Beat the Heat with a Walk-In Cooler

The recent summer heat wave in central Illinois has me thinking of new ways to find some much needed relief from the extremely warm temperatures. The idea of stepping into a walk-in cooler for a few minutes has certainly crossed my mind. So I thought I would take this opportunity to highlight the walk-in coolers available from Serv-U.

Servu-Online is proud to sell Norlake’s line of Kold Locker™ and Fast Trak™ walk-in coolers and freezers. Select walk-in coolers and freezers are available for shipment in less than 24 hours. The walk-in coolers and walk-in freezers are available in many length and width combinations. Custom Fineline™ walk-in coolers from Norlake are also available upon request, just ask your Serv-U sales representative for more information.

Serv-Online also has a large selection of accessories for walk-in refrigerators and walk-in freezers. From display doors to strip doors, lights, door hinges, door closers and latches and inside release valves, Servu-Online has your walk-in cooler needs covered.

Prep and Store with a Refrigerated Prep Tables

Refrigerated prep tables feature a prep area on top that provides a solid surface for cutting and slicing ingredients; cooled compartments for prepared ingredients; and refrigerated storage space below that holds ingredients that need to be prepped. These units are most often used to prepare and store sandwiches, salads, pizzas and other dishes.

Refrigerated prep tables feature different sizes and configurations. Most units offer between one and four doors, and may provide up to eight shelves or drawers for storage. The units will also generally accommodate between six and fifteen food pans, depending on the model.

Refrigerated prep tables come with many options, including a backsplash, drawers, different gauge thicknesses, casters, overshelves and pot racks. Units offering adjustable shelves and pans, in addition to removable cutting boards, food shields and crumb catchers are also available.

Most food prep tables feature heavy duty stainless steel construction, removable hoods and foam-insulated lids. The cabinets’ backs and bottoms are typically constructed of galvanized steel, while interior liners are made of anodized aluminum to resist corrosion. The doors generally included foamed-in-place, high-density polyurethane insulation.

Norlake’s AdvantEDGE Refrigerators and Freezers

For years, Norlake has been a leader in the food service industry. Norlake offers a wide variety of commercial refrigeration products, including their AdvantEDGE line of reach-in refrigerators and freezers, sandwich prep tables, undercounter refrigerators and freezers and glass door merchandisers. I recently had a chance to visit with a representative from Norlake and discovered what distinguishes the Norlake refrigerators and freezers from their competition.

Norlake’s line of AdvantEDGE refrigerators and freezers offer several industry-leading features:

• Stainless steel interior and exterior
• CFC-free polyurethane foamed-in-place insulation
• Electronic controls and digital thermometer
• Heavy-duty interior and exterior hardware
• Self-closing doors
• Locking swivel casters

Norlake reach-in refrigerators are also energy star and NSF-7 certified.

The Norlake reach-in refrigerators and freezers feature an electronic control program. This program does not contain any mechanical parts, thus making these units increasingly user friendly and reducing overall maintenance. The electronic control program offers the following features:

• Adjustable temperature set point (-22 to 8 Deg F on freezer and 25 to 50 Deg F on refrigerators)
• Adjustable temperature differential (+/- of set point: 4 to 16 Deg F)
• Rapid freeze mode (2 hour duration – freezers only)
• Manual defrost initiation
• Adjustable defrost frequency (4 to 12 hours)

Norlake’s reach-in refrigerators and freezers also offer many other useful features like an open door alarm. The alarm is programmed to sound three times when the door is left open for 30 seconds, five times at 60 seconds and continuously at 5 minutes. A clean condenser alarm lets you know when it’s time to clean the unit’s condenser. The easy to read digital display on the front of the unit also provides an accurate digital temperature display as well as easy to distinguish error codes in the event of a system problem.

Most importantly Norlake’s entire series of AdvantEDGE refrigerators and freezers are backed by Norlake’s five year compressor and one year parts, labor and service warranty. Norlake is also dedicated to providing superior customer service and product support, and is committed to helping you troubleshoot any issue that may arise with your Norlake refrigeration unit.

