8/13/2019 A History of Chafing Dishes.docx

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A History of Chafing Dishesby: Adam Kelly

Chafing dishes have been around for millennia and are a sort of indoor barbecue set in the

form of charcoal-burning braziers and, possibly, the forerunner to the fondue set. Beautifullycrafted bronze chafing dishes were found in the ruins of Pompeii, showing they were induring the first century AD. They were highly prized by the Romans at their lavish banquetsand later mentioned in historical letters dating to 1520, when the Spanish conquistador,Hernan Cortes, described to Charles V their profuse usage for keeping plates and disheswarm during sumptuous banquets for hundreds of gormandizing noblemen at the height ofthe Aztec empire. The sixteenth century baroque painter, Diego Velazquez, portrayed awoman preparing a meal of eggs in a chafing dish and Louis XV's kitchens used them to keepthe dainty dishes for the epicurean courtiers piping hot. By the seventeenth century this formof cookware was being documented in household inventories in America.

Velasquez's chafing dish appears to be earthenware, but silver chafing dishes used as plate-warmers were mentioned during the reign of Queen Anne, at the end of the seventeenthcentury. It was George II, around the middle of the eighteenth century, who had the foresightto put handles on the chafing dishes, which must have made life so much easier for the cooksand scullery maids of the time! The Victoria and Albert Museum in London, exhibits agleaming copper chafing dish with brass fittings dating to circa 1895. Copper is an idealmetal because it is hard-wearing and conducts heat evenly while the brass handles remaincool enough to lift and move around.

In the 1950s the hostess trolley was designed. This was essentially a large chafing dish (orseries of dishes) on wheels in a wooden surround to imitate a piece of furniture. It wasthought to liberate women from the kitchen, enabling her to prepare food in advance and keepit warm, while she entertained the guests along with her husband. These fell out of fashionrelatively quickly as the penchant for formal dining declined along with tastes for food leftstanding on a hot plate for several hours! With the demise in popularity of the hostess trolleycame the revival of the chafing dish, more versatile, space-saving, portable and attractive thanthe great wooden tiered hearse for plates.

Nowadays a silver chafing dish (or at least, silver plated) is a popular accessory to any dinnertable and can cost as little as $15.00 and whether your taste runs to Princess House Fantasiacollectibles or traditional silver salver serving trays, there will be a chafing dish out there to

match your decor and tastes and make entertaining friends for dinner just that little bit easierfor you.