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What does it mean "holding for service"?

post #1 of 4
11/18/07 at 9:43am
Thread Starter 
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?
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post #2 of 4
11/18/07 at 10:22am
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.
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post #3 of 4
11/18/07 at 10:53am
Thread Starter 
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?
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post #4 of 4
11/18/07 at 4:04pm

hold for service

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.
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