One of the most important parts of any commercial kitchen is the refrigeration equipment. When trying to find the best units for your workplace, it’s easier when you understand the do’s and don’ts of shopping for this type of equipment. There are many important aspects you should take into account. In this helpful article, we will discuss many of these.
Give Consideration To Care and Maintenance
The refrigeration you chose for your business should be easy to maintain and take care of. As a high standard of food hygiene is essential to a business involving the preparation and storing of food, keeping the equipment you use clean is a crucial part of your day to day work. Stainless steel is always a good option, as it is very easy to keep clean. If you are looking for smaller units, choose models that have removable shelving and accessories as these are much easier to clean. When choosing larger refrigerators and other similar equipment, be careful to check for any awkward nooks and crannies there may be that may not just be hard to clean, but because they trap dirt can be almost impossible to keep to a high standard of cleanliness.
Be Sure To Choose The Correct Temperature Range
It is important that you chose a unit or units that cover the temperature ranges required by your business. Different products need different temperature settings. To make things easier, opt for equipment with temperature sensors built-in. Cold food must legally be kept at 8 degrees or lower unless it is being stored part way through food preparation process. In order to keep contaminants and bacteria from spoiling raw ingredients, it may be necessary to even refrigerate ingredients even during food preparation. As long as it is kept for just four hours, food can be displayed at above 8 degrees, but if it is not sold or used in that time it must be thrown away. You need to freeze food at below 18 degrees if you want to ensure bacteria does not multiply. These are just a few of the temperature considerations you need to give when choosing the right units for your business, you can find more information at the Food Standards Agency.
Never Use Residential Refrigerators For A Commercial Business
Although it may be tempting to save some money, it is not a good idea to use residential refrigerators in commercial environments. Commercial equipment has been specifically designer to keep cool in warmer settings and is equipped with better cool air dispersal and insulation. The compressors on these types of units are also more powerful than those found on residential models and can deal with the harder use as the doors are opened more often. They are also far easier to maintain and keep clean, which can save a lot of time and effort. There are even advanced models available now that will record temperatures, making the process of completing a temperature log simpler.
Brand And Model Are Important
As it should be with any major purchase of equipment, you should spend time properly and thoroughly researching various brands and models before you buy any units to ensure that they last as long as necessary and work as they should. Expert and customer reviews are always a good source of information. These will give you a clear and unbiased insight into the actual day to day use of the units you are interested in.
Don’t Be Afraid To Consider Used Equipment
Although it may sound like a food hygiene nightmare, buying used refrigeration equipment can be a good way to save some money – which is something you will probably be interested in if you are a new and fledgling business. The secret to find the best used equipment is properly assessing the items that are for sale. You need to look at the walls, cabinets and gaskets for any signs of rust, mould or cracks. The compressor, condenser and evaporator should all be running well too and the lights should switch off when the door is closed. Find out what the equipment was used for and where, as a fridge or freezer used in a busy kitchen has seen more use than one that is only used to store items temporarily and occasionally. You should also give thought to whether it needs repairs and find out how much these will cost.
We hope you find this guide useful, and if you live in the Wembley or Greater London area, ADK.co.uk have qualified commercial refrigeration engineers that can help you with all your installation and/or repair needs.