When storing high quantities of fresh food, the right commercial refrigerator and freezer is key. Keeping food and drinks at their proper serving temperatures is crucial. Not only does improper refrigeration in a commercial kitchen impact flavor and texture of food items, but it can also lead to foodborne illnesses. Many processes and applications in food service require some form of commercial refrigeration equipment. Commercial refrigerators and freezers may seem similar to residential refrigeration, but these high-powered units often serve more specific purposes than your in-home unit. Learn more about the functionality of each piece of commercial refrigeration equipment and decide which will be most beneficial to your business.
Blast Chiller: Blast chillers or shock freezers cool large batches of food at a rapid pace to avoid the time food spends in the temperature danger zone. Food held between 41°F and 140°F for any more than two hours is at high risk to grow pathogens that can lead to foodborne illnesses. Blast chillers help to avoid this entirely by quickly cooling food items straight from the oven or cooktop to safe temperatures. These powerful commercial freezers may be the first stop for your food items after cooking. Walk-in freezers and reach-in freezers aren&#;t designed to pull down temperatures as rapidly as a commercial blast chiller. For restaurants that cook large quantities of food, a commercial blast chiller can simplify the cooling process and keep your customers safe.
Buying Considerations:
Back Bar Cooler: Versatility is the back bar coolers strongest suit. These units come in one to four door options to fit the needs of any bar, restaurant, coffee house, or sandwich shop. Keep bottled beverages, mixers, packaged food, and more in a back bar cooler. LED lighting, adjustable shelves, and single zone temperature settings are just a few features for these commercial refrigerators. Browse our selection and check over the spec sheets to see what options are available.
Bottle Cooler: Top access bottle coolers are a bartender&#;s best friend. Dividers help organize bottles stored inside to streamline the service process. These bar refrigerators can hold and chill bottled beer, wine, cider, and more. Plus, many models feature an integrated bottle opener and cap catcher. Easy access and simple setup make bottle coolers a no-brainer for bars looking to quickly serve perfectly chilled bottled drinks.
Glass and Plate Chiller: Keep cold beer, side dishes, and deserts cooler for longer with a glass and plate chiller. A warm glass or serving dish can cause its contents to warm up faster, impacting flavor and texture. Frosted beer mugs and salad plates give an upscale feel to any restaurant or bar. Commercial glass and plate chillers are generally listed by the number of 10 oz. mugs they hold. If your restaurant or bar serves various sizes and shapes of dishware, that number will fluctuate.
Keg Cooler: Pour and serve the perfect draft beverages with a keg cooler. Domestic or craft, any beer can be tapped using a kegerator. Since kegs can be switched out easily once they&#;re empty, keg coolers make it easy to provide a wide selection of fresh beer. Some models hold one or two kegs with a single tap tower, while others can hold up to four kegs with a dozen taps. High volume bars, smaller craft breweries, and restaurants serving draft beverages can all benefit from a commercial keg cooler.
Buying Considerations:
Chef Base: Floor space can be limited when designing a commercial kitchen. Between cooking equipment, shelving, and room to walk, open areas fill up quick. Adding a chef base to your cook line allows chefs to store often used products within reach without sacrificing floor space. The tops of these commercial refrigerators are designed to withstand and disperse the heat of cooking equipment. Most chef bases feature drawers to organize and store anything from burgers to soups waiting to be cooked and served. Many models have raised edges to contain spills and casters to allow the unit to be moved out for cleaning and maintenance. Commercial chef bases help streamline the workstation and maximize productivity while safely holding food products.
Buying Considerations:
Chest Freezer: Often used in convenience stores, gas stations, and ice cream shops, chest freezers are a great compact solution to your commercial freezer needs. Sliding lid models are great for displaying frozen treats for sale. For back of house operations and bulk frozen storage, flip top lids make it easy to stock and remove products as needed. Commercial chest freezers perform similarly to reach-in freezers but fit in smaller spaces since their horizontal design doesn&#;t require as much space.