Choosing the Right Bar Equipment Part 1 – Bar Refrigeration

Choosing the right bar equipment is essential to your business. In a series of articles I am going to focus on what I feel are the four most essential categories of bar equipment: bar refrigeration, bar blenders, bar sinks and beer equipment.

In this first bar equipment article let’s discuss bar refrigeration. Common types of bar refrigerators you will see at most bars are back bar coolers, bottle coolers, draft beer dispensers and glass chillers.

Back bar coolers are available in a variety of sizes and configurations. Back bar coolers are available with solid doors, glass doors and combinations of the two. Back bar coolers with glass doors allow proprietors to display their product in a visually appealing manner. Solid door back bar coolers are ideal for storing garnishes, mixers and overflow product.

Another indispensible bar equipment fixture is the bottle cooler. Bottle coolers are great for quick access to bottled and canned beverages, and can accommodate a wide range of case quantities. Sliding lids and optional bar equipment accessories for bottle coolers, such as mounted bottle openers and cap catchers, ensure easy and efficient access to your most popular bottled and canned beverages.

Draft beer dispensers feature built-in draft towers, allowing you to easily access and serve keg beer. Serv-U’s bar equipment department offers draft beer dispensers that will hold up to four kegs of beer. Optional draft towers with multiple faucets are also available, allowing you to access multiple kegs simultaneously. Some draft beer dispensers even offer a club-top feature, which allows for bottle cooler-like access to beverages stored in the unit.

Glass frosters bring added value to your chilly beverages. Beer just seems to taste better and go down more smoothly when it’s served in a frosted mug. Also here is a time saving tip: If you load your glasses into the glass froster when they are dry, they will frost more quickly.

Related Articles:
Choosing the Right Bar Equipment Part 2: Bar Blenders
Choosing the Right Bar Equipment Part 3: Bar Sinks
Choosing the Right Bar Equipment Part 4: Beer Equipment

Buying a walk-in cooler for your business is a big decision. Don’t let all the calculations and considerations put a “chill” on the process! From their compressors and doors to their shapes and sizes, walk-in coolers are extremely complex pieces of restaurant equipment. The Restaurant Guru blog is here to help with a list of the main factors to consider when purchasing a walk-in freezer.

How much storage space is needed? Walk-in coolers come in standard or custom sizes. Sizes range from as small as 4’x5’ to walk-in units that are room-sized. In figuring capacity, on average, 1-cubic foot of open storage area will accommodate about 28 pounds of solid food. Shelving is an integral part of walk-in refrigeration storage systems. Welded wire shelving with a polymer coating is generally the best choice for walk-ins, allowing cold air to circulate around food products. Keep shelves at least 6" off the floor for ease of cleaning and low enough to prevent the food from touching the ceiling. Mobile cabinets or storage racks provide alternatives to fixed wire shelving.

Once you have space needs figured out, it’s time to think about how you will maintain the chill within your walk-in cooler. Holding foods in a safely chilled or frozen state to avoid cross contamination and keeping products at correct temperatures are a walk-in cooler’s primary food safety functions. Temperature monitoring and recording can help operators comply with HACCP guidelines, and can be especially useful in storage of pre-made foods. Designate separate sections of a walk-in cooler for raw and ready-to-eat products to minimize threat of cross-contamination. Place at least one accurate thermometer in the warmest part of the walk-in freezer to measure the air temperature. It is best to have several placed throughout the unit.

Walk-in accessories will keep your restaurant equipment at peak performance. An air-circulation system that allows a walk-in to draw in cold outside air when the exterior temperature is colder than the interior box temperature is available for your restaurant equipment. An air door or vinyl curtain strips may be mounted above walk-in entrances to make sure proper temperatures are maintained, as well as to protect units from insect infestation.

Ensure that your floors and ceilings are in the right condition for proper load bearing and ventilation and you are ready to install a walk-in cooler!

Simple maintenance and cleaning procedures can greatly extend the life and efficiency of the commercial refrigerator in your kitchen. Learn what you need to do to keep your fridge serving you and your customers for years to come.

