The FSW Blog Network

The other day I was surveying my home refrigerator and wishing, really wishing, that I had a commercial refrigerator instead of a home refrigerator. It’s funny how quickly refrigerator space just disappears when you live in an apartment and you have a huge appetite. I feel like every time I come home from a grocery run, I have to pry open new spaces between old bottles of salad dressing and stacks of leftovers in reusable containers. I felt like, if I had a commercial unit, my problems would be over. So, I made some lists.

The Downfalls of a Home Refrigerator

Here’s a list of things I dislike about my home refrigerator:

• The appearance. My refrigerator was probably manufactured in the 80s. It is a dingy, off-white color than just never really looks clean and certainly isn’t flattered under fluorescent lighting. Hence I cover it up with as many fun magnets, postcards and photographs that I can. I am close to coloring my own pictures for it.
• The size. The refrigerator at my place is small. I know they make residential refrigerators bigger nowadays, and I wish I could take advantage of that—especially those ones that have the big freezer drawer on the bottom.
• The arrangement. The fridge is pushed up into a corner of the kitchen that is hard to access. Opening the door all the way never actually happens, and so getting in and out can be a real challenge. The days of storing pizza boxes in the fridge are over.
• It’s a pain to clean. Due in part to the location of the unit, this fridge is such a pain to clean. Trying to pull out a glass shelf is practically impossible, and fitting that thing into the sink actually IS impossible, especially MY kitchen sink (another blog post entirely). Plus, one of the drawers never actually comes out at all, which means there is always the danger of some unknown microbe lurking just below my veggie crisper. Not cool.

Here is a photo of a commercial refrigerator in its natural habitat.

Why a Commercial Refrigerator is Awesome

While I was musing on how much I hated my home refrigerator the other day, I thought about how cool it would be to own a commercial refrigerator. These things are top of the line cooling products with just about all the bells and whistles you could imagine. Here are some of the neat features of commercial refrigerators:

• The sleek appearance. Commercial refrigerators are generally finished in sleek stainless steel, which is corrosion resistant, easy to wipe down and looks great in any light.
• The storage capacity. Choose from full-size one-door  reach-ins all the way up to three-door units. If you have a lot of food to store, choose a bigger one. There are even half-door configurations if something like this works better for your operation.
• The adjustable shelves. Almost all commercial refrigerators have adjustable shelves inside, and most are coated in a polyethylene coating that makes the shelves corrosion resistance for super easy cleaning.
• High-tech features. Commercial refrigerators are often manufactured with fancy tech features like digital monitors and displays, door alarms and automatic temperature adjustment systems.

Why a Commercial Refrigerator Belongs in a Commercial Kitchen

Now, there are a lot of great reasons to buy a commercial refrigerator, but putting it in your home is not one of them. Commercial units are simply not designed to work in a home kitchen, and despite all these awesome features, a lot can go wrong.

• Warranty coverage. Commercial equipment usually comes with a warranty, but most warranties aren’t covered if the machine is installed in a residence rather than a true commercial kitchen.
• Electrical set-up. Some refrigerators and freezers require 208-240 voltage, which is more power than typical house kitchens carry.
• Noise issue. Commercial refrigeration equipment can be noisy, since the compressor has more work to do than a normal home refrigerator. Talk about ruining a romantic dinner at home. In a commercial kitchen, this “problem” is barely noticeable.
• No freezer attached. Unless you get a dual temperature unit, commercial refrigerators don’t come with a freezer attached like home refrigerators usually do. Commercial kitchens generally have so much to store that they buy a completely separate freezer unit. But for me, this is a problem if I want to continue buying pints of frozen yogurt now and again.
• No place for artwork. Refrigerators are usually finished in 304 stainless steel, which is not magnetic. I’m not sure I’m ready to say goodbye to all my nifty refrigerator magnets, even with that sleek stainless surface.

Moral of the story? Home users have a lot of great options when it comes to purchasing residential refrigerators, but purchasing commercial equipment is not one of them. These are meant for restaurants, hotels, cafeterias and other commercial-grade locations where their size, power and design will truly fit the bill. Learn more about commercial refrigerators here!

2 Responses to “Why a Commercial Refrigerator Belongs in a Commercial Kitchen”