Trivet

A trivet , also known as a 'hot plate,' is an object placed between a serving dish or bowl

Bowl (vessel)

A bowl is a common open-top container used in many cultures to serve food, and is also used for drinking and storing other items. They are typically small and shallow, although some, such as punch bowls and salad bowls, are larger and often intended to serve many people.Bowls have existed for...

, and a dining table

Table (furniture)

A table is an item of furniture comprising an open, flat surface supported by a base or legs. It may be used to hold articles such as food or papers at a convenient or comfortable height when sitting, and is therefore often used in conjunction with chairs. Unlike many earlier table designs, most...

, usually to protect the table from heat

Heat

In physics and thermodynamics, heat is the process of energy transfer from one body or system due to thermal contact, which in turn is defined as an energy transfer to a body in any other way than due to work performed on the body....

 damage.

Trivet also refers to tripods used to elevate pots from the coals of an open fire. (The word trivet itself ultimately comes from Latin tripes meaning "tripod".) Metal

Metal

A metal is a chemical element that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat, forms cations and ionic bonds with non-metals. In chemistry, a metal is an element, compound, or alloy characterized by high electrical conductivity. In a metal, atoms readily lose electrons to form positive ions...

 trivets are often tripod

Tripod

Tripod is a word generally used to refer to a three-legged object, generally one used as a platform of some sort, and comes from the Greek tripous, meaning "three feet". A tripod provides stability along the side-to-side and up-and-down Coordinate axis of motion and provides a large amount of...

-like structures with three legs to support the trivet horizontal in order to hold the dish or pot above the table surface.

A trivet , also known as a 'hot plate,' is an object placed between a serving dish or bowl

Bowl (vessel)

A bowl is a common open-top container used in many cultures to serve food, and is also used for drinking and storing other items. They are typically small and shallow, although some, such as punch bowls and salad bowls, are larger and often intended to serve many people.Bowls have existed for...

, and a dining table

Table (furniture)

A table is an item of furniture comprising an open, flat surface supported by a base or legs. It may be used to hold articles such as food or papers at a convenient or comfortable height when sitting, and is therefore often used in conjunction with chairs. Unlike many earlier table designs, most...

, usually to protect the table from heat

Heat

In physics and thermodynamics, heat is the process of energy transfer from one body or system due to thermal contact, which in turn is defined as an energy transfer to a body in any other way than due to work performed on the body....

 damage.

Trivet also refers to tripods used to elevate pots from the coals of an open fire. (The word trivet itself ultimately comes from Latin tripes meaning "tripod".) Metal

Metal

A metal is a chemical element that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat, forms cations and ionic bonds with non-metals. In chemistry, a metal is an element, compound, or alloy characterized by high electrical conductivity. In a metal, atoms readily lose electrons to form positive ions...

 trivets are often tripod

Tripod

Tripod is a word generally used to refer to a three-legged object, generally one used as a platform of some sort, and comes from the Greek tripous, meaning "three feet". A tripod provides stability along the side-to-side and up-and-down Coordinate axis of motion and provides a large amount of...

-like structures with three legs to support the trivet horizontal in order to hold the dish or pot above the table surface. A trivet may often contain a receptacle for a candle that can be lit to keep food warm.

Modern trivets are made from metal

Metal

A metal is a chemical element that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat, forms cations and ionic bonds with non-metals. In chemistry, a metal is an element, compound, or alloy characterized by high electrical conductivity. In a metal, atoms readily lose electrons to form positive ions...

, wood

Wood

Wood is an organic material; in the strict sense wood is produced as secondary xylem in the stems of trees . In a living tree it transfers water and nutrients to the leaves and other growing tissues, and has a support function, enabling woody plants to reach large sizes or to stand up for themselves...

, ceramic

Ceramic

A ceramic is an inorganic, non-metallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous...

, fabric, silicone

Silicone

Silicones are largely inert, man-made compounds with a wide variety of forms and uses. Typically heat-resistant, nonstick, and rubber-like, they are commonly used in cookware, medical applications, sealants, adhesives, lubricants, insulation, and breast implants.Silicones are polymers that include...

 or cork

Cork (material)

Cork material is an impermeable, buoyant material, a subset of generic cork tissue that is harvested for commercial use primarily from Quercus suber that is endemic to southwest Europe and northwest Africa...

.