Keep warm (pan with steam)
The zone holds food that has just been cooked at a low, steady warmth so it stays hot without cooking on.
What it is for
Switch it on at the end of cooking with the lid on, and stir thick food now and then. Miele sets about 75 °C as standard and stops after 2 hours at most; Whirlpool selects it from a multifunction key with melt and simmer.
Makes differ, check your hob’s manual: the same letter or drawing can do a different job on another brand, and only your model’s manual gives its exact times and limits.
- What it looks like
- A pot or pan with short wavy lines above it, often on the same key as melt and simmer, or a cup-and-steam drawing next to a zone.
- Names makers use
- Keep Warm (Whirlpool); Keeping warm (Miele)
Where makes differ
Not every hob has it, and where it exists it may be a key, a step on the multifunction key, or a low power level. Miele lets you change the keep-warm temperature (50–55 °C for melting chocolate, 80–90 °C for clear soups).
What it does not mean
It is not for reheating food that has gone cold — Miele’s manual says so plainly — and it does not keep food safe for hours: use it for a short hold before serving.
Other symbols with the same shapes
Sources
No published standard we could check defines hob control icons, so this meaning is taken from 2 makers’ own manuals and support pages, each fetched and read on the date shown:
- Whirlpool: Whirlpool — Induction hob instructions for use (flexible-zone models) — “Multifunction key: This key allows you to select the simmering, melting or keep warm function”; “Keep Warm: Identifies a power level that is suitable for keeping meals warm.” Checked 2026-09-28.
- Miele: Miele — Operating and installation instructions, induction hobs KM 7897 FL (en-GB) — “Keeping warm: This function is for keeping food warm which has just been cooked and is still hot. It is not for reheating food that has gone cold. The maximum duration for keeping food warm is 2 hours.” “A keeping-warm temperature of 75 °C is set as standard.” Checked 2026-09-28.
Written in our own words; quotations are the makers’ wording.