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Food Safety 101 and The Benefits of Refrigerated Chef Stands and Bases

What does a great refrigerated equipment stand or chef base do for a commercial kitchen? Maybe the more important question is, “What does a not-so-great refrigerated equipment stand or chef base do for a commercial kitchen?”

The truth of the matter is that some refrigerated equipment stands and bases can be the weakest link in a food safety chain, causing irreversible damage to even leading foodservice facilities.

It’s amazing to see firsthand how much work a restaurant puts into protecting and ensuring the quality and safety of food. Every day when a shipment of food is received, restaurant staff must properly check-in the perishable product and work quickly to store the food in the correct area at the correct temperature. The clock starts ticking the second food is off-loaded from the delivery truck.

After the food is prepped and ready to be cooked or served, it is usually put on the service line in a refrigerated equipment stand. This is where the damage can really begin. A rapid succession of orders comes in (sometimes as many as 10 at a time) until the shift ends. During this period of time, the refrigerated chef stands are constantly being opened and closed every time a restaurant staff member needs to access an ingredient. Many chef bases simply cannot keep up with this pace and still maintain a proper temperature below 40°F as required by health and food safety codes and for preserving the integrity of the food itself. This can be a downright dangerous situation.

It’s no surprise that one of the first areas the health department visits is the service line. If the food is found to be above proper storage temperature, you must correct this immediately. Unfortunately, this usually means you must throw the food away, and I don’t know of too many foodservice facilities that can afford to do that!

Examining the benefits of new equipment closely, such as Randell’s refrigerated chef bases and equipment stands, is an important first step in the consideration process for any chef or foodservice manager. Selecting the right equipment that will stand-up to the intensity of a busy kitchen, while still delivering a food-safe environment is crucial for protecting an operation’s bottom line.

The profit-saving features of Randell’s refrigerated chef bases and equipment stands include:

  • Fully-balanced evaporator coils located between drawer sections for unparalleled air-circulation throughout the base cabinet. (This is especially important in drawer units, as the position of the drawer slides can block air-flow.)
  • Set temperatures anywhere between -4°F and 40°F so you can set fresh meat at 26°F and hold frozen food without freezing the drawer shut (only with the Randell FX-Series chef stands). (You can also hold seafood without ice and under your char-broiler. I challenge you to see if you can find another system that will allow this).
  • 100% front-breathing stands allow the customer to seal the units on the back and sides (on all Randell models), or curb-mount the unit for a cleaner installation. The design also incorporates a fresh-air/exhaust-air louver that enables chef bases to run up to 25°F cooler than traditionally designed condenser housings.
  • Three-year parts and labor warranty. (Chef stands are only as good as your drawer systems, and we back ours with the best warranty in the business … on the entire assembly!)

To learn more about these great features and more about Randell refrigerated chef stands and bases, click here or visit unifiedbrands.net.

Dave Rademacher
Product Specialist-Refrigeration
drademacher@unifiedbrands.net

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