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I'm Jewish and need to keep foods heated during the Sabbath and holidays. I am thinking of getting 2, 5 quart cast iron dutch ovens for this purpose. Is cast iron a good choice for to keeping foods heated on a hot plate? Or should I get glass or teflon pots? The periods could be 1 day but could also be up to 3 days if the holiday is right after or before a Sabbath.

Im gonna put the pots on a long hot plate to keep warm for the length of time. I simply want to know if cast iron would be a good alternative to do this or do i need to get glass or teflon pots.

Michael Schaap
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    Are you looking for an alternative to using a hot plate or are you looking for something to put on a hot plate? – Ross Ridge Aug 07 '15 at 20:40
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    How strict are you? If you're just looking to avoid turning things on, then a crockpot (**without** the fancy electronics) set to warm is likely best. If you have to avoid electricity entirely, then something with thermal mass like what you suggest helps ... but it'll still go cold if you're trying to hold it for multiple days. – Joe Aug 07 '15 at 20:49
  • Thanks for clarifying. The one thing I don't understand is why you said "alternative" - what are you thinking of cast iron as an alternative to? It's a perfectly normal kind of pot. – Cascabel Aug 07 '15 at 21:17
  • Ok. So you are saying if i get 2 dutch ovens i would be able to leave them on hot plate for several days? Im reading your reply as, yes i can. – Michael Schaap Aug 07 '15 at 21:23
  • I'm asking why you're saying "alternative" because it's making it sound like there's something we don't understand about your question. But assuming you don't mean anything by that choice of words, I posted an answer. – Cascabel Aug 07 '15 at 21:24

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You can use any kind of pot on a hot plate. I can't see any reason cast iron would be a problem, unless the hot plate has a less durable surface and you're worried about scratching it.

The only thing that matters is whether the hot plate is powerful enough to keep your food above 140F for the entire time period. That depends much more on the size of the pots than the material they're made of.

If possible, I'd suggest checking with a thermometer to confirm. You can always do a dry run, and you don't have to wait 3 days. If it holds steady at a safe temperature for an hour or two, it should be fine.

Cascabel
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  • Thank you, this answer has put me at ease, cause my builgas line was just been complmized due to construction out side and management just gave everyone affected hot plates and most of my pots are cast iron and thought the hot plate won’t heat up hot enough for my pots. – Si'mantra May 01 '18 at 09:55