Melanie wrote:

> I am planning a buffet dinner for Thanksgiving. I have a warming tray
> that will keep a couple of dishes warm. I would also like to use my
> chafing dish for maybe the mashed potatoes, but I can't quite figure
> out how to use it. The chafing dish is a round one, about 4 quart
> capacity. It has an inner pan that fits into the outer pan, that in
> turn can be heated with Sterno from below. The instructions say to
> put water in outer pan, and food in the inner pan. When I tried that,
> and lit the Sterno, the water produced steam that had no where to go.
> It started hissing and gurgling and I chickened out. When I put the
> food directly in the outer pan, it started to burn. What is the right
> way to do this?

Put water in the outer pan and food in the inner pan. Adjust the
Sterno flame lower than full on. If it's the old-style Sterno can with
the pry-off lid, put the lid back on partway after you light it. It
will damp down the flame a bit. If it's still too high, slide it more
closed until it's right. You'll have to use trial and error to get it
right.

Without knowing your particular chafer, I can't tell you how deep to
make the water, but it shouldn't be able to bubble out. If you start
with hot water, the food won't get cold while the water warms.

Pastorio