[abefroman]

What does it mean "holding for service"?

I hear the pharse, cook a roast or fish and hold for service.

What method is used to hold the cooked product for a couple hours without it overcooking or getting cold?

[castironchef]

The phrase means cook now, serve later.

The methods, though, are numerous and vary depending upon the product, the time and available equipment, etc.

For instance, to hold a lasagne for an hour, it can be as easy as keeping it in a warm oven. However, to hold broiled fish would be darned near impossible. To hold a hollandaise sauce, precise temperature control is crucial.

In short, there is no one stop answer to how (or whether) to hold products for later service.

[abefroman]

Will it works for steaks?

Like if Im catering and everyone asked for medium rare, can I cook them to 125 deg and then hold them in an oven at 135, and then take them out in 2 hours to serve all at once?

[ddugan]

At one of the country clubs I used to work we had to serve a lot of steaks this way. Usually we would par cook or mark them and finish in the oven to temperature or cook them to 5-6 deg. of perferred temp which allowed for carry over and then hold in a 215 deg. Alto Sham with the water pan full for humidity. They should stay to temp for about 30 min. Hope this helped.