Tips for choosing the right catering fridge

Buying the right fridge for your catering business is more difficult than it seems. What should you keep in mind, which type fits best in your case and what are the differences. To make things a little easier for you, we have written some tips for you so that you can make the right choice.

Tip 1 - Basic properties of a catering refrigerator

Hospitality refrigerators come in two versions, stainless steel and white steel. White steel is cheaper than a stainless steel refrigerator. If you have a smaller budget than wt steel fridges are recommended. Stainless steel is more durable and easier to keep clean. If the refrigerator is in view of your guests, we recommend that you take a stainless steel refrigerator.

Then you also have the choice of a solid door or a glass door. Do you want to be able to see at a glance what is in the fridge, do you want to show what you are selling, or do you want to stimulate sales, then a refrigerator with a glass door is the ideal solution. However, a glass door is often less well insulated, so that it consumes more energy.

Both models are available in single-door and double-door models with plain or glass doors. If you need more space to cool products and you have enough space in your kitchen, you can opt for a double door.

Tip 2 - Dimensions and content

Common contents for single-door refrigerators are 400, 600 or 700 liters, double-door refrigerators are 900, 1200 or 1400 liters.

A common content for catering refrigerators is 400, 600 or 700 liters for single door models. The refrigerators with 2 doors are often 900, 1200 or 1400 liters.

400 liter cupboards are often more compact and are supplied with plastic grilles. The larger fridges often have a gastronorm size, which is handy because you can then slide gastronorm trays into the cooling instead of racks.

Tip 3 - Way of cooling

Within the world of catering refrigerators there are three ways of cooling:

• static
• ventilated
• forced

You often see static fridges in household models. These models cool from the walls that contain the cooling pipes. Hot air rises and therefore a static refrigerator often has a vegetable tray at the bottom because it is colder there than at the top. The disadvantage of a static refrigerator is that it has temperature differences inside the refrigerator.

Ventilated refrigerators are statically cooled models with a fan running inside, which ensures an internal air distribution of the cold, so that the temperature inside the refrigerator is more even. In addition, this also ensures that the products remain better cooled due to the air circulation.

A forced refrigerator is a refrigerator in which a separate evaporator is incorporated in the refrigerator. The cooling pipes are incorporated in this instead of in the side walls as with a static refrigerator. The cold is "blown" into the fridge from the side walls.

You can compare this with the dairy department of the supermarket. When you enter this shelf with your hand you will feel the cold air being "blown" against your hand.

The most suitable model for the hospitality industry is the forced refrigerator because it is best to keep the refrigerator at the right temperature.

Tip 4 - What will you store in the refrigerator?

Of course it is important to know in advance what exactly you want to keep in the refrigerator. Each product has a different storage temperature, below is an overview of the regulations.

For example, if you are going to store fresh fish, take a refrigerator that can cool well to -2 degrees and not a model that cools from +2 to 8 degrees.

In addition to looking at what you want to keep, it is also important to look at how a product reacts to air circulation. For example, if a product is sensitive to dehydration (such as pastries or cheese), it is smarter to choose a ventilated refrigerator instead of forced cooling.

Finally, it is necessary to look at how often the door opens on average. If it often opens (50 to 100 times a day) then you better opt for a forced refrigerator because of the temperature retention.

Tip 5 - Energy consumption

Manufacturers of refrigerators are obliged to give an energy label to a refrigerator. This can vary from label A to label E. Because catering refrigerators are used more intensively, they often have a B or C label. In addition, a forced cooling load works differently than a static one, which means that it consumes more energy. This is therefore also an interesting point to include in the decision to purchase a catering refrigerator.

Tip 6 - Use, cleaning and maintenance

Of course, the method of use, cleaning and maintenance is also important, for example, to prevent extra costs. For example, do not place your refrigerator next to a heat source such as a stove, a deep-fat fryer, or an oven, because the refrigerator cannot properly dissipate its heat and must then work harder to cool, which leads to higher energy costs.

In addition, also clean the condenser once a month because during operation, dirt enters it and that causes a blockage of the heat transfer and this also leads to higher energy costs.

Also clean the door seals regularly and replace them as soon as they are worn out. If rubbers do not connect properly, cracks will arise where cold air and warm air come together, resulting in condensation and freezing and higher energy costs because cold air runs away.

Hopefully you now have a clear picture of which catering refrigeration suits you best, then take a look at our range of catering refrigerations https://www.bakingandcooking.eu/en/catering/hardware-8425250/fridges-and-freezers/ and order the cooling that meets your requirements.