Uses of a Hot Cupboard
Commercial hot cupboards are utilised frequently in a wide variety of professional businesses from care homes to school canteens. Their primary purpose is to hold either plated precooked meals for future serving, or for storing often hundreds of plates for a large pool of customers. However with modifications or additional features a heated trolley can expand its versatility to meet specific needs such as transportation, storing sauces and fresh relishes, providing over-counter lighting or an additional service area.
Standard Features
As standard, a hot cupboard will feature several shelves of interior space heavily insulated behind a layer of stainless steel hinged doors, with integrated heat elements preserving your meals in optimum condition. Internal temperatures are typically regulated from exterior controls – either manual or digital.
These basic models are perfect for use in environments where plates and meals will constantly be in close proximity such as a staff canteen or a supermarket restaurant. By placing a static cupboard near to a queuing system you provide a way to store additional crockery whilst keeping it at optimal temperature for serving.
Besides these basic functions a number of hot cupboards come equipped with additional features to improve functionality.
USEFUL ADDITIONS
Castors
Static hot cupboards are perfect for kitchens that just need to keep food warm ready for service such as a workplace canteen, however kitchens are often not within close proximity to the service area or their customers. Castors streamline the transport of meals and make it easier for staff to move the appliance during times of maintenance or cleaning. The element of mobility is especially relevant in care homes and hotels where meals are expected to come to each guest individually.
Gastronorm Compatibility
With many large scale commercial environments meals may be assembled, cooked and served all within the same gastronorm pan. Hot cupboards with tweaked interiors to fit such containers are a great asset to areas such as buffets and self service environments where customers are expected to pick out or select their own meal. This type of GN hot cupboard also benefits the user by reducing washing up, since food prepared in a gastronorm pan doesn’t need to be transferred to other plates or pans before storing. The cupboard can also serve as an additional storage space for empty gastronorm pans during quiet hours, saving valuable kitchen space elsewhere.
Sliding Doors
A small but practical feature in certain circumstances, sliding access doors on hot cupboards are designed to reduce obstruction or to ensure access to contents is always possible. For example if your hot cupboard is placed in an area of your kitchen with regular human traffic then simply opening a door may slow staff and reduce efficiency. Equally you couldn’t use a standard door if you were operating a room service trolley in narrow hotel hallways. Certain brands such as Buffalo design all their models with this type of door.
Cross Compatible Ranges
Certain ranges from Lincat and Falcon are specifically designed to fit other appliances from their range on top. This is a great benefit for static hot cupboards in crowded areas, where you could add another appliance to your kitchen without using up any extra floor space. Working with appliances within the same range also has the benefit of streamlining your kitchens functionality and making it easier to train your staff, as models within the same range tend to work in a very similar fashion.
Pass Through Units
Many hot cupboards feature doors on either side of the trolley. These provide a quick and easy method for chefs in certain kitchens to place freshly prepared meals directly into the cupboard. It then retains its heat and texture until it is ready to be taken to the table by serving staff. Such models are great when placed in a restaurant with numerous orders on the go at once and provides a secure stowaway for your food during the transition from kitchen to table.
Bain Marie Topper
Expanding the utility of a service trolley, bain marie toppers allow you and your staff to cook and store fresh vegetables, gravy and sauces to complement your plated meals. This would be useful for places like healthcare establishments where patients and guests will be receiving transported meals daily and require fresh food to improve their health, or equally somewhere like a hotel where fresh room service is expected. Such units also often come with an illuminated gantry such as the Victor Baron to provide consistent heating across the top of your GN pans, which further preserves the food’s heat, flavour and texture.
PRACTICALITY
Certain makes or models of heated trolley come with distinct features that tailor to specific needs.For example a Falcon Chieftain uses a special braking system to make sure that the trolley doesn’t accidentally roll away when unattended and risk potential injury to a customer. On more multifunctional models like the Victor HotKold Service Trolley you will find a chilled or ambient drawer for sides and desserts to complement your meals. Small junior models, units with power supplies at opposite ends and trolleys with corner bumpers to prevent damage to walls are just some other examples of minor additions that can make a difference in your day to day operation.
Other Considerations
Cleaning
Each individual business has different needs to satisfy and different limitations restricting them. There are however factors which will effect every business regardless of its location, size or purpose, particularly cleaning. The design of your hot cupboard will give you a good idea of how easy it is to clean (which will have to be regularly when holding or transporting foods of all varieties), with most units built rectangular to provide minimal resistance when wiping down.
Maintenance
It is important to ensure that all parts of your hot cupboard are working efficiently before service starts. A particular problem chefs encounter with used hot cupboards is the presence of hot spots within the cupboard, which can cause warm meals to become overdone just as those not in the spot run the risk of going cold and spoiling. If you are worried about the power or placement of the heat elements as well as any other component, contact the manufacturer immediately.
Cost
Price is always a large factor when buying a hot cupboard. Price is also the best indicator of the machine’s capacity, features and build quality. For example if you are working in a hotel where you’ll want a mobile hot cupboard that also has a bain marie for fresh gravy as well as plated meals for room service, then expect a bigger price tag. The power of the unit will be a reasonable indicator of the unit’s operational costs, especially when a hot cupboard has another powered feature on it such as a bain marie or chilled drawer.
Your Work Routine
When assessing a hot cupboard for purchase it would be best to consider what practical requirements you need fulfilled. Picture the daily routine you would expect to put your hot cupboard through and take into account every practical aspect from space, to the type of meals you’ll be transporting, where the cupboard will be placed and the number of customers you will be serving. Find the hot cupboard that’s the right fit for your business and you will remove a great deal of hassle from your day-to-day duties whilst increasing customer satisfaction in the process.