Food Holding & Warming Equipment

Serve Every Meal Hot with Food Holding and Warming Cabinets

Food holding and warming equipment help keep precooked meals hot and fresh, ready to serve when ordered. Speed is a burning priority in fast-paced foodservice businesses. Many operators prepare their entrees, side dishes, and meals in advance to be ready for back-to-back orders. Such treats may lose their freshness and flavor when not cooked to order. Commercial food warmers have a storage cabinet and a heat source operating at lower temperatures to preserve the taste, texture, and freshness of hot-served products. Thus, hot food holding cabinets can reduce waste and improve food safety.

Types Of Food Holding And Warming Equipment

Foodservice facilities need a proper way to maintain the quality of their takeaways, delivery, catering, and buffet foods. They ensure precooked menus do not wait within 40-140°F, known as the "Danger Zone," with food holding and warming equipment. Commercial food warming cabinets are of various types, each using a different heat source like heating elements, steam, or heat lamps. However, no matter the type or heat source, they are all designed to keep prepared food above 140°F. Your menu and operations will specify your choice.

1. Holding And Proofing Cabinets

 The primary purpose of food holding and warming equipment is to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. Holding and proofing cabinets perform this function by featuring multiple cabinets, drawers, and pan holders to hold products. They come in solid and glass door options. You can choose from heated and refrigerated holding cabinets for your unique needs. For instance, your piping pizzas can remain hot in pizza-holding cabinets that accommodate up to almost 40 boxes.

Bakeries, patisseries, and similar establishments serving dough-based products will need a different piece of food holding and warming equipment. Their food-holding cabinet must be specialized in dough rising. Proofing cabinets provide the optimum temperature and humidity necessary for dough rising. If you need to prepare large volumes of dough before, you can keep it frozen in a retarder proofer. When required, you can thaw and proof it in the same cabinet. Also, you can combine holding and proofing functions in a single unit with a combination holding and proofing cabinet.

2. Countertop Warmers And Displays

Not every facility may have enough floor space to spare for multi-section food holding and warming equipment. Still, customers will want their soups, fries, sauces, pretzels, and other prepped dishes served warm. Countertop warmers and displays are available in different sizes and types to meet hot-holding needs without occupying floor space. Buffet warmers or soup kettles fit on your countertop or any worktable. You can even consider induction built-in heat retaining units that look flush with your counter.

3. Hot Water-Based Food Holding And Warming Equipment

These food-holding cabinets heat water to generate steam that gently heats the food pans. Catered events, buffets, bequest halls, and other self-service food businesses need large crowds directly access meals. Commercial steam tables and drop-in food wells are multi-compartment units that help create a rich self-serve station. While steam tables are freestanding models with an open or enclosed base, food wells are recessed in your counter. Rethermalizers also use hot water, but besides hot-holding, they can also be used to heat frozen foods.

4. Overhead Food Warmers

Food lamps and carving stations are overhead food warmers that provide overhead heating from a strip warmer or heat lamp. Heat lamps are bulb warmers and are more economical food holding and warming equipment. The light from the bulb also functions as a food display. Strip heaters are infrared warmers and generate more intense heat. 

5. Warming Drawers

Warming drawers keep cooked dishes safe at serving temperatures and moisture content. You can place your baked potatoes, vegetables, buns, and rolls directly in the drawers or with pans or other containers. In multi-drawer units, each drawer has separate temperature and moisture controls.

6. Specialty Warmers

You can choose from various specialty warmers if you have more unique needs that standard-featured food holding and warming equipment cannot meet. For instance, you can use plate warmers or tray & plate dispensers for a more sanitary serving line. Bain-marie water heaters can provide gentler heat for your more delicate treats. Or, you can buy a chocolate melter to liquefy and hold chocolate at the right temperature for dipping or making signature desserts.

 

Food holding and warming equipment keep your menu items hot and ready to serve on demand. Chef's Deal has a vast selection of sizes, shapes, and styles to suit your business type. You can benefit from our free consulting, design, layout, and financing services to improve your business quickly with reliable consulting and the best price options.