Commercial Freezers

Many businesses need commercial freezers. Any business that deals with large amounts of frozen food products benefits immensely from the addition of a commercial freezer. The basic use of commercial freezers is, of course, to keep food frozen so that it is safe to eat when your customers purchase it. However, commercial freezers are different from home designs because they are designed to keep large quantities of food frozen for extended periods of time.

Commercial freezers can be huge rooms that you can walk into, or they can be smaller units placed in the back of a restaurant. Most often you will find these freezers in businesses that are related to the food service industry, such as caterers, restaurants, and banquet halls. However, many grocery stores use them, as well as schools with a hot lunch program, and even research facilities that need to keep their specimens frozen for further research.

While there is a huge need for commercial freezers, there are so many different types that some business owners who need to purchase one find it confusing. You can choose from walk-in freezers to stand alone models. You can find commercial freezers that look like home models, or huge beasts that take up entire rooms in a store. Deciding what you need for your business’s specific needs is they key to choosing the right freezer.

Most commercial freezers, no matter what their size, are made of the same main components. First the freezer will be housed in a cabinet. This is usually made out of stainless steel, which can easily stand up to the daily use without scratching or denting. The doors are attached to the cabinet and need to have industrial strength hinges. Many models feature latches that can lock, and all have tight seals with double gaskets.

The floor of the commercial freezer is also important. Many models feature an aluminum floor. Aluminum is a strong material, but incredibly lightweight. It can hold around six hundred pounds per square foot of space. The most important aspect of a commercial freezer is the refrigeration system. This keeps the food inside the unit at the proper temperature. It includes a compressor, condenser, and evaporator. The compressor provides the refrigerant to the unit, which flows into the condenser. In the evaporator, the refrigerant is changed from liquid to gas, creating a cooling effect. And to maintain the temperature inside the freezer the entire unit is wrapped in insulation. This also limits the noise from the refrigeration motor.

If your freezer is not a built-in unit it will likely come with wheels. This is nice if you want to be able to move it from one location to another within your store. However, you want to have wheels that will lock into place when you are not moving the freezer.

One type of commercial freezer is a chest freezer. Chest freezers are those freezers that users open from the top. They are able to keep food frozen for many months, and in the home these freezers are sometimes called a “deep freeze.” They have many uses for commercial businesses.

Some businesses, such as food service businesses and caterers, will use a chest freezer to store their frozen goods. They might choose a freezer that has baskets inside to help them organize their food. The inside of a chest freezer generally has more capacity than upright freezers.

In a retail location where food is being sold to customers, upright freezers can be used to store product and display it for sale. These freezers will have sliding glass tops that the customer opens when they want to select a product. When not open, the glass doors allow the customers to see what is inside the freezer. This is ideal for stores that have a large quantity of food on display, but not much variety. You can store many frozen pizzas one on top of the other inside a chest freezer, and your customers can take the ones on the top.

Some chest freezers are completely open on top. While this is not the most energy efficient way to store food, it does successfully keep the food cold. One benefit of a commercial freezer with an open top is that customers have instant access to the food.

Over all, chest freezers are the most energy efficient commercial freezers. They use far less electricity to run than upright freezers. They do require a significant amount of floor space, as they cannot be too tall if customers are going to be able to access them.

When most consumers think of upright freezers they think of the models found in the basements or storage rooms of many homes. These upright freezers also have commercial counterparts that can be found in many stores and restaurants. Generally a commercial upright freezer will be made out of strong stainless steel, rather than the materials used in household freezers. Upright freezers do not make good options for long term storage, but they are an excellent addition to many businesses that deal with food on a daily basis.

Some commercial freezers are intended to be used behind the scenes. These freezers will have solid doors and are used for storage. You will find these freezers in restaurants and caterer’s kitchens. Some models come with glass doors. These are designed for stores that sell food since they allow customers to see inside and choose the product they want. One benefit of upright glass door freezers over chest models is that more variety of food can be displayed because it will not be covered by the food on top.

Upright freezers come with shelving to allow food to be separated. Sometimes these shelves are adjustable, allowing the store or restaurant to make room for tall food items. Glass door models can be placed side by side to create an aisle in the store.

There are some special models of commercial freezers designed specifically for restaurants. For example, you can buy under counter freezers for your restaurant. These are shorter than other commercial freezers, and slide comfortably under a counter in a restaurant or bar. This maximizes space in a crowded kitchen by making use of the space that is generally not used. While these little freezers look like chest freezers, they actually feature doors on the front that open. This allows access to the contents of the freezer even when it is stored under a counter.

