Things to Look While Buying a Commercial Refrigerator
Food business and industries require commercial refrigerators for storage and protection of foods from spoilage. Refrigerating the food materials also offer them a longer shelf life. Every business in the Gold Coast that manufactures or markets the food items uses commercial refrigerators.
There are various types of refrigerators available in the market. Businesses in Gold Coast need to choose the right kind of refrigerator for the storage of foods. There are many things to consider while buying a commercial refrigerator.
Let’s dive into the essential features that businesses should consider while getting a commercial refrigerator.
Reach-in Refrigerators
As the name suggests, reach in refrigerators are easy to reach. They are installed in the food stores and kitchens where people need easy access to the food items stored inside the fridge. You need to consider a 2 or 3 door model for your kitchen.
The reach-in refrigerators are placed inside the prep area to store bulk items such as meat, fish, sauces, dressings, raw vegetables, and other food items. If you want to save a large number of items in the fridge, choose a 2 or 3 door reach in refrigerator.
Single door reach-in units
These are the refrigerators used to store prepared dishes, meats, produce, and plate garnishes that you need to use on the same day. If you need a fridge to use in the final production line or cooking area, you should get a single door reach-in unit. You need to restock a reach-in refrigerator from a walk-in cooling unit weekly or as required. It helps the staff to have quick access and offer fast service to customers.
Roll-in freezers and refrigerators
These units allow you to load the food items quickly on a rack and roll it into the fridge. Roll-in refrigerators are suitable to place in the kitchens and preparation area. They come with an empty cavity that can accommodate the roll-in racks for quick loading and storage of food items. If you want a refrigerator to store the prepared foods, you can choose a roll in the unit as it enables the staff to quickly serve the prepared meals to customers.
Pass thru refrigerators
If you want a refrigeration unit to place between the preparation area and the service area, buying a roll thru or pass-thru unit is a great idea. They have an empty cavity to accommodate the roll-in racks and have conventional shelving. The pass-thru refrigerators have doors on the front and back side to provide access from both sides. These cooling units allow the cooks and chefs to load the prepared food items in them and will enable the serving staff to access them quickly without the need to visit the prep area.
Location of compressor
Some refrigerators come with a top mounted compressor while others have it at the bottom. The units with top mounted compressor are good to use in cold environments as they pull in the warmer air. They are less accessible for servicing and cleaning, but they don’t occupy much space in your kitchen. The top mounted compressors are less likely to clog as compared to the bottom mounted units.
Refrigerators with compressor at the bottom are good to use in hot environments as they can pull cold air. They occupy space in your area, but the bottom shelves are higher and easily accessible. The compressor is more likely to clog than top mounted units as it attracts dust, and dirt from the floor.
You should choose a refrigerator with top mounted or a bottom mounted compressor according to the environment in which you want to use the unit.
Type of doors in refrigerators
Swing doors
It is essential to consider the type of door in a fridge as it provides access to the food items. Swing doors come with a stay open feature which allows you to access and load the food items easily. However, they take space while opening and should not be placed in areas with low space.
Half doors
Some units come with half doors that are a variation of swing doors. As you open the door to access only one section, they help to conserve the cooling in other areas and also energy. They do not block traffic like the conventional swing door units.
Two-sided doors
Pass thru units come with double doors on the front and rear side as mentioned earlier. They are available in full, and half door types and also comes in solid and glass door options.
Material of doors
Commercial refrigerators come with solid and glass doors. The solid doors provide better energy efficiency but no visibility. The glass door units offer visibility to food items stored inside but provide low efficiency.
Final words
These are some of the essential features that you need to consider while looking for a commercial refrigerator for your business. However, there are other things like price, energy efficiency, maintenance costs, etc. The commercial refrigeration repairs Gold Coast provides repair services to food businesses in and around the Gold Coast. However, you should buy a refrigerator with low maintenance, reasonable price, and high energy efficiency.
