A Commercial Fridge is one of the most frequently used appliances in the professional kitchen. As such, it’s got to be powerful enough to deal with hot conditions, and it has also to be reliable enough to keep going even when the doors are constantly being opened. After all, a commercial refrigerator can often have thousands, if not hundred thousand of Baths worth of stock inside.
This blog should help you understand the differences between the various types of chiller available, as well as the benefits of each one.
UPRIGHT FRIDGES
Perhaps the most common form of commercial fridge, these freestanding units have the advantage of height, allowing for slimmer models to fit into tight or crowded spaces. If there is room for width, these machines can be huge and offer a far better internal capacity than almost every other type of refrigerator except Walk In Fridges.
Compact footprint: reduces the amount of space used by refrigeration in your kitchen.
Large capacity: especially if you opt for a double door version.
GN Compatible: many offer GN compatibility, meaning trays can be transferred directly from the fridge to the oven range or freezer.
Fast and easy access: due to their size, upright fridges can be positioned closer to food prep areas in comparison to walk-in fridges and freezers.
Adjustable shelves: helps you to store bulky ingredients or food containers.
COUNTER FRIDGES
Counter Fridges are typically waist high and are designed to provide both chilled under counter storage and valuable worktop food prep space. The counter surface is usually constructed from durable materials such as stainless steel and has the added benefit of being a solid countertop for other kitchen appliances.
Under counter chilled storage: combined with a sturdy worktop, these make efficient use of your kitchen space.
Flexible: Available with drawers, doors or a combination of both.
GN Compatible: many offer GN compatibility, meaning trays can be transferred directly from the fridge to the oven range or freezer.
Sizes to fit: Available in small, single door versions up to large four-door counters for the largest kitchens.
Sturdy base: Can accommodate other small appliances on the worktop, such as blenders, mixers or sous vide machines.
PREP COUNTER FRIDGES
Food Prep Fridges are very similar to counter fridges as they both combine the flexibility of under counter storage with a handy worktop. However, prep fridges expand that versatility even further, by also including an area where chilled or ambient food is immediately accessible.
Prep fridges are especially useful for quick service restaurants, as the whole food preparation process is made faster by having everything in one place. The reduced worktop space usually means there’s less room for small kitchen appliances.
Under counter chilled storage: combined with a sturdy worktop, these make efficient use of your kitchen space.
Flexible: Available with drawers, doors or a combination of both
GN Compatible: many offer GN compatibility, meaning trays can be transferred directly from the fridge to the oven range or freezer.
Marble tops: many feature stay-cool marble tops for bakery or pizzeria use.
LOW FRIDGES
Low fridges help you to further optimize the space in your kitchen. Sometimes called a Chef Base, these fridges are typically just over knee height and are designed to provide chilled storage as well as raising your other commercial kitchen equipment up to a comfortable working height. Much more flexible than using a stand.
Sturdy: can accommodate larger kitchen appliances such as convection ovens, chargrills or griddles.
Chilled or frozen storage: can be set to either configuration – no need for separate units.
Individually controlled drawers: meaning fridge and freezer functionality in a single unit.
GN Compatible: many offer gastronorm compatibility, meaning trays can be transferred directly from the fridge to the oven range or freezer.
Flexible: available in single or double drawer configurations.
UNDER COUNTER FRIDGES
Compact and lightweight compared to other models, Under Counter Fridges provide fast access to ingredients without obstructing counter space. Similar to their domestic counterparts, these fridges have solid doors and quietly operate with minimum disruption. As such, they tend to be used in front of house areas or where demand is low.
Flexible: perfect for use as a backup or front of house fridge.
Compact: easy to position as most under counter fridges have a single door.
Virtually silent: many operate extremely quietly – perfect for hotel rooms or intimate restaurants.
Efficient: due to their small size, many under counter fridges cost much less to run in comparison to larger fridges.
COUNTERTOP FRIDGES
Countertop fridges are designed to keep ingredients chilled, easily accessible and ready for food prep. Commonly used in sandwich shops or pizzerias, these machines are also useful for front of house use in either serve-over or self-service configurations.
GN Compatible: although these units use smaller gastronorm pans, the GN compatibility ensures a quick turnaround when stocks are low.
Compact: more wide than deep, these chillers can be positioned easily to best make use of the available space.
Ideal for buffets: handy glass covers prevent contamination of the contents. Easy clean stainless steel.
Post time: Mar-13-2023