Other freezers designed for restaurants and their specific needs are called work top freezers. These are freezers that feature a stainless steel work table on the top. The chef can slice and dice on the top of the freezer while storing extra food underneath. These are generally built at a counter height and are another great way for a business to maximize the space in their kitchen, while saving money at the same time.

Large retail stores often find that they need more freezer space than a few commercial freezers can provide. For this need, they turn to built-in walk-in freezers. Walk in freezers feature a door that allows employees to enter the freezer to remove the merchandise that needs to be displayed in the store.

Some walk-in commercial freezers allow both storage and display in the same freezer. The employees can access the storage area through a locked door, and the customers can reach the product through the glass doors on the display side. Using one of these units is an excellent way to maximize space in a grocery or discount store that sells frozen food.

Butcher shops also use built-in commercial freezers. Since they deal with huge pieces of meat that they need to cut down into sellable sizes, huge walk-in freezers are a must for most butcher shops. Here they will store the meat until they have a chance to work on cutting it into the cuts that customers want to buy.

Finally, laboratories often have walk-in freezers. Labs use them to keep many specimens at a prescribed temperature. One benefit of these huge freezers is that since they are not accessed repeatedly the temperature can stay fairly constant. Employees or lab technicians that need to enter the freezer generally wear gloves or a coat to stay healthy.

Blast freezers are a type of commercial freezer that utilizes deep freezing technology. In a blast freezer the food is frozen much quicker than with traditional commercial freezers. For example, a blast freezer can completely freeze an item of food in thirty minutes, while a walk-in freezer would take six hours to do the same thing. This makes the food much better quality when the consumer buys it, thaws it, and eats it.

Blast freezers are commonly found in businesses that produce and package food. This is because these freezers give the company the quickest, most efficient way possible to freeze the food for packaging. Also, when food is frozen using a blast freezer, the food has a layer of micro ice-crystals on the surface of the food. This keeps the food in almost perfect condition, and keeps the individual pieces of food from sticking to each other while being packaged. Individually frozen chicken breasts are an example of a food that is packaged using a blast freezer.

Blast commercial freezers are very efficient to run. They take up less space than a huge walk-in freezer, and they use less electricity because the food is frozen much quicker. Once the food is frozen, it can be stored in any of the other types of freezers.

The cost of commercial freezers is as varied as the many different types. You can buy a simple commercial freezer for a few thousand dollars. Larger varieties, such as those used to create display cases, will cost over five thousand dollars. A blast freezer is a huge investment for your company, costing several thousand dollars. However, the energy savings in the long run can counteract the initial cost.

When considering the cost of commercial freezers, remember that they are an integral part of your business. You need them in order to keep food safe for your customers. Consider your investment into a commercial freezer to be an investment into your business. Many freezer companies offer financing to help a business purchase its freezer.

When shopping for commercial freezers, consider what you are using the freezer for. Do you need to allow customers access to a freezer, or is it only for customer use? Do you need to freeze items quickly, or simply be able to store them until you use them? The answers to these questions will help you limit your search and find the most affordable freezer that will meet your needs. Be sure to ask about warranties on the freezers. If something goes wrong, you need to know you are covered.

Finally, remember to buy the size of freezer that is right for your business. Remember that every inch of freezer space contributes to the energy cost of running the freezer. Buying the right size for your business will eliminate wasted money spent on energy costs for freezer space you did not use.

Commercial freezers, as with most commercial appliances, come with specific safety considerations. First, make sure that no one is allowed to enter a freezer that was not designed as a walk in freezer. There is not air circulation inside the other types of freezers, so this could lead to death.

If you purchase a walk-in freezer, consider having an alarm installed on the inside that someone could use to signal for help if they should get trapped inside. Also, consider having a company policy that no one enters the freezer by himself. This can eliminate accidentally trapping someone inside the freezer. Or better yet, only purchase walk-in models that can be unlocked easily from the inside.

If your freezer is mobile, make sure that you lock the wheels when it is in position. This will protect both you and your customers. Also, avoid overstocking freezers that will be open to customers. You do not want a customer injured if frozen food falls out of the freezer. With these safety considerations in mind, you can ensure that you have a safe working environment around your commercial freezer.