....to not heat our dinnerplates?

[LaContessaDiPlumpOnSea]

MIL does. I don't.

Please discuss.

We stand our plates on the kitchen radiator. It's a double so they sit in the dip between the two radiator bits. Obviously this only works when the heating is on. Microwave with water on at other times. No need for fancy Lakeland gadgets.

What's so difficult about opening the oven door and putting the plates in for a few minutes? Or putting them in a microwave? The way some posters are in such high dudgeon about warming plates you'd think they were being asked to actually make the plate.

No I think it's something older people do.

Dunno what your def of older is, I am 54, my Ma is 79, we have never done it. Food that's cooled down won't kill you. I bet half you folk are the reason my food is hotter than the centre of the fucking sun on restaurants - no need for it, weirdos :)

emotionsecho I don't think anyone has suggested it is difficult. It does involve a certain amount of faffing around for some people though (if my dad is anything to go by). I personally don't do it because I don't want to eat off a boiling hot plate.

But aren't we all told to eat more slowly, it's a health/weight thing, if you bolt your food, you eat more. So if my food was cold, I just know I would eat too quickly and have seconds! If I slowly eat, I get fuller. Well.... it works for me anyway. Plus there are some foods I just don't like unless they are piping hot.

We also warm serving bowls if using them.
We= me, DP and 15 yo ds!

My parents heat the tea cup and the teapot before making tea.

When he became old and irascible my granddad tried to get my mum to warm the handles of his cutlery. That did lead to some under the breath swearing by mum, along the lines of 'WTAF'.

food more likely to start to cool down to the point that putting it on a cold plate makes for a less than pleasant meal.

No it doesn't - it's exactly the same food, just not as warm - how is that "less than pleasant" I really don't get the obsession with stuff having to be so hot all the time.

So if my food was cold, I just know I would eat too quickly and have seconds

Eh? you prefer food so hot you can't eat it? Even odder.

I don't often bother with plates but my big heavy soup/pasta bowls live in a cupboard against an outside wall and in winter are absolutely freezing. If I didn't warm them first the food would be stone cold in seconds.

No was not too hot too eat, but too hot to gobble down. Simples. I would slowly eat as the food is hot, not taking such big mouthfuls and bolting it down and having seconds.

Roussette Do you "gobble down" sandwiches then as they are not hot? It seems a bit bizarre to heat food to avoid bolting it down. I don't think I bolt anything down regardless of temperature.

Mary I'm not explaining myself well. I just prefer my food piping hot and eating it slowly. I am probably overthinking. I just know I don't like lukewarm or nearly cold food that is meant to be hot.

Totally agree Francis.

As an example - a roast lamb dinner. I can't abide lamb that is cold or tepid, the fat on it is horrible. However, I don't mind roast lamb if it is piping hot. My DH loves lamb and I cook it very occasionally but for me it has to be a hot meal, and not a tepid meal, hence I heat my plates and it stays hot longer.

Mashed potato and gravy is not nice cold (personal preference). On cold plates it can easily be room temp by the time you are 25% through your dinner.

What's so difficult about opening the oven door and putting the plates in for a few minutes? Or putting them in a microwave? The way some posters are in such high dudgeon about warming plates you'd think they were being asked to actuallymakethe plate.

Probably relates to your general attitude to fuel, which in its turn can be traced back to your upbringing.

To be fair, I think it's safe to say that I must waste electricity in all kinds of ways that don't feel like a waste at the time (for example, posting on this thread!), but putting the oven or microwave on just to warm plates when I'm doing something on the hob? That feels like decadence on the scale that [is reputed to have] brought about the Fall of the Roman Empire!

No it's not that difficult - I just don't find it in any way necessary. It's like asking if it's really so difficult to get the napkin rings out - of course not, I just manage perfectly well without.

I am starting to wonder what temperature people have in their house if food starts congealing while you eat?

I think 'congealing' is a bit of an exaggeration. So what if I and others prefer their food really hot as opposed to lukewarm, and the oven is on anyway so whilst I'm cutting through the lasagne or getting the cutlery, I pop the plates in the turned off oven to warm. As much as you cold plate people don't understand, nor do we hot plate people understand not doing it TBH

Vive la difference!!

I like to eat from warmed plates. IF it's a pasta dish I place the plates underneath in a stack and drain the pasta over them. OR run water into the plates and leave it there for a moment. Or if the oven has been used, put them in there on the v bottom where it's cooler.

No fuss ever. Just personal prefence and makes dd roll her eyes when I insist on it. So doubly useful.

It is obviously a matter of preference. However, the fact that some people think food "should" be piping hot seems quite bizarre. In the days before central heating, people would have warmed plates so that the food wasn't stone cold but I doubt that they aimed to warm the plates to the extent that they had to spend ages blowing on food to cool it down or eat more slowly.

NavyandWhite Some people do faff about as believe it or not, not everyone as a warming drawer with temperature control.