steam table

noun

: a table having openings to hold containers of cooked food over steam or hot water circulating beneath them

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Walking into Baja Sub, there’s a steam table to the front, a fridge wall with beer and soft drinks on one side and a smattering of tables on the other. —Los Angeles Times, 15 Dec. 2022

The tavern's beef on weck whisperer works quietly behind the bar at the carving station, pulling the beef from a steam table of au jus, and then gently carving the meat for each sandwich against the grain. —Fox News, 12 Oct. 2022

But there's a whole world to enjoy, from traditional steam table cafeterias to hipster barbecue spots and bakeries. —Andi Berlin, The Arizona Republic, 27 July 2022

Second, the lamb shanks and chicken must be available for immediate consumption, ready to serve straight from a steam table. —Washington Post, 14 Oct. 2021

Some people also love the rectangular metal containers meant to be used as steam table inserts. —Washington Post, 23 July 2021

Some might load a shopping cart with sandwiches to distribute elsewhere, but no one had ever carted away the steam table itself. —Jonathan Lethem, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2021

Some volunteers had dragged a steam table in from the kitchen and most days it was loaded with hot food. —Jonathan Lethem, The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2021

Jessica used a stainless-steel steam table pan (the kind used on buffets) as a drop-in beverage tub. —Jody Garlock, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Aug. 2020

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Word History

First Known Use

1819, in the meaning defined above