Buffalo Bain Marie with Round Pots – Wet Heat Hot Holding

The Buffalo bain marie is a countertop wet heat hot holding unit designed to keep liquid-based foods at consistent serving temperature throughout a service. It comes supplied with two round stainless steel pots and is a straightforward, reliable piece of kit commonly used in cafés, pubs, chip shops, canteens and anywhere that needs to hold soups, gravies, sauces, baked beans or hot toppings ready for service.

Wet heat operation works by heating water in the base unit, which in turn gently warms the pots from the outside. This approach avoids direct contact between the heating element and the food, which means contents are far less likely to scorch, dry out or form a skin during a long service. The front-mounted dial allows the water temperature to be adjusted across a wide range, giving operators control over holding temperature to suit different food types.

From a practical standpoint, this unit offers several day-to-day advantages:

• Notched lids retain heat and moisture while still allowing a ladle to sit in place during service
• Pots can be swapped out quickly mid-service if one runs low, keeping service moving without interruption
• Both pots are dishwasher and utensil washer safe, keeping end-of-day cleaning straightforward
• The 201 stainless steel construction is easy to wipe down and holds up well in busy environments

Installation is simple. The unit runs from a standard 13A mains socket and requires no plumbing or fixed installation — it simply sits on a countertop with adequate clearance around it. It is worth noting that the water reservoir will need periodic topping up during extended service periods to maintain effective wet heat operation. At just under 11kg when empty, it is light enough to be repositioned easily, which makes it a practical option for service counters, buffet setups or front-of-house use.

This model is well suited to smaller operations — a café, pub kitchen, takeaway or small canteen — where two pots of capacity is sufficient for the menu and service volume. For higher-volume sites running multiple hot holding lines simultaneously, a larger multi-pot unit would be worth considering instead.

If you are unsure whether this unit has the capacity for your service or want to talk through how it fits into your counter setup, the team is happy to help you work that out before you order.