Frost Tops and Cold Slabs: Frost tops are versatile units that can be used for mixing ingredients into ice cream as well as cold holding for refrigerated buffet items. Drop-in units are great for ice cream shops that will use the cold slab to create unique mixed ice creams for customers. Free standing frost tops can be placed in a buffet line up and will hold refrigerated food items that are ready to be served. These models are also a great option for catering operations. As their name implies, frost tops form a layer of frost over the stainless steel or granite slab to help maintain food temperatures once they&#;re placed on the unit. Frost tops slow the warming process rather than pulling down temperatures, so it&#;s important that any food you&#;re displaying or preparing on the unit is already well below 41°F to prevent bacterial growth or loss of quality.
Ice Cream Dipping Cabinet: Add the convenience of allowing customers to view the variety of ice cream your business serves while also allowing servers to easily access and serve the ice cream with an ice cream dipping cabinet. Glass sneeze guards help protect your frozen treats from outside contaminants and maintain interior temperatures ideal for ice cream. Single section units allow you to store and serve four types of ice cream in 3-gallon tubs. Larger units can hold up to sixteen 3-gallon cans at once for a larger variety. For smaller spaces, consider a drop-in unit that will be installed in an existing countertop.
Milk Cooler: Cafeterias that serve milk and juice in high volumes to students will need a commercial milk cooler. These commercial refrigerators are sized based on how many crates of milk cartons they hold. Milk coolers are available with several access options to allow staff to reach and serve cartons quickly during lunch hour. Top opening options are great for stocking quickly, but smaller patrons may not be able to reach the bottom of the unit when supplies run low. Sliding doors and pass-through models provide more accessibility. Pass through milk coolers can serve from both sides of the unit for a smoother flow in the lunch line. Milk coolers are most often used for school cafeterias, but cafés and restaurants can benefit from adding a milk cooler to their refrigeration line up. Bars and restaurants can stock bulk dairy products with a milk cooler, or chill other bottled or canned beverages in the back of house.
Glass Door Merchandiser: Glass door merchandisers are ideal for grocery stores, convenience stores, and other businesses looking to market grab-and-go products to customers. Canned and bottled beverages and pre-packaged food items can be refrigerated and displayed to catch the customer&#;s eye as they pass by with a glass door merchandisers. This type of commercial refrigerator can serve many specialized functions as well. Floral merchandisers, wine merchandisers, ice merchandisers and four-sided merchandisers for pies and desserts are all considered glass door merchandisers. Consider what product your business needs to display when choosing the right glass door merchandiser. Most models feature LED lighting, adjustable shelving, and sliding or swing doors to provide the most convenient access for customers.
Open Air Merchandisers: This type of merchandising refrigeration has an open front design and uses an air screen to maintain interior temperatures. Open air merchandisers come in horizontal and vertical designs to fit in any space needed. Merchandising products with an open-air cooler can boost sales due to their self-service functionality and ease of access. Horizontal models are perfect to keep right by the point of sale for last minute impulse buys. Vertical open air merchandisers have the capacity to hold more product and will have more display levels.
Dry & Refrigerated Display Cases: Commercial display cases protect food items from outside contaminants and keep products at the right temperature and humidity level for ideal storage. Retain food quality for cold cuts, slices or blocks of cheese, and pre-made sandwiches with a refrigerated deli case. Non-refrigerated or dry bakery display cases are perfect for baked goods like cookies, doughnuts, and bagels that don&#;t need to be refrigerated. Some units are designed with a split-unit function to store refrigerated and dry goods in one unit.
Buying Considerations:
Sandwich Prep Table: Sandwich shops, cafés, and restaurants can all benefit from using a sandwich prep table. Recessed pans held in a refrigerated rail can hold deli meats, cheeses, salad toppings, and condiments to streamline the sandwich or salad assembly process. Full length cutting boards on sandwich prep tables usually range from 8&#; &#; 10&#; wide. Sandwich prep tables keep ingredients fresh and are often equipped with refrigeration systems dedicated to holding temperatures in higher ambient temperatures in case the lid is left open for long periods of time. These units also often are front breathing to allow them to be placed against a wall or to be built into an existing equipment line up.
Pizza Prep Table: Getting a pizza from just a ball of dough, fully prepped, and to the oven can be a messy process. With a pizza prep table, all your cheeses, sauces, and toppings are held in a raised refrigerated rail, ready for assembly. The raised rail design helps prevent unwanted toppings from spilling onto pizzas if several are being prepped at once. Wide, full length cutting boards allow staff to move the pizza down the make line and add ingredients quickly. Pizza prep tables come as single section units, all the way up to four section models for high-volume pizzerias.
