Spin off - Hot plates

esther09

Sat, Mar 21 2015, 9:49 pm

I didn't want to post this in the other thread, as it is dedicated to the tragedy that occurred this Shabbos.

But I am curious to hear what you all do/leave on, on Shabbos.

Someone mentioned a hot plate vs. a warming tray - what's the difference?
What about a crock pot, do you leave it on for all of Shabbos? Is that dangerous?

We usually put our hot plate (warming tray?) on a timer but it turns back on around 9am and food is left on it for lunch. Sometimes no one is home (in shul, at friend, etc.) for a few hours shabbos morning while it is on. Is that wrong? What options are there?

Also, what about Shabbos candles? If you are invited out for Friday night dinner, what other option do you have than to light and leave them?

What a terrible tragedy, has me rethinking everything Confused

mha3484

Sat, Mar 21 2015, 9:56 pm

A blech over a gas flame makes me very anxious because of carbon monoxide poisoning . For many years we were using an electric plata but there were things about it I didn't like so when it died a year and a half ago I started stacking everything in top of the crockpot. I also make plenty of foods that can be eaten room temp. I have not had any safety concerns. Crockpots are designed to be left on for long periods of time.

Rubber Ducky

Sat, Mar 21 2015, 10:09 pm

A hot plate is a burner, like on your range or cooktop, but freestanding. Usually one burner, sometimes 2. Usually electric. A radiant coil burner hot plate can get red hot.

A warming tray is a large rectangular heated surface that doesn't get nearly so hot and at least in theory should be safer.

A plata is a warming tray. But there's enough confusion between the terms that I wouldn't be surprised if the hot plate of the tragedy turns out to have been a warming tray that shorted out.

Rubber Ducky

Sat, Mar 21 2015, 10:15 pm

I keep a crock pot and a hot water urn on over Shabbos.

On YomTov I also keep on a gas oven and at least one burner — and the range hood fan because of possible gas buildup. We have a smoke detector and a carbon monoxide detector near the kitchen.

JoyInTheMorning

Sat, Mar 21 2015, 10:21 pm

What I call a hot plate is what you are calling a warming tray. In my opinion, it gets too hot. Where we were living previously, my hot plate, which has little legs that are supposed to keep surfaces below cool, melted a formica counter top. I moved it to my wood table, which I kept covered with a vinyl tablecloth. It melted through the tablecloth. It scorched the wood table. I had it on the medium setting, but it was really hot.

Our house now has granite countertops, and although I have heard that they can withstand high temperatures, I do not want to use my warming tray. Something that hot that is on so many hours makes me scared.

amother

Sat, Mar 21 2015, 10:31 pm

I have an israeli plata, I thought that it meant a warming tray. The legs do heat up so my solution was to put tiles on top of my stove ( I actually glued felt pads on the bottom of the tiles so it dont scratch my stove top and refrains from slipping and sliding) and then I put my plata or blech on top of the tiles.
The idea is if it overheats the tiles can take the heat.

amother

Sat, Mar 21 2015, 10:32 pm

Frumdoc

Sat, Mar 21 2015, 10:39 pm

We have an israeli electric plata, with heat resistant toughened glass underneath to protect the formica surface. If we are out shabbos lunch, it goes off after our Fri night meal, if not, it stays on. It does get very hot. Also a hot water urn.

Shabbos lights are on a toughened glass tray with feet that is designed as a shabbos candle tray - I chose it as it is beautiful, happens to be safe too.

We have a fire/heat/smoke alarm in the kitchen (different design form regular smoke alarm that is better for kitchens, apparently). Plus 2 other smoke alarms, one by the bedrooms, one by the main entrance in case of fire in the hallway outside. Plus a carbon monoxide alarm.

We live on the 4th floor so have a special escape ladder that attaches to the window or mirpeset wall to climb out in case the main door is blocked or inaccessible. There is no other fire escape, but dh says that the trees on one side of the apartment are close enough to be able to climb into in an emergency...

That poor poor family, my heart goes out to them.

mfb

Sat, Mar 21 2015, 10:51 pm

Working smoke detectors is a must!!!!
Its a cheap thing to install compared to saving lives!!!
Please everyone take this story to heart and instal one today if you don't have it already. Please also change batteries every half a year. Its tragic that we hear about fatal fires and then hear that there were no smoke detectors, or not enough in the right places.

pause

Sat, Mar 21 2015, 11:15 pm

JoyInTheMorning wrote:

I'm talking about something else. Mine does not have any settings. It gets plugged in and turns hot. Unplugged, it's off.

ra_mom

Sat, Mar 21 2015, 11:19 pm

pause wrote:

I'm talking about something else. Mine does not have any settings. It gets plugged in and turns hot. Unplugged, it's off.

What you're taking about is just the Jewish company version of a hot plate. It gets very hot. I have it too.

ValleyMom

Sat, Mar 21 2015, 11:30 pm

We lost our home to a house fire 4 years ago and I have been petrified of warming trays and shabbos candles ever since.

I have a very nice warming tray from some company in Israel and I have used it twice. The second time I was so overwhelmingly anxious I actually unplugged it on shabbos and never ever used it again.

Now I want to just give it away after reading about this devastating tragedy in Brooklyn.

Our story was different.

Our fire happened midday and nobody was home.

If it had happened nine hours earlier there is NO way we would have all made it out alive.

We have FIVE fire houses respond to our house fire and every fireman remarked that we were very lucky that nobody was home and that we weren't asleep- they all agreed it was a miracle we were all alive.

Ours was an electrical fire in the attic of the garage.

The fire spread through all the air-conditioning ducts and vents and fire consumed our entire home-every room from the ceiling down SIMULTANEOUSLY.

Fire is so scary.

When we rebuilt we put as many smoke detectors as we could throughout the house- and they all are super loud AND flash lights.

I still wake up at night with scary fire related dreams...

momX4

Sat, Mar 21 2015, 11:31 pm

Rubber Ducky wrote:

I was told to keep the window closest to the stove open a little when leaving a fire on overnight

nywife

Sat, Mar 21 2015, 11:41 pm

DH is a firefighter. A number of my friends have been calling and asking whether or not to use their hot plates. He says that the report from the fire says that the hot plate malfunctioned. This could be due to an internal issue or because of age the wires had been worn down. Hotplates are meant to be on for extended periods of time. The chances of it malfunctioning are very slim.

With that being said, there are no guarantees that it won't malfunction. (To the same extent there are no guarantees that the oven won't start a fire either). It's ABSOLUTELY crucial that every house have WORKING smoke and carbon monoxide detectors ON EVERY FLOOR.

abaker

Sat, Mar 21 2015, 11:45 pm

JoyInTheMorning wrote:

The feet also melted off our warming tray as well! Soo scary to leave on all shabbos

seeker

Sun, Mar 22 2015, 12:04 am

This is why I haven't replaced my gas stove even though it doesn't work so well anymore. They don't make em like they used to. 2 day yomtov - no problem! Can turn on any burner or oven any time from the pilot light. Can turn it off when done. Have CO+smoke detector nearby but risk with this kind of range is very very low.

Shabbos of course needs a different story (for us, just a crockpot, anything that needs heating goes on top of the cholent)

pause

Sun, Mar 22 2015, 12:14 am

seeker wrote:

Not everyone holds that one is allowed to.

Do you serve cholent for both meals, night and day?