Fridges

The only real difference between all fridges is that some are stainless steel and some are in white-painted mild steel. Tell that to a caterer or manufacturer of commercial refrigeration equipment, however, and they will go as white as the fridge door itself. Yet a worrying number of caterers still see this exterior feature as the only difference between catering and domestic fridges (apart from the price, of course).

There is one thought that should be ever-present when considering the price of a domestic fridge against a commercial one. Domestic fridges don't work efficiently and are even dangerous in a professional kitchen.

This comes from a basic design difference in loading and door opening. On all fridges, the compressor drives a coolant fluid around the "radiator" when the temperature sensor says the temperature inside has risen above the required setting.

As manufacturers assume that the doors on domestic fridges will not be opened and closed as often as fridges in a catering kitchen, the power of the compressor in these is not great.

Danger signs

If a domestic fridge door opens and shuts constantly, its lightweight compressor never gets time to pull the temperature down to a safe coolness - hence, food takes too long to chill, with the obvious health risks. The problem is exacerbated by the way caterers usually fill every nook and cranny of a fridge.

The box and the compressor in a catering fridge are built differently. The compressor and cooling system is more heavy-duty and works faster.

A good catering fridge will also have an internal fan which distributes cold air quickly and evenly, rather than with a domestic fridge where there is no cold-air distribution system. The bottom of the fridge tends to be cooler than the top, too, since warm air rises.

The temperature-setting dial on most domestic fridges is a guessing game as far as accuracy is concerned. A dial with settings of one to six is completely meaningless in terms of known temperature control.

Compare that with the better commercial fridges, which have temperature settings in degrees highlighted on an LED display. Set the scale to 4ºC and the fridge will maintain that temperature.

There are a lot of fridges on display at Hotelympia and it is difficult to choose between them. The only decision that won't have to be made is whether you pick domestic or commercial specification: there are no domestic fridges on sale at Hotelympia.