Buying Considerations:
Reach-In Refrigerators and Freezer: Store perishable food items like dairy, raw meats, fish, and pre-prepped meals at food safe temperatures with a reach-in refrigerator or freezer. These upright units are one of the most popular types of commercial refrigeration due to their versatility and ability to cool large amounts of food conveniently near prep and cook areas. Adjustable shelving and interior lighting help locate and organize food in your reach-in refrigerator. Restaurants, cafés, sandwich shops, and delis in need of bulk refrigeration in addition to or instead of a walk-in unit will benefit from adding a reach-in refrigerator or freezer to their equipment line up.
Buying Considerations:
Soft Serve Ice Cream Machine: Commercial ice cream machines turn powdered or liquid mixes into delicious frozen treats. Soft serve ice cream needs to be held at a lower temperature than hand-dipped ice cream and needs to be consistently stirred to maintain the right consistency. Depending on the type of machine, the mix will be pumped or will flow using gravity to the freezing cylinder. In this cylinder, a spiral beater rotates the mix, allowing it to freeze in the chamber. Once it&#;s completed the freezing process, ice cream can be dispensed via a pull handle at the front of the machine. Soft serve ice cream machines come with single or multiple hoppers to hold ice cream mix, as well as one or more dispensers. For smaller operations looking to serve one flavor of soft serve ice cream, a single dispenser unit with a smaller holding capacity could be the perfect fit. If you&#;re looking to serve more flavors or have a higher volume of customers, consider a larger unit with more dispensers.
Undercounter Refrigerator and Freezer: Add cold storage to previously unusable space with undercounter refrigerators and freezers. These pieces of commercial refrigeration equipment are designed to roll under existing countertops for maximized space in a commercial kitchen. Undercounter refrigerators are commonly available in one, two, and three section units. Single section units are great for small operations, while three section units allow larger volume restaurants to store everything they need in a convenient location. An undercounter fridge can be used anywhere from commercial kitchens to sandwich shops, coffee houses, food trucks, and more.
Buying Considerations:
Walk-In Cooler and Freezer: For bulk food storage that won&#;t fit in a reach-in refrigerator or freezer, commercial kitchens will need a walk-in cooler or freezer. These industrial refrigeration units are an entire insulated room dedicated to storing large amounts of food for extended periods of time. Install epoxy coated wire shelving to organize your food products and prevent cross contamination. Adjustable hinges, digital thermostats, door gaskets, and latches are a few features that help lower energy costs and maximize efficiency. Some walk-in coolers and freezers come equipped with an anti-locking system as an added safety measure to prevent employees from getting locked inside.
Buying Considerations:
Worktop Refrigerator and Freezer: These commercial refrigerators are similar to undercounter refrigerators and freezers. However, instead of being designed to slide under an existing countertop, the top of worktop refrigerators and freezers are dedicated to food prep. Worktop refrigerators feature a 3&#; &#; 4&#; backsplash to contain messes and prevent tools from falling behind the unit. The durable top of a worktop refrigerator or freezer will be NSF rated for food prep. This ensures that it won&#;t scratch, chip, or otherwise be compromised which could lead to contaminated food items. Worktop refrigerators and freezers are great for commercial kitchens in need of cold storage and extra workspace.
Goto linggong to know more.
Choosing a commercial refrigerator or freezer can be a tricky process, but with the right information, your choice will be easy. Whether you need a countertop refrigerator, bar fridge or deep freezer, Burkett has the right option for your business. Your refrigerated inventory depends on proper storage to maintain its quality. Energy, labor, and food costs can all be positively impacted by the perfect commercial refrigeration setup. Provide the best experience for your customers with the right commercial refrigerator or freezer.
Imagine living in a world where there was no method of cooling your food for preservation. This was our world less than 3 centuries ago. Before the 's the correlation between evaporation and cooling had never been contrived. It wouldn't be until that Jacob Perkins would patent his vapour compression cycle after working with Oliver Evans.
The invention of the refrigerator changed food storage and consumption forever. The need for smoking, salting, and leaving food outside to cool at night was no more. This also produced the potential for restaurateurs and grocers to store large quantities of food in commercial refrigerators, innovating drastic changes in the food industry.
