The Commercial Fridge: An Overview

Businesses like restaurants, grocery stores, and bars have special refrigeration needs. Because of this, many different types of coolers, chillers, and refrigerators are available for business owners. Many of these new models are super energy efficient. In fact, several models use 35% less energy than their older counterparts. This is just one reason savvy restaurateurs and other businessmen are replacing their old units with a new commercial fridge.

Types of commercial refrigeration

Many types of commercial refrigerators are very specific in their usage. For example, a milk cooler is specially designed to keep milk at its proper storage temperature, even when the refrigerator door is left open.

A typical commercial bar fridge is counter high and is designed to keep canned and bottled beverages at just the right serving temperature.

Under counter commercial refrigerators save space by sliding under an existing counter. They consist of solid doors or refrigerated drawers, or a combination of the two. Some models are on casters, making them very portable.

Roll-in commercial fridges are perfect for caterers or other businesses that need easy access to large amounts of food at one time. With these models, the food trays slide easily in and out of the cooler.

Deli cases generally have a clear glass front. Some have sliding doors, while others have a solid glass front and are only accessible at the back of the unit. The commercial deli cases provide cool air at high humidity to extend the shelf life of sliced meats.

Glass-door units are upright coolers that have a sliding or swinging glass door. These are popular with self service, like in convenience stores – customers can reach in and help themselves to cold items on the shelves.

Worktop commercial fridges are great two-in-one appliances. The top of the refrigeration unit provides a work space for chefs in the preparation of foods, and some models even come with backsplashes.

A chef base commercial fridge is a handy unit on casters that be rolled around to different locations. They’re usually two feet tall and come with refrigerated drawers. The wider the unit, the more drawers it has. Chefs often use this type of refrigerator to hold foods ready to be prepped.

Another type of commercial fridge is the fish file. It’s like a refrigerated filing cabinet, with a number of drawers used to hold crushed ice and seafood. This is the best way to store fish and other seafood items, so this type of cooler is popular with seafood restaurants and sushi bars.

Dual temperature commercial refrigerators are versatile appliances that are used in many restaurants. One side of this popular model is a refrigerator, while the other side is either a freezer or a heating cabinet. Cold foods are kept cold, and hot dishes are kept hot.

The most popular type of commercial fridge is the upright reach-in cooler. This type of unit might consist of solid doors, sliding doors, or half doors. The larger the unit, the more doors it has, in order to make refrigerated items more accessible.

Commercial refrigerators for homeowners?

My daughter has a friend whose father is a foodie - he loves eating and preparing all different types of food for his very large family and for frequent guests. Because of this, he uses commercial refrigerators in his home. He always has a large supply of wines, beer, and soft drinks on hand, along with a colorful array of cold foods.