Starting a catering, or any type of food-related business, involves a lot of consideration and thorough planning, and one of the most important factors you’ll have to consider is buying the right commercial freezer. Freezers and refrigeration units in general are vital for the food business for obvious reasons – you need the food to be fresh, and you need to abide to the health and safety industry standards.
Regardless of the type of meals you’re going to serve, having one or more commercial freezer units to store the food at the proper temperature is essential. However, with the vast amount of freezer options, it could get somewhat confusing. Knowing what to look for when buying commercial freezer units can simplify the process significantly. For that reason, let’s take a look at the basic considerations when buying.
The first thing you need to ask yourself is what type of freezer do you need. There are many manufacturers that offer affordable and high-quality freezers, as well as other types of refrigeration equipment, including: glass door display fridges, commercial freezers, catering freezers, glass door freezers, and much more.
Next, make sure the freezer you choose can fit where you want it to. Commercial ones come in a wide range of sizes and shapes, so your choices may be narrowed down, depending on your available space. Plus, you need to consider how much storage you need. This is closely related to the size and shape of the fridge.
You also need to consider whether an upright freezer, or a chest freezer will work better for you. Again, size, shape and type play a role in this decision, but there’s more to it. Upright freezers offer convenient and quick access, and they fit easily in most areas. Additionally, upright freezers help utilise vertical space, which otherwise you will probably not use for anything else. Plus, they also have more capacity because of their adjustable shelves.
Chest freezers, on the other hand, take more horizontal space but they’re still versatile, as you can use them as a place to prep. They are available in single, double or even triple door models, and you can easily access the food inside them. Although some models don’t have adjustable shelves, the ones that do have them, enable you to store bulky products and large food containers.
Lastly, consider whether you want to buy a new or a used freezer. Most people that opt for a used one do it because of its cheaper price tag. However, buying a brand new freezer will usually come with a warranty and service from the seller, which can certainly prove to be a better investment in the long run.
