How to keep your kitchen running smoothly with a stainless steel prep fridge

When someone pictures a commercial kitchen, what do they see?

A big gas stove or grill, perhaps? A large stainless steel counter? A solid door storage fridge?

What about a stainless steel prep fridge?

See, stainless steel prep fridges are the unsung heroes of your rear-of-house, the untold workhorses of commercial kitchens. And on this page, we’ll explain why.

One unit, multiple jobs

Okay. Let’s kick things off with the obvious. A stainless steel prep fridge is far more than a fridge. Within this one unit, you get a prep surface, chilled (and sometimes non-chilled) storage space, space for GN pans or containers, and a workstation.

The beauty here is that a stainless steel prep fridge takes up the same amount of room as a plain old countertop or worktop. Except now, you and your team have all this extra functionality, too.

So, instead of your chefs, sous-chefs, or kitchen staff constantly moving between their stations and the fridge, ingredient storage, walk-in units, etc., they can prepare, portion and sometimes even plate everything in one place.

In other words, you reduce unnecessary movement through the kitchen, which is especially valuable in small spaces, speed up your service and lower the chance of making mistakes. 

Temperature control at the prep fridge

Having everything in one place at the prep station streamlines your workflow. Most notably, it makes it easier to keep track of the chilled ingredients your team might need.

Since they won’t need to rummage through a large storage fridge or back-of-house storage area, they save a significant amount of time. They can also rest assured that the ingredients they’re responsible for are held at a consistent chilled temperature. All this means:

• Ingredients stay within safe temperature ranges during service
• Less reliance on ice baths or rushed fridge trips
• Better consistency across long, busy shifts 

Hygiene made easier

Hygiene and food safety are paramount to running any food retail or service business. Once again, having everything in one place makes this whole process so much simpler.

As soon as your staff member finishes with their dish, they can quickly move their equipment over to the pot washing station. There’s only one surface to wipe down, and they can reach into a dedicated spot in the unit to pull out more cutting boards, knives, spatulas or whatever it is that particular station needs.

Plus, stainless steel is, by design, your friend when it comes to hygiene. Because it’s non-porous, bacteria and contaminants can’t soak into the surface. Spills wipe away, and disinfectants don’t damage the material. As such, stainless steel prep fridges are particularly good for handling raw ingredients, ready-to-eat foods, and allergens. 

Flexible enough for changing kitchens

You can buy a stainless steel prep fridge in a wide range of formats. These include undercounter fridges, pizza prep counters, saladettes and more. Some are designed to be customer-facing or come with topping units. They come in a wide variety of sizes, too.

This flexibility alone means you’re sure to find a model that perfectly fits your kitchen and its operations.

On top of that, you’ll find some variety when it comes to how much refrigeration space you require. Some stations might need a lot. For others, you might need more space for dry ingredients or tools, utensils, and equipment.

Finally, you can also repurpose a prep fridge. That means that if your workflow changes – and at some point, it inevitably will – you’ll likely be able to change what you use your prep fridge for without needing to replace it. As such, it has the potential to be a practical long-term investment. 

Built for how kitchens really work

We know that, despite all the best planning, a commercial kitchen never operates under ideal conditions. All it takes is a piece of equipment to fail, a station to fall behind, a staff absence, or a missing ingredient for things to start unravelling.

You’re familiar with operating under pressure, with constant loud noises, heat, time constraints, and yelling as frustrations boil over.

Through all this, your stainless steel prep fridge is one of the most understated workhorses. You can use them to keep your ingredients close, reduce workspace clutter, and withstand the same level of daily abuse as any other piece of equipment.

That’s why chefs rely on them – and why they’re often one of the last units to be replaced. 

Explore Fridgesmart’s range of stainless steel prep fridges

However, if your business is looking for a new or upgraded stainless steel prep fridge, Fridgesmart is the place to come. We have a wide variety of these units in stock, available for browsing online.

With nationwide delivery capacity, excellent warranty options, next-day delivery selections, and a price-match guarantee, we’re sure you’ll find the perfect stainless steel prep fridge for your business with us. And with our friendly staff on hand for a no-commitment and no-pressure phone call, we make things easy for you.

Call us on 01792 677169 for a free chat about the best stainless steel prep fridge tailored to your business.