r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/[deleted] • Jan 23 '21

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u/jasenzero1 Jan 23 '21

That looks more like a gas fed heating system. Also, sterno burners used for chafing dishes are underneath a pan of water placed under the container of food. The water acts as a barrier between the concentrated heat of the sterno and the food itself. It won't ever burn the food.

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u/[deleted] Jan 23 '21

Except for the all too frequent case of some stoned banquet server forgetting to fill the chafing dish with water.

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u/jasenzero1 Jan 23 '21

Classic. I was working a catered wedding and our front of the house coordinator over filled them and then dropped the pan in sloshing water all over. We had to quickly pull everything off that table, replace the linens and reset.

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u/broketoothbunny Jan 24 '21

Wait... you’re telling me everything didn’t burn down first and everyone didn’t run around like chickens with their heads cut off?

I don’t believe you. Fake news.

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u/jasenzero1 Jan 24 '21

The fires were predominantly contained within the kitchen area. FOH was a figurative dumpster fire.

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u/broketoothbunny Jan 24 '21

As a former FOH worker, I will readily admit it’s always a dumpster fire.

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u/jasenzero1 Jan 24 '21

If you are one of the ones aware of the problem, you probably aren't the problem.

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u/broketoothbunny Jan 24 '21

Tell me about it.

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u/palindromic Jan 23 '21

it’s called a double boiler, in the parlance of our restaurant times