Six reasons chest freezers are still a catering favourite

As a catering business, you almost certainly rely on freezing. Whether that’s for storing stock ready to cook, or for preserving pre-made meals, dishes and sauces, you need a reliable freezer you can trust.

That’s where a commercial chest freezer comes in. Commercial chest freezers are the workhorses of many modern kitchens. Spacious, easy to access and by design the most efficient of models, these units could be just what you need.

If you’re looking for a new or upgraded commercial chest freezer, you’ve come to the right place. Fridgesmart is here to help you with free advice, expert opinions and fast nationwide delivery. Here are six reasons commercial chest freezers remain crucial to catering businesses.

Commercial chest freezers reduce risk

Hot air rises. Cold air sinks. That’s the simplest version of the law of convection. And it’s an intrinsic benefit when it comes to chest freezers. Because you open the lid (rather than the door), you let out more of the warmest air. When you open the door of a normal freezer, you let out a mix of warm and cool air (from the top and bottom). This makes chest freezers, by design, the most efficient models (compared with similar uprights).

That’s good because it helps maintain stable temperatures, which in turn protects your goods during lid openings or power interruptions. In the same vein, it means it’s easier to prove compliance during environmental health or food safety inspections.

Support better stock management and cost control

A chest freezer is one of the best options for bulk buying. There’s plenty of space, and so many ways to organise it. Bulk buying improves stock management and cost control.

Wholesale prices naturally shift throughout the year, as with anything else, as demand fluctuates. If a business owner like yourself has the resources to secure stock at a lower seasonal price, you’ll gain a real competitive advantage.

In a chest freezer, you do have to be careful when it comes to stock management. Without a good FIFO (first-in, first-out) rotation system, as well as baskets and shelving to organise the space, stock can easily get lost underneath everything else. However, provided you implement these systems, you shouldn’t have a problem.

Chest freezers support peak working times

For any catering team, speed, especially during service, can make or break the day’s revenue. The shorter a customer has to wait, the more likely they are to feel satisfied with their experience and come again. Your kitchen workflow feeds directly into this.

If your staff members have access to large volumes of prepped items (from your chest freezer and other sources), they won’t be interrupted as often while assembling dishes. Because ingredients and pre-prepared items (such as sauces) are readily available, this approach reduces prep-line bottlenecks.

Another small yet vital consideration is how a chest freezer opens. The lid opens at the top, unlike a traditional freezer with a swinging door, which would block the aisle. Now, the freezer may only be open for ten or fifteen seconds at a time on most occasions. Still, given how frequently you need to access frozen stock, a lid rather than a door can really speed up your kitchen workflow.

Finally, a commercial chest freezer usually integrates well with almost any kitchen layout. That’s because it doesn’t rely on adjustable shelving or fixed doors. This makes it, in some ways, easier to place than a standard upright freezer.

Chest freezers help maintain compliance with food storage standards

In the UK, we have strict food storage standards and regulations, with good reason. These include temperature control, accurate labelling and a clear separation between stock types.

During your routine inspections, officers will look for your temperature logs and evidence of stock rotation. Even though stock rotation can be more challenging in a chest freezer, you should have a carefully designed system. All the thought you’ve put into it can make this rotation easy to prove. For example, you should use clear-view baskets to help separate allergens, raw meats and ready-to-cook items.

Chest freezers support future menu development

Chest freezers are a great way to give your catering team room to test ideas. Your new dishes naturally rely on experimentation, including with portion sizes, prep methods and storage times. That requires time, space and stable conditions, all of which can be found in a high-quality chest freezer.

Of course, chest freezers also make it easier to prepare for seasonal rushes, as mentioned above. If you’re getting ready for a Christmas rush, you can store all the ingredients months in advance. The same goes for any other season.

While you could use any freezer layout to develop and prepare for your new menu, chest freezers are often the best choice, simply because they have such a large capacity.

A trusted solution across catering businesses

Whether it’s the high weekend demand or the slow and steady buzz of the mid-week mornings, all catering business owners need predictable refrigeration equipment. Many continue to love chest freezers because they’re so reliable and adaptable, as this article has shown.

So, if you’re ready to get prepared, you need a commercial chest freezer that supports your daily trade for years to come. That’s where Fridgesmart comes in. With a wide range of chest freezers available for delivery across the UK, we’re committed to ensuring you get the unit you need. That’s why all purchases come with market-leading customer service, warranty and delivery options.

For more information or to discuss the best chest freezer for you, speak to our team today. Reach us on 01792 677169 or by emailing hello@fridgesmart.co.uk. We look forward to learning more about your business and helping you find the right chest freezer to support its growth.