We can provide you with the highest quality commercial fridge on the market. But it’s up to you to organise it properly so you can reduce food waste and increase hygiene in your hospitality business. When you do that, your kitchen operates with greater efficiency and higher levels of food safety, and you will increase profits at the same time. We thought we’d help you stay organised with a few basic tips for your commercial fridge.
- Always put meat on lower shelves. If it leaks or something spills, it will be easier to clean with these items on the lower shelving of the fridge. From a food safety point of view, it’s vital you take no chances with potential cross-contamination from meat juices. Raw meat will contaminate fresh vegetables, leading to a greater risk of people getting sick if the vegetables are consumed raw. Ideally, it’s best to prevent the spread of bacteria by storing meat separately from all other fresh foods.
- If you have a walk-in chiller, don’t put food on the floor as it is not meant to be a storage space for food. To adhere to health code requirements you need to store food on shelves. Design the area with adequate shelving to reduce the need for employees to put something on the floor because of a lack of space. Discuss this issue with your staff, as well as everything else to do with how food is stored in your walk-in fridge.
- Mark ingredients with use-by dates so you know when the ingredients need to be used. As you bring newly purchased food into the fridge, move older foods to the front so those items are used first. Implement a first-in-first-out system, with dates clearly marked on each package.
- Label the shelves so similar ingredients are stored in the same place and that you separate certain items from others e.g. keep meat apart from fresh vegetables as we discussed earlier.
- You might pack everything in tight because you want to fit in as much as you can. This isn’t a smart move. You need to leave space between food items to allow for cold air to circulate between them. If food is squeezed in, then you won’t allow for even cooling of the items. Avoid warm areas and uneven cooling by keeping about 10 centimetres of space between the food and the walls of the fridge.
With this last point in mind, working with your commercial fridge supplier before you make your purchase will ensure you buy an appliance that gives you all the room you need. So get in touch, as we’ll have the right size for you!