The Ultimate Warming Tray
Earlier this month I received an email asking if I'd be interested in reviewing a cordless warming tray, manufactured right here in Michigan. I'm ambivalent about doing product reviews, but I liked the story behind the Ultimate Warming Tray, and it looked like a smartly designed product that would serve its purpose well. So, I said, sure, why not!
The Birth of a Business
Owned by Bob and Linda Knapp of East Lansing, the home-based business got its start five years ago when Bob's cousins joined the couple for Thanksgiving. Linda was using a warming tray to keep some spinach pie warm, Bob recalls. About 20 years ago, she'd purchased the tray, which was warmed with two tealight candles. She used it regularly when the couple entertained.
"My cousins wanted to know where Linda purchased the warming tray," Bob says, "but she couldn't remember. So they said, 'Bob, you should manufacture and sell these!' We spent a year making that happen!"
Finding someone to manufacture the tray in the US for a realistic cost was a challenge, according to Bob. After a lot of research, he discovered Metal Components, LLC in Grand Rapids. "They did a great job reducing cost in the manufacturing process and incorporating the design changes we wanted, including the addition of a third tea light candle."
"We went to Ann Siegle at Tria Design in Lansing to build the website and put together a marketing plan. Linda and I had originally coined 'Hot Hostess' as the name, but in focus group testing, we determined The Ultimate Warming Tray was both more descriptive and, well, less open to interpretation!"
Next, they needed someone for order fulfillment. "Lansing is home to a wonderful organization, Peckham Industries," Bob says. "Peckham provides job training and placement for people with disabilities. They provide call center services, warehousing and order fulfillment. Working with them was a delight."
The Review
Essentially, the tray is a sturdy metal box with a hinged, 13" x 7" heating surface that opens to reveal three tealight candles. I'd wondered whether the candles could slide around inside if you needed to move the tray, but three recessed wells hold each candle tight.
It's surprising that three little candles can heat the surface to approximately 225 degrees. Within just a few minutes the surface was hot to touch, and after the recommended 15 minutes of warming time, definitely too hot to rest your hand upon. The candles last 3 to 5 hours, depending on their quality.
With a clean, minimalist design, the tray can blend in with whatever your decorating taste. It comes with a stainless steel platter, but even better, you can use your own serving dishes straight from the oven or stove top. I made potato soup in my 4.5 quart enamel Dutch oven and tested out the tray. The soup was still nice and warm an hour and a half later.
The platter worked well for hors d'ouevres, keeping spanakopita noticeably warmer than those left out on a plate.
Keep in mind you're not going to use the tray to heat up food, but to keep already hot food warm. Using the same dish your food was cooked in provides a major source of heat. But the tray offers an extra source to keep the food warm, and doubles as a great trivet for those casserole dishes.
My first thought was that the tray would be great for parties, but then I started thinking of other situations where a little extra heat comes in handy: keeping pancakes warm while cooking up another batch to serve all together; keeping pizza or garlic bread warm on the family dinner table; keeping the brats and burgers warm at a picnic. Really, this would be handy any time you have the 15 minutes beforehand to let the unit warm up. And that rules out keeping my son's waffles warm on a school morning while he's still getting dressed and we're trying to rush out the door!
The Ultimate Warming Tray sells for $59.95. You can get free shipping by visiting their Facebook page. Tell them Up North Foodies sent you!
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