The Staff Canteen Essential Guide to Equipment 2024: Cold

The third part of our essential guide to equipment – temperatures plunge as we explore the latest in refrigeration.

Equipment designed to keep produce at the correct temperature is arguably the most essential for a commercial kitchen. Not only do efficient fridges and freezers preserve the quality of food, they will help chefs stay on the right side of the law, aiding food safety and compliance with health regulations.

Indeed, refrigeration plays a ‘critical role’ in daily operations of any foodservice business, says Chris John, executive at Nisbets who believes that selecting the right fridge or freezer ‘can make all difference in efficiency, safety and sustainability.’

But while the ability to maintain the correct temperature for produce is the most important element offered by any fridge or freezer, as John points out, today’s professional kitchens need them to be environmentally-friendly too.  

“Sustainability is increasingly important, not only for reducing operating costs, but also for minimising environmental impact,” he adds, noting that recent advancements in refrigeration technology have focused on reducing energy consumption.

Sustainability has become such an important factor within the sourcing of refrigeration equipment that The Foodservice Equipment Association (FEA) has added a refrigeration module to its Foodservice Carbon Professional course.

The course, developed in association with Hospitality Energy Saving, is designed to provide the foodservice industry – from manufacturers and suppliers to operators and chefs - with the requisite skills to identify sustainable equipment as well as explaining the benefits.

The refrigeration module gives students specialised information about refrigeration equipment and supplies tips on how to choose and use them to minimise their environmental impact. Students also learn about the latest technology and how to specify, operate, monitor, and maintain refrigeration equipment to minimise its environmental impact throughout its working life.

The FCP course is a pragmatic solution any restaurant operator or chef about to embark on a new kitchen project, or who wants a thorough understanding of how to address energy challenges and industry demands for improved sustainability, but what are some of the options for those seeking a steer now?

Nisbets’ John recommends its Polar U-Series refrigeration range, which includes upright fridges, freezers and undercounter models with A energy efficiency and 5 climate class ratings.

“Recent advancements in refrigeration technology have focused on reducing energy consumption, and the Polar range is a great example of this,” he adds.

All products in Polar’s U, C and G-Series’ have been built to maintain consistent cooling in commercial kitchens. Its newest models, like Polar U-Series Energy Efficient Double Door Upright Refrigerator 1400L are also equipped with energy-efficient compressors and better insulation. Alongside energy efficiency, the consistent cooling offers reassurance as it prevents spoilage and cross-contamination. The other benefit of a large upright fridge of this size is that it allows restaurants to store more fresh ingredients should they need them.

One chef who has made more space for refrigeration is Luke French, co-owner of JÖRO, which he runs with his wife Stacey Sherwood-French.  

Last month, the pair re-opened their restaurant, renowned for its Nordic/Japanese cuisine, at a new site within the Oughtibridge Paper Mill development on the edge of the Peak District.

The relocation to a much larger site than JÖRO’s previous home in a former shipping container, allows its owners to cater for more customers, but it also means more space for his team and their kit.

Extra room for refrigeration was particularly important to French who likes to mature and age meat and fish in-house. Space is also needed to preserve ingredients, like rhubarb and to keep the koji, also made in-house, at the right temperature to develop.

“We mature it in the fridge from freshly made to develop flavour profiles too and this takes up a lot of space. (5-10kg koji per week) some weeks,” French adds.

The kitchen at JÖRO at Oughtibridge features no less than 17 fridges and four freezers, quite an increase on the five fridges and one freezer French started with seven years ago.

The 17 fridges include meat and fish ageing cabinets from Precision, who also supply chilled drawers and cupboards for JÖRO’s service kitchen islands. A custom-fit walk-in chiller and freezer has been made by Storer while Electrolux Professional has supplied wine cabinets and blast chillers.

“Having a walk-in fridge and freezer, plus multiple salt and dry ageing cabinets, and all of the refrigeration on the sections is going to be a game changer for the logistics of how our kitchens run,” explains French. “Being able to age whole carcasses of meat and fish will enable us to reduce costs and we can be more selective in what we’d like to cook each week.”

Not all restaurant owners are blessed with space, nor have the financial resources to invest in specialist kit, which may be one reason why refrigerated drawers are having their moment.

Martin Laws, marketing manager at Williams Refrigeration says the market for drawers has ‘expanded exponentially’ recently.

To meet growing demand, Williams has developed a comprehensive portfolio – ranging from individual drawer units to speciality counter drawer models - that can store anything from fennel to frozen chips without taking up much room.

The latest addition to Williams’ Chef Drawers range is the VSWCD1. It’s a variable temperature model, which enables the unit to be switched from a refrigerator to a freezer. The VSWCD1 is also stackable, fitting under a 900m high worktop and vents from the front so it can squeeze into tight spaces. It’s also large enough to hold a 150mm deep 2/1GN pan.

“One of the big factors in favour of drawers is access,” adds Laws. “With a drawer, it’s easy to get at everything stored inside. With a standard cabinet-with-door, getting at the food at the back can be tricky. The last thing chef wants to be doing is constantly bending over and stretching for the ingredients they need.”

For those who don’t mind bending and stretching, Williams has options. Its Jade range for example offers 33 standard door/drawer configurations. Even more bespoke is the Jade JSC2-ID, which combines open drawers behind doors and was originally designed to store product such as ice cream.

Nisbets’ Polar U-series also includes prep counters which allow chilled ingredients to be kept consistently cool in cupboards beneath a prep area. The GD882, for example has a 405-litre capacity, providing plenty of space for fast and easy access to most-used ingredients.

Another piece of kit that enables chefs to work efficiently, deliver consistency and reduce food waste is the blast chiller / freezer. Units allow rapid chilling or freezing of batches of food, which helps kitchens adhere to food hygiene requirements, while also retaining the taste, texture and nutritional value of dishes, says John at Nisbets.

The company’s suggestion for those considering investing is the Polar U-Series UA016 Blast Chiller/Freezer made easy to operate thanks to its touchscreen controller.

If you want your blast chiller/freezer to do even more, consider the Delfield C PRO Blast Chiller says Welbilt’s Alistair Farquhar. The blast chiller/freezer not only chills to 3 C and freezes to -18 C, it can also slow cook at scheduled times and hold hot food for service.

Available as a five, 10 or 16 shelf-product, it has 10 basic job functions, 190 preloaded recipes and

more than 20 pre-loaded combined cycles, making it useful for kitchens that might be short staffed or looking for assistance in planning ahead for a busy service.

 “The Delfield C PRO Blast Chiller is the perfect solution to a myriad of operator issues in the current climate,” adds Farquhar.

Written by Emma Eversham