Plate warming (stacked plates)
A low setting that warms empty plates or serving dishes so food stays hot when it is served.
What it is for
Warming plates for a dinner or a takeaway (Neff). AEG suggests rotating stacked plates every few minutes so they heat evenly.
Makes differ, check your oven’s manual: the same drawing can mean different things on different brands, and only your model’s manual says exactly which elements run and how hot.
- What it looks like
- Two or three plates or dishes stacked one above another.
- Names makers use
- Plate warming (Neff, AEG, Hotpoint); Preheat ovenware (Bosch)
Where makes differ
Siemens draws its “Preheating ovenware” setting differently, as a dish with steam lines rising — a drawing other makers use for keeping food warm or reheating. Some ovens call this setting “preheating ovenware” rather than plate warming (Bosch).
Often confused with
Holds food that is already cooked at a steady low temperature without cooking it further.
Other symbols with the same shapes
Sources
No single published standard defines oven function icons, so this meaning is taken from 4 makers’ own guides, each fetched and checked on the date shown:
- Neff: NEFF UK — Oven symbols explained: your complete guide — “Plate warming / Preheating symbol”: two or three stacked plates. Checked 2026-09-23.
- AEG: AEG UK support — Symbols and functions on your AEG oven or cooker — “Plate Warming” icon (stacked plates): gently warm your plates before serving; rotate stacked plates every few minutes. Checked 2026-09-23.
- Hotpoint: Hotpoint UK — Understanding the different symbols on a Hotpoint oven — “Plate warming”: the symbol of three plates stacked on top of each other. Checked 2026-09-23.
- Bosch: Bosch UK — Oven symbols guide — “Preheat ovenware” settings icon (stacked dishes): for preheating ovenware. Checked 2026-09-23.
Written in our own words; quotations are the makers’ wording.