Refrigeration and refrigeration systems are at the heart of any restaurant. The refrigerator can be as small as a mini-bar in a hotel room to a walk in unit that acts as both a refrigerator and freezer, the sections separated by air dams. The following is a brief discussion about the different commercial refrigeration in Chicago that is used in restaurants.
Making the purchases:
One of the key elements of any successful restaurant is its refrigeration. The purchase of exactly what is needed is critical to the success of the enterprise. Prior to making any rash decisions, it is of vital importance to fully understand what refrigerators and freezers are required for the business. The concept and the size of the restaurant are two major factors. If the restaurant has limited space, then a huge walk in chiller-freezer will probably not work, nor will it be needed. Because of the wide variations in commercial refrigeration Chicago area, there is invariably a device which is ideal for your concept.
If your restaurant is going to rely heavily on frozen-food supplies, you will need ample freezer space and less refrigeration. Another variable that must be taken into account is the delivery schedules of the various suppliers. If your restaurant receives the meat, chicken and sea-food daily, then the need for freezer space will be considerably less than the restaurant that gets deliveries twice a week.
The various types of commercial refrigeration in Chicago:
Reach-in coolers:
Reach-in coolers are usually found away from the main kitchen, in this way they are isolated from the heat as they are opened and closed frequently. You will usually find a reach-in cooler in the bar area or close to the wait station. As the name implies, a reach-in cooler is designed for wait staff to open, find what they want and then close.
Refrigerated drawers:
These small refrigerated drawers are used as under-the-counter refrigeration and are usually installed on the cooking line. They are ideal for compact restaurant kitchens; they can hold seafood, meat or poultry that will be cooked at the grill station.
Walk-in coolers:
Walk-in coolers vary in size, if truth be known; an ice-cream factory is nothing more than a huge walk-in cooler. For restaurants, they are usually the size of a small room and are used to store boxes of produce, cheese blocks, buckets of pre-prepared food or any other large but perishable item. The shelves, floor and walls are all made from food-grade materials and most walk-in coolers are produced to meet health department codes.
Restaurant bar refrigerator:
These units are usually called low-boys, and they hold bottles of beer, bar mix, canned beverages and wine. Beer kegs are usually stored in a separate walk in chiller; it usually is permissible to keep beer kegs in the kitchen walk in.
A complete range of commercial refrigeration in Chicago is available from ELM Heating & Cooling. Walk-in chillers and freezers, reach-in chillers, beer and wine coolers and ice-makers are all readily available.
