Whether it’s a party or a lovely dinner, warming your food or keeping your food warm is a challenge. Cold food never tastes good and it loses its taste. Thus, you must keep the food warm and ready to serve. Well, the best way to do so is with warming trays. Having an intelligent build, these items can easily warm the food items without burning them. Once warmed, they can also keep the food warm as well as ready to serve for a long time. Thus, it is a must-have for any house owner.
If you own a catering business or want to host a couple of friends, then look out for the mentioned warming tray brands. They have been in the market for a long time and so, the impression remains intact.
List of Best Warming Trays Review
10. MegaChef Warming Tray
This product will come to great use if you need to handle small portions of several different dishes. With 3 sectional trays, you can keep the items separated, and prevent them from getting mixed. Besides, the sectional trays come with their lids. Hence, there are no chances of any bugs or other elements falling into the food and making it unfit for eating.
Besides, the lids are all see-through. Therefore, the food items can be easily viewed even when covered. One great thing about this product is that the containers are stackable. Thus, it will take much less space when the product is not being used.
Key Features:
- Certainly, the product comes with an indicator light. Hence, you will know when the product is turned on and not get into any accidents.
- With the stainless steel finish, the stains or rust will not bother the beauty.
- It also provides you with variable heat settings.
9. Magic Mill Warming Tray
For those who deal with really large sections, this product will be ideal for you. The top of the warming tray has a glass surface. Not only does it get warm easily, but it also gives the tray a polished appearance and makes cleaning a hassle-free task requiring no more than some good wipes.
Furthermore, even though the product is extra-large so you can easily place huge dishes over it, the tray is extremely lightweight. Therefore, you can easily move it from one place to another without any problem. The product comes with sturdy handles so carrying the item is even easier.
Key Features:
- The glass used on the item is tempered. Hence, you do not have to worry about any cracks because of overheating.
- Moreover, the product is also really energy-efficient, consuming the bare minimum of power.
- Plus, the handles on this item are designed such that they remain cool and you do not get burned.
8. Ovente Warming Tray
If you go for this product, you will not be disappointed. With exceptional service, this warming tray has already won over the hearts of many and bagged the title of Amazon’s Choice for itself. It will surely have what you are looking for as well. The heating element on this product has a power of 200W. This gets the tray warm in no time.
If that is not enough, the product also allows you to alternate the temperature of the item as you prefer. You can put this compact product on any countertop and even place heat-proof dishes on it.
Key Features:
- As much as 1.5qt of food can be placed at once on this efficient tray.
- If you have any doubts about the quality of the product, Ovente drives all such concerns away with a year-long warranty on the product.
- The product is safe from rust, so it lasts you much longer.
7. Elite Gourmet Warming Tray
When quality is in question, Elite Gourmet leaves no stones unturned. This product allows you a lot of flexibility to use it in different ways. The bottom layer acts as a large warming tray, so you can set up all the big dishes that will not fit into a sectional tray. To make sure the sectional trays stay put in their place. So, the product also has a retaining shelf, which can avoid many mishaps.
At the very top, you enjoy 3 different sectional trays, to keep different items inside all at the same time. All the sections come with their very own see-through dome lids, so the food inside is visible at all times.
Key Features:
- All the lids come with their utensil slot, so serving is much more hygienic and smooth.
- The 7.5-qt capacity will let you prepare and store all the food inside it.
- Since the lids have their knobs, you can take the lid off without any chances of getting burnt.
6. Chefman Warming Tray
Once you get this product, you will never look back. Safety should always be of priority. For that reason, this product proudly boasts a cETL certification that you can count on. The product makes use of stainless steel for the body of the tray. Steel lends the sturdiness required to have a good load-bearing capacity.
Not only that, but steel is also a material known for its durable properties. Hence, when it comes to long-lasting usage, you can depend on this product. To help you get accustomed to the device, you get a PDF user guide as well.
Key Features:
- Four caps are placed at the bottom of the tray, so it does not scratch your counter or any other surface on collision.
- The handles of the product are out of aluminum, which remains cool for you to touch anytime.
- To protect the item from overheating, it has an exclusive fuse safety feature as well.
5. Classic Kitchen Warming Tray
If you are always running out of time, this product will be a true lifesaver. With a robust power of 300W, you can be sure your tray will get heated up in no time, and keep your food hot to be enjoyed throughout the mealtime. Moreover, you get a hi-tech glass for the top of the tray. This gives a very sleek look to the tray and makes maintenance a complete breeze, requiring nothing more than some wipes.
Besides, the glass has been tempered. Thus, no matter how hot the tray gets, your glass will not break anytime soon. Since the product has aluminum for the frame, it will be comparatively lighter as well.
Key Features:
- You get to alter the temperature of this product to go with all types of food items.
- The product has a good temperature range of 110°F to 230°F.
- As an added plus, you get a storage bag, where you can keep the tray clean when it is not being used.