There are many ways commercial refrigerators benefit those who purchase them, from storing vast amounts of food to protecting ingredients from bacterial growth. The commercial refrigerator industry has proved its value to society not only in physical ability but in statistics and finance as well.
Research has shown that commercial refrigerators have only continued to grow in popularity and value over the past decade. In fact, by , this market is projected to surpass the USD 35-billion mark. This is due primarily to the increase in demand for frozen foods on a global level.
Selecting a commercial refrigerator depends on a variety of factors, including the amount of product typically being stored, the space you have for the unit, the industry in which you work, and personal preference for doors and positioning. For some business owners, this still leaves a question of which style of fridge works best for their establishment.
While there isn't a specific commercial refrigerator for every business model, there are ones that work better in some industries than others.
A stand-up unit with transparent windows allows customers to see and reach items quickly. This is best used in shops and markets for self-serve shopping. Cans and bottles stack easily inside merchandiser fridges for grab and go businesses.
Merchandisers may be outfitted with a variety of customizable features, including sliding or swinging doors and multiple shelves.
Businesses best suited to merchandiser refrigerators: Gas stations, grocery stores, convenience stores, pharmacies, and other stores with grab and go merchandise requiring refrigeration.
Businesses using or selling large quantities of fresh or frozen food products are best to invest in a walk-in refrigerator. These units can be installed inside or outside of a business and built to fit customized spaces.
Due to the amount of energy it requires to maintain the temperature in a walk-in unit, they aren't built for frequent access. These refrigerators are best used to retrieve mass amounts of food once or twice a day, using smaller fridges to store items until needed.
Businesses best suited to walk-in refrigerators: Supermarkets, restaurants, and hotels.
As the name suggests, refrigerated displays are meant to present products visibly and positively to consumers. These fridges are often stocked with on the go food and drinks like sandwiches, pop, juice, and individual-sized salads.
Fridges are outfitted with a display area for advertising and brightly lit shelves for convenience.
Businesses best suited to refrigerated display: Convenience stores, grocery stores, gas stations, and other small shops.
Not all stores, restaurants, and businesses have the space for large commercial refrigerators. For moving and storing small amounts of products or keeping products on hand in front of house, a bar fridge works well.
Some bar refrigerators are outfitted specifically for bars and pubs with keg storage for draught beer.
Businesses best suited to bar refrigerators: Bars, taverns, pubs, restaurants, and cafes.
Prep tables are commonly found in hospitality settings, and having ingredients stored directly beneath them saves time and space in the kitchen. Refrigerated prep tables provide all the requires space for cutting and prepping with easy access to food, sauces, and drinks just below the tabletop.
Businesses best suited to refrigerated prep tables: Pizza parlours, sandwich shops, cafes, and other small eateries.
The standard stand up refrigerator model is a classic, and commercial refrigerators have their own version of this industry standard. Reach in refrigerators are designed to be used frequently throughout the day, with easily accessible shelves when standing.
Businesses best suited for reach in refrigerators: Restaurants, hotels, and grocery room warehouses.
Before you purchase, be sure to measure the area the refrigerator will occupy. Remember to leave extra room for opening doors and consider how frequently those doors will be opening for use.
Commercial refrigeration is following much the same track as other technology around the world as industries strive to make products more economical and ecologically friendly. There's been a huge increase in the number of companies around the world seeking ways to decrease water and energy consumption and minimize waste.
Businesses can expect to see more commercial refrigerator suppliers working toward zero-emission and energy-conserving units. Minimizing the money businesses are spending on powering fridges, and maximizing on planet-saving potential, going green has never been more on-trend.
Another trend companies can look for in refrigeration is a commercial bar refrigeration with LED lighting. For those businesses within the bar and service industry, the light-up fridges are growing in popularity due to their ease of use, time-saving ability, and independent advertising potential.
Commercial refrigerators have not only changed the way we store food in business but have opened the door to innovation and evolution of refrigeration. Some examples of modern commercial refrigeration outside of the above listed commonplace models include:
There is a commercial refrigerator for every purpose and industry. Selecting one which suits the needs and products of a specific market increases the potential for fast-moving, well-preserved products.
Are you interested in learning more about Refrigeration Chillers for sale? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!