alright, i admit i don’t know stuff. I want something. And, you’re gonna help me!
warning: when i don’t know stuff i have a difficult time trying to ask questions to get after the answers. this can get LONG.
the goal: reasonably presentable, on the road dining experience.
I make purple soup which is stock in sousvide type hotwater bath strainged/filtered stock with pan-fried seasfood and bits pretty. it should go with wine – and if done right will lead to breakfast also which has to be similarly “easy” yet semi fancy seeming so champagne cocktail with coddled egg and toast. yes, breakfast in bed.
challenges.
it is easy enough to crock pot hold enough water that is brought to temp bia an electric kettle. however crockpots don’t wow at fancy ever and i haven’t sussed the frypan issue.
chafing dishes i have heard of but i admit i’m new to a fancier life. also cheap! and ever so picky about being cpace conscious. yes you can pop a can of sterno fuel and place it under a chafing dish and it’s hot for a long long time…but tricky here, is there one allowing more than enough proximety to flash fry/sautee things? that’s inexpensive? i mean a honker chafing dish for a family cassserol isunder twenty-five usd which is doable sterno sold seperately…alcohol gel fuel with or without brand name now i’m again cheap!. i don’t see anything for a fry option which is anything less than ten times as much to start with. that is more than the entire budget allow!
I know of electric skillets and have also heard of ‘hot plates” too however i toss in the caviot that coordination or symetry is vastly important. fancy is about a bit of elegance like that. some of this is pure show as in what’s fancy about a twenty something chafing dish? it’s not spendy ! but it tends to LOOK spendy. 😀 there is nothing quite like tableside to your time not some silly cook’s where you have elegance ON DEMAND.
so I am aware i may eat costs making symetry. I can remind people it’s easy to electroplate chrome plastic/thin metals easily enough to make things coordinate and or look matched. however custom things mean spendiness which is worth avoiding 😉 …cheap. but tools are tools
now purple soup.

this is max’s restaurant’s red cabbage consume with pickle weed and scallops. it is not mine nor have i had this there- i had to make my own and let’s skip for now that my picture taking luck didn’t hold nor it come out exactly this fancy pretty 😀 it was darn fine and I enjoyed the sensation of the new… it was also nearly bland which that i can still remember it, means it at least didn’t suck 😀 I don’t have a source for pickleweed, I had to substitute capers. i am NOT afraid.
now to make this you cook for about an hour at 140F in a boilin bag cabbage with water and light seasonings. if you have a vaccuum sealer this can mean sousvide proper cooking i do not and thus had to gently set a bag in the water and the open end outside the pot. the pot can be a crockpot for on the road purposes! the time it takes a crockpot to bring water to temperature is ridiculousness so an electric kettle is a wise tool. porcdelain egg coddlers can also cook gently in hot hot hot water hotter than holding temp that is for a delight of a simpler egg breakfast still fairly fancy appearing. once the soup stock is cooked it is strained and i advise filtering it for MY NEXT try so as to get closer to this pretty picture! now it’s time to show mine

rogue bump ugh! you try to pretty things then last second your pretty gets to take a tumble and i’m hungry dang it! this version purple soup is carrot shallot capers and water cestnut slices with scallops this is a rare time them capers have a use outside a salad or collecting mold in your refrigerator. 😉
now i don’t know about you but I can’t do a 200 chafing stand and pan for tableside prep – too spendy. so what i’d like your ideas on is how to in a matched way either find a rack to fit this pot so i can put my soup in it’s squeezy bottles and hold to temp while frying up the in it goodies and prepare a purply poof of magic before your eyes.
so smaller say eight inch frypan ish type thing? or am i neglecting using my brain and just george foreman a pile of stuff put it in a mini crock or whatever within the water bath at hand and truly assemble tableside not prepare tableside there is a limit now to what i can carry! and no, i’ve like used a george foreman grill like once in my lifetime i just don’t think of this stuff!
anyways pictures.
https://www.webstaurantstore.com/choice-classic-5-qt-half-size-round-chafer/407DL130A.html
vs.
https://www.webstaurantstore.com/choice-deluxe-7-qt-soup-chafer-marmite-chafer/922CM11.html
the latter requires a rack so one has less fishing to do for the squeezy bottles.
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I don’t use electric skillets or george foreman grills enough to know dwaddle about them but i know that they do not look like this chafing dish above nor instantly coordinate! so coordinating is importantant
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next there is some items like fancy japanese mushrooms and or capers that while not needing the chilled plate atop crushed ice treatment, if you live in this world long enough you realize it’s sometimes about looks. purely looks so do you know of a matching the chaing dish trey with plates enough to fit inside it four or five would be nice with clear lids! that is about the home size cookie sheet cut in half longways ish sized??
this differs from a ramiken/bowl on a tray for japanese sauces as i said i need ice under it!
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electric kettles i can find,
packing a bit of table wear /service also managable.
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now for a trick of tricks! fancy is having a rolling waiste high butler’s cart where the tiers are butler’s trays style breakfat in be platform tables for one. I have less idea how to magic that act up.
and with the wine. a buket similar face palm for saying it this way but to a trash can fill with ice yet coordinates and matches others the tableside of this. it’s just pointless to not pack along wine. a cloth can be found for table pretty with matching napkinry

something like this begs candles too. but perhaps a different colour napkin as well hmn 😉
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anyways. this is the crap i think of, if you can add to it so it’s a completable thing at reasonable budgeting then i’m jazzed! i warn that outside of sterno, i can’t just charcoal grill even in a tiny box within a hotel/motel type room as the smoke alarms would put up a fuss. so 😀 everyone thinking caps on. mission purple plodding down the road!
oh and if you know a good mineraly savignon blanc, super dry reisling or at least not hardly sweet pinot gris i need hear about… i’m also listening. yes i know i can just chill the sweeter stuff more thuroughly to cut the sweetness budget friendly now 😉
or you can tell me to drink my tea and shhh it.