4. Oster Warming Tray
A lot of thought has been given to the design of this product. The domed lids provided with the trays trap all the heat and moisture inside, so that, less power is required to keep the trays warm. Besides, it also protects the food from any outside particles that might otherwise make the food unfit for consumption.
In case you want to use your containers over the warming tray, you can ditch the sectional trays too. And the product will work just fine. With this product, maintenance is no big deal. Since the lids are dishwasher safe, you hardly have to put in any effort or time for cleaning.
Key Features:
- The item is spacious. Each sectional tray holds a good 2.5 quarts of food. So, you do not have to frequently keep filling the trays interrupting workflow.
- Also, the handle gives you a firm grip, while making sure the heat does not burn your skin.
- Lastly, it allows you to adjust the temperature of the oven easily with the help of temperature control knobs.
3. NutriChef Warming Tray
Name what is your requirement, and this product is sure to be already providing for it. The product comes with spacious handles, so no matter how big your hand is, you can curl up your fingers for a stable grip without any discomfort. Furthermore, the glass surface on this warming tray is of the non-stick kind. Hence, cleaning this item hardly takes up a few minutes.
Having a stainless steel body, you do not have to worry about any rusting either. With an LED power indicator, you will be alerted and not touch the hot surface by mistake.
Key Features:
- Featuring the special foot stubs on the bottom of the tray, this has a stable foundation on any surface.
- Since different people have different needs, this product is available in two varying sizes to suit everyone.
- The product is stain-resistant, staying clean for a longer time.
2. MyHotMat Warming Tray
For places with a space crunch, or if you are looking for warming trays better suited for personal use, this item can be a great choice. The product is much more compact, taking up less space on your counter, and barely any room in storage. Further, an innovative feature of this product is that the item is foldable.
It is space-efficient. This product has also been ETL tested. Thus, you can easily rely on the quality that this Warming tray offers.
Key Features:
- Meeting all the UL and NRTL standards, you can be assured this product is safe to use.
- Since the product is ultra-light, you can easily relocate it to a different corner as well.
- If the functionality does not quite cut the deal for you, this product comes in a range of colors.
1. Salton Warming Tray
Innovation has a new name with Salton. Unlike other products, this item is practically cordless. After you plug in, you only need to give the tray 8 minutes to get warmed up. Then, you can easily unplug it, and the tray offers you enough warmth to last for a good hour. Besides, with the slim design of the item, the warming tray becomes even more travel-friendly.
Finally, you can also use any type of heatproof utensil on the warmer. Hence, it ensures the convenience of usage.
Key Features:
- The tray is spacious enough to fit 3 trays.
- The finish of the item being non-stick requires only wiping to remain as good as new.
- Using steel, the life of this product is further extended.
Why do you need a warming tray?
Nobody enjoys cold food, and the taste of a hot lunch is unparalleled. With a warming tray, the food will constantly stay warm, so even the last person on the line gets a portion of the same warmth.
What to consider when buying a warming tray?
The first and foremost thing that you cannot overlook when considering a warming tray is a non-stick surface. Whether to get a glass surface or stainless steel, is completely up to you. Although, if you do not go for a non-stick one, you will regret it. The non-stick makes the surface smooth, so the tray does not easily get stained, and cleaning requires not much than simple wiping.
Also, if you are going for one with sectional trays, you cannot skip the lids. Flies might be buzzing, or other particles might be in the air which makes the food unhygienic. Besides, without lids, much more energy will be required to keep the tray warm. Hence, you cannot skip the lids. Also, the lids should be transparent. That way, everything inside can be easily seen without requiring to open it.
Another very important thing to keep in mind if you want to avoid any accidents is to look for the handles. The warming tray can be very dangerous to touch once it’s heated up. With the availability of cool-to-touch handles, you can move the item even when it is hot without any health hazards. To avoid any accidents, an LED indicator helps more than you imagine. One might put their hand on a hot tray without knowing. With the indicator, you can see the product is still on, and avoid such situations.
What type of warming tray should you go for?
Some might need the larger surface area, which allows one to put pots or containers of any size or shape with ease, while others might need products that come with sectional trays, to have different items on the tray at the same time, making your organization even easier. Therefore, it is advisable to get one time that comes with multiple levels. While the bottom allows you to use it as any large warming tray and gives you the freedom to put your containers, you can also set up levels, to fit the sectional trays at the top. In case you get the tier system, you must not forget to look for the retaining shelf, which will hold the sectional trays in place.
To make sure your warming tray does not take much time to get heated up sufficiently, you should choose one device with a power of 200W or above.
Lastly, if you get one with a glass top, you want that glass to be tempered. Otherwise, the glass will break with a little overheating, and you will need to replace it even before you get to properly use it.
Final Verdict
Serve your guest with fresh and piping hot food. The warming trays for food will let you as well as your guests enjoy every bit without any adverse effects.
