Commercial Prep Fridges – Features & Things to Consider Before Buying
The catering and hospitality sector has been continuously evolving over the last few years. As the customers always want new and unique cuisines to be served quickly, the industry has adapted to demands and encouraged and implemented creative and ingenious techniques and equipment. Every food establishment requires such an appliance that decreases human effort and assists in taking care of & serving the ever-booming customer base. That's where commercial prep fridges are beneficial.
A commercial prep counter fridge is a multi-tasking device that enables you to cook and serve food items on the menu at favourable temperatures. These devices merge your workspace and refrigeration and optimise your professional kitchen space. You can easily prepare delicacies like chop salads, sandwiches, and other similar dishes and serve them at the most suitable temperature for the cuisine. These refrigerators provide the feature of keeping food items within your reach to have it easy while preparing the cuisine. Whether you own a restaurant, cafe, bar or a healthy eatery joint - prep fridges help you serve any food preparation with effortless ease.
Features of Commercial Prep Fridges
These refrigerators provide the following features:
- Compressor unit with front breathing and side mount
- Stainless steel construction in the exterior & interior.
- Inclusive of stainless steel food pans
- Long-Lasting Embraco compressor
- Open doors with self-closing and stay feature
- Effective refrigeration system
- Design with round corner
- Recessed door handle
- Standard safety door lock feature
- Door with magnetic gaskets
- Castors pre-installed
- Shelves pre-installed
- Loading capacity 70kgs per shelf
These products work wonderfully well in any food establishment. However, if you are looking for more compact, space-saving and efficient equipment, browse the wide range of Under Bench Fridges & Freezers on Simco.
Things to Consider Before Buying
Determine the Storage Requirements for Your Kitchen
One of the essential things to consider before buying the equipment is the storage space you need. You have to consider the area you require as this will help finalise the type and size of the cooling equipment. Get a mental estimate of how many items you want to put in the machine. The number of articles and resultant requirements will vary for every business. As the refrigerators are expensive, you need to know your specific requirements to invest in the right product in the long run. Therefore, you should ask for help from professional specialists in refrigeration such as Simco, the leading commercial prep fridges supplier in Sydney & Brisbane.
Determine the Size of Your Refrigerator
The size of the refrigerator should also be determined in advance before buying the product. There are various elements that will help you zero in on the size of the prep fridge you will need to buy. These factors include the size of the commercial kitchen area provided for this product, the scope and type of food establishment you own, the delivery schedule of your refrigerated goods and the number of perishable food items you use in the refrigerator.
These units are available with one, two and three doors, and the number of doors representing the width of the cooling unit. You need to have the knowledge of the precise size of your commercial kitchen area to determine the size of the refrigerator-size and add some space for ventilation. In addition, you should know the volume of your weekly stock, your refrigerator utilisation needs requirements, and most importantly, your budget. If you buy a commercial pep fridge too big for your requirements, it will adversely affect your electricity bill. Therefore, take your time considering things before purchasing the product.
Verify the Maintenance Plans from the Manufacturer/Supplier
Maintenance of the product is another essential consideration for a food establishment. The refrigeration unit works round-the-clock to cool the stored items efficiently and is created to provide optimum performance, enhanced effectiveness and long-lasting features. However, the product will require servicing and maintenance frequently as any other machine, ensuring it functions at maximum capability. If any of the refrigerator parts are defective, it will impact your energy expenditure as it will result in the machine working doubly hard and breaking down. It can also lead to a significant equipment failure. Therefore, make sure to ask about the maintenance procedure and plans for the appliance before buying. It is crucial to take care of the unit to serve you well for a long time.
Maintenance is an attribute that is taken care of very well at Simco. We provide maintenance-related help on every premium equipment and refrigeration items, such as Upright Display Fridge/Freezer. Visit the website of Simco for more details.
Watch Out for the Compressor Placement
Another crucial thing to check is the placement of the compressor. It is that component of a cooling device that keeps the items cold. You can find commercial prep fridges with compressors on top or bottom of the product.
In the compressor fitted at the top, i.e. the top-mount unit, the compressor and condensing unit are over the appliance. It provides you with more storage space in the interior part and keeps the place around the fridge cooler. The compressor's placement on the top results in significantly more compressor airflow, which means higher electricity efficiency in cool climates. These models are primarily suitable for kitchens that tend to get dusty and dirty and allow under-the-unit cleaning. However, there is one drawback of this model - the refrigerator cavity will be lower, which means you have to bend and stoop more to get access to items. You can check the related products on Simco, one of the top commercial prep fridges supplier in Perth & Melbourne.
Conversely, the compressor and condensing unit are situated at the bottom of the device in a bottom-mount product. This placement is the reason why the refrigerator cavity in the case of these compressors is typically smaller than the cavity of a top-mount refrigerator. The storage area in these units is more user-friendly, comfortable and significantly more accessible than top-mount units. These commercial prep fridges are more useful for sultry hot climates as the compressor is fitted near the floor and kept cooler because it is closer to the ground. However, suppose your food establishment is a dusty environment like a bakery. In that case, the bottom-mount models are a poor choice as the dust and other particles can block the compressor, and constant maintenance is needed.
Why Should You Use a Prep Fridge?
- The commercial prep fridge is easy and convenient to use
- The inventory stocked at a cool temperature while preparation is saved from contamination, thus rescuing the products and money.
- Effortless closing of the refrigerator is allowed through the magnetic doors.
- You can organise and separate your food items through the shelving in the refrigerator. You can also use coloured shelves to put separate food items for different tasks to do the kitchen job efficiently.
- The capacity per shelf helps in a significant amount of inventory storage and eliminates the requirement for a separate device.
- It helps in easy movement and surface or floor space cleaning due to being bolted with casters.
- It is designed with high-quality food-grade material stainless steel.
- It assists in the safe movement of your kitchen employees and prevents injuries due to the round corners.
Prep refrigerators can be utilised in multiple locations. However, if you require something specific for displaying beverages in a bar, restaurant or café, check out our collection of Commercial Bar Fridges on the Simco website.