1. Clean the condenser fin and coils regularly to remove the dust and grease build-up that inhibits heat transfer. Dusty condenser coils cause a refrigerator to work harder; which translates into bigger energy bills and a shorter life expectancy for one of the biggest investments in your kitchen. To prevent this from happening, use a vacuum or broom to remove dust build up from the coils every three months. Coil cleaning chemicals, such as ProMagic Coil Cleaner, make the job easier by removing dirt without wiping. Keep refrigerators at least 4" from walls so that air can circulate freely around the condenser coils.

2. Keep the refrigerator level. This helps the doors to fit correctly. If your refrigerator isn't level the doors may not seal as tightly as they're supposed to, providing yet another opportunity for energy loss. Check to see if your fridge is level by placing a carpenter's level on top of your unit. Then, if necessary, adjust the casters by hand or with a wrench until you achieve level. If damaged casters are causing a tilt, call a Serv-U sales representative and ask about ordering a new set.

3. Feel the outside of the refrigerator for cold spots. Cold spots indicate that the insulation has either shifted or is waterlogged and should be adjusted or replaced.

4. Check the gaskets regularly. Clean the gasket with an all-purpose cleaner, and wipe dry. If a piece of paper inserted between the door and frame can be pulled out easily, the gasket is not sealing properly and should be replaced. The gaskets on the refrigerator and freezer doors are designed to seal the cool air in and to keep the warm air out – vital to the efficiency of your operation. So, it's important to make sure that seal is as strong as it should be. Look over the gaskets for spots that are cracked or otherwise damaged. Then, shut a piece of paper in the door, and see if you can pull it out easily (the seal should create resistance). If either test turns up problems, consider ordering replacement gasket from Serv-U.

5. Check the evaporator for frost. Ice build-up robs the evaporator of its effectiveness. Most units have automatic defrosters. They can be reset to defrost after operating hours. Defrost whenever ice buildup exceeds 1/4".

With some instruction, your staff can play a significant role in taking care of your valuable equipment. These simple maintenance tips can save a great deal of money in energy and service bills, help to avoid costly breakdowns during peak business hours, and extend the life of commercial refrigeration units.

If you own a restaurant, you know how important it is to have a good, efficient commercial refrigerator. I am sure that you are thinking that it’s a piece of cake to go buy the right refrigerator. But it is important to first think about what you want and need out of it.  You would be amazed at all of the options there are on commercial refrigerators nowadays.  It is important to know in advance what you are looking for before you buy.

First of all, how much money do you plan on spending?  Refrigerators can run anywhere from a few hundred dollars up to $10,000. Quality and durability are very important.   If you spend the extra money on a higher quality refrigerator, it will last longer than a cheaper one and will save you more money in the long run!  Today, the average refrigerator should last around 15-20 years.  Another very important thing you need to consider is how much space you need. If you need a lot of space, you must also consider the shelving. Make sure the shelves are pull-out or adjustable in case you need extra room.  After doing some research, there are several features available now in refrigerators that you may not know about.  There are spill proof shelves, sliding shelves, reversible door swing, and separate humidity controls as well as many other options.

Today, refrigerators are made more efficiently. Because of this you can save money on your utility bills. Something you should consider is buying an Energy Star rated refrigerator. These Energy Star models use 15% less energy than federal standards require.  Also, you should not put your refrigerator next to a dishwasher or oven. The heat makes your refrigerator work harder than it needs to. There are so many things to think about when choosing the right commercial refrigerator! These are just some things to think about before making your decision.

Reality check: the glamour of mixed drinks can easily be overshadowed by a kitchen mishap.  That’s why preventative maintenance is the best weapon against such things.  So let’s take a minute to focus on commercial refrigerators.

Sudden compressor failure can spell disaster for your refrigerated goods, and dirty condensers are the greatest contributors to compressor failure (not to mention inefficient energy use).  Location will vary the frequency of cleaning, but it is recommended that the condenser on all you refrigeration equipment be cleaned once a month.

How to Clean the Condenser:

Disconnect the electrical power to the unit.

Remove the louvered grill.

Vacuum or brush the dirt, lint, and paper from the finned condenser coil.

If you have significant dirt build up you can blow out the condenser with compressed air.  (Caution must be used to avoid eye injury.  Eye protection is recommended.)

When finished, be sure to replace the louvered grill.  (It protects the condenser.)  Reconnect power to the unit and enjoy your refrigerator’s increased efficiency.