The difference between this type of cooking and what is found in big restaurants is that outdoor caterers have to set up their equipment at the banquet site, and there are many crucial factors to watch out for. For example, they need to control the direction and strength of the flow of air to get a full flame from the stove and to keep themselves from being burned as oil and flame come dangerously close together.
和飯店廚房不同的是，外燴辦桌，就地起爐架鍋，有許多特別要小心的「生死門」，例如要會判斷風向和風勢，爐火才會旺盛，大油烈火中，才不至於連眉毛都被燒焦了。蒸籠的位置要是不小心擺錯了，一陣落山風刮起，整疊蒸籠會被吹的滿地滾。