The mass of the room-temperature (70^oF) dinner plate is usually much greater than that of the hot food. Consequently, an unheated plate will perceptibly cool the food before all of it has had a fair chance to be eaten and enjoyed. The cooling effect is almost as acute for a serving platter. A deep-sided serving dish for a stew, soup, or vegetable poses less of a problem. The quantity of the heated food will usually warm the serving dish before the dish can appreciably cool the hot food.

** Asian Recipes **