I always warm plates for hot food, as does my mother.

Always warm plates because our crockery cupboard is on a freezing outside wall. Always warm the teapot before I make a pot of tea because I'm not a heathen.

[quote NannyGythaOgg]@ditalini
www.aldi.co.uk/ambiano-electric-plate-warmer/p/809232542228200

£16.99 and they are in stock[/quote]
These are excellent, tbf.
What I like about it is it isn't something you have to be faffing with just as everything needs doing before serving the meal (carving...making gravy etc).... you put them in earlier when you have time / things are calmer.

We have a built in plate warmer/hot drawer and it's brilliant - just pop plates in when you start cooking. When you are cooking and serving for 6, it keeps everything hot while you dish up. I only had it to fill a space but use it so much.

My mum is like this also...all her place mats have burn marks and she gets so annoyed if i ask her not to hear plates so hot when kids are at the table...glad to know she's not alone

My Mum is also obsessed with having a hot plate. She touches the plate when I'm serving up the check that I've warmed it up.

She's also obsessed about separate spoons for each sauce - heaven forbid you use your knife to get some mustard out. Even worse if you don't have a special butter knife.

Mind you she used to iron pants back when we were children. The only thing I iron is school shirts.

My parents definitely moan if the plates aren’t warm. I just do theirs and leave ours.

I have the Aldi plate warmer and it's fab. Usually gets used about 3 times a year - Christmas, Burns Night and Easter! Maybe a bit more pre covid. Whenever I bother I think it's great and then forget about it til next time.

My late step dad was obsessed with the plates being warm. He'd always check when we went out and loved it if they said watch the plates and he could have a check and nearly burn himself!

Think it probably is a generational thing from houses being generally colder and maybe meals like meat, potatoes and veg going cold quicker because they're all separate bits. Day to day we are much more likely to eat something like spaghetti bolognaise or a curry/chilli and rice that's sort of altogether and holds the heat more.

God this has just reminded me that my mum used to heat plates in the I've if we had a takeaway coming. I don't remind her doing it for any other meals though . She doesn't do it anymore I don't think. Weird.

Anyone else gonna start warming their plates after this thread when they've never even thought of it before! My parents or even my Grandparents have never mentioned it!

Had to do a double check of the opening post to make sure it wasn't my sister.

My mum even warms the plates while my dad goes to the chippy!

Although having said that, I totally get the difference on Xmas day a warmed plate makes, especially when some stuff is ready earlier than others.

My dad, he always looks horrified if I forget to warm his when he's visiting.

I always warm plates, as did my mum.

The in laws don’t, and they don’t warm the teapot or mugs.

They are regularly amazed by how lovely and warming the tea is when I make it. I’ve given up on hot drinks or food at theirs - always lukewarm at best.

Mind they love a faff too so will plate up a meal that has been waiting for the last thing to finish, on to cold plates, take it to the table then go and wipe down the kitchen. Then they’ll serve drinks. Then they discuss the food. Then and only then can you eat your now congealed meal.

Some Like It Hot

i pour boiling kettle water on each plate and after about 30 secs pour into the washing up bowl ready for the dishes later.

i don't think they need to be 'Chernobyl Reactor 5 hot' but they def need the chill off the plate otherwise food does taste 'unpleasantly cool'

I'm not bothered about food being hot. I can't eat it that hot so allowing cooling to a sensible temperature makes more sense. I was always brought up to let my food cool down first to avoid burns too. I also hate really cold drinks and don't put cans etc in the fridge. I find obsessing over food temperature really daft but each to their own I guess. So no I don't warm plates.

It has never entered my head to heat a plate, I’m going to try it tomorrow!!

My mum
Food is always "cold". No, the soup is bubbling it's that hot
Cup of tea always discarded half drunk as it's "cold"
Anything that isn't lava is freezing

I've never eaten a meal and thought shame it cooled too quickly but then I'm not really fussed what temperature it is. I mean obviously I don't want ice cold mash I'm not a savage but providing it's somewhere between hot and warm... maybe other people eat slower? It takes me about ten mins to eat a normal lunch or tea

Oh and yes to waitressing
"Careful, the plate is hot"
Customer < touches plate > "OW"

Nobody in my family has ever done this thankfully, it would drive me potty! I hate having to carry hot plates and even struggle eating food hot due to sensitive teeth!

I grew up with parents warming plates but then our house did have ice on inside of windows. Houses now are centrally heated and kitchens aren't the frozen rooms they once were.

My fil is obsessed with a hot plate too.

He will run hot water into the sink and put all the plates in there soaking. I think he thinks he’s being helpful but then you need to find something to dry the. With whilst trying to serve up the food!

When we go to theirs for a meal, mil has a hostess trolley. It takes so long to get the food out of the trolley onto the table that it defeats the point of having the trolley! Then when the food is all served up onto plates, instead of eating it straight away, they will faff around getting the serving dishes back in the bloody trolley while our food gets cold!

My DH moans about cold plates. DS and I really couldn't care less ....

100% an age thing

@IggyIggyIggy

100% an age thing

???