Lincat LBMW Wet Heat Bain Marie | Food Holding Unit

The Lincat LBMW is a countertop wet heat bain marie designed to hold prepared foods at consistent serving temperatures throughout a service period. Unlike dry heat bain maries, which apply heat directly beneath the food wells, the wet heat method uses heated water to gently surround the containers. This creates a moist holding environment that helps retain moisture in the food itself — a practical distinction when you are holding foods that suffer quickly under sustained dry heat.

In a working kitchen, the wet heat approach tends to reach holding temperature more quickly than dry heat alternatives, which is useful when setting up ahead of a busy lunch or evening service. Foods such as cream-based sauces, gravies, soups, vegetables, and rice dishes hold noticeably better in a moist environment over the course of a full service. This makes the LBMW a reliable choice for carvery lines, buffet counters, canteen passes, and similar installations where food may sit in the wells for an extended period.

From an operational standpoint, the unit offers straightforward temperature control, allowing kitchen or front-of-house staff to manage holding settings without complex setup. Key practical advantages include:

• Moist heat holding that reduces surface drying on sauces, soups, and vegetables
• Adjustable temperature control to suit different food types and service requirements
• Supplied with gastronorm pans and lids, ready to use from the outset
• Stainless steel construction that cleans down quickly between services
• Compact countertop format suited to servery or pass installations

Installation is straightforward. This is an electric countertop unit with no gas or water connection required — it simply needs a suitable power supply and stable, heat-resistant counter space. One important operational point: the LBMW is a holding unit, not a reheating device. Food must be brought up to the correct serving temperature before being placed in the wells.

This unit is well suited to smaller and mid-scale food service operations — cafés, pubs, school canteens, care homes, and similar settings where a modest number of wells covers the menu. For higher-volume operations or longer servery counters requiring greater capacity, a heavier-duty or larger-format model may be worth considering.

If you are weighing up wet versus dry heat holding for your menu, or want to check whether this format suits your existing counter layout, the team is happy to help you think it through.