Salad equipment is used to keep salads cold and fresh in restaurants, hospitals, and other food service areas. There are three types of salad bars: ice-filled, frost top, and air-cooled. When purchasing salad equipment, consider portability and ease of access for customers.
Salad equipment is used to keep salads cold. It is most commonly used in restaurants, hospital dining rooms and other food service areas. Salads can be used for restaurant customers, allowing them to help themselves to food, or in the kitchen, keeping food cold for servers and cooks to prepare. The salad ingredients are fed into the equipment to keep it fresh and free from bacteria. The temperature is kept no higher than 40 degrees F (4.4 degrees C), because bacteria cannot thrive in cold weather.
There are three types of salads. The former looks like a large tub, which is filled with ice. Containers of salad ingredients are placed in ice to keep it cold and fresh. The downside to this type of salad equipment is that it’s expensive to fill with ice a few times a day, to keep the food at the right temperature. If the salad bar is on wheels and not connected to a drain in the floor, emptying the salad bar can be a lot of work.
The second type of salad bar is called a frost top. It has refrigeration pipes running inside, protected by a metal cladding that goes under the food trays, which are suspended several inches above. This is much easier than using ice to keep your food cold and still look great. Refrigeration ensures that food stays cold and there are no drains to worry about.
The most common complaint about this type of salad equipment is that it’s difficult to clean. Any food that falls on the metal coating will freeze and can be difficult to remove. Salad should also be unplugged and thawed often, to reduce ice buildup.
The third type of salad bar, air-cooled, is the most popular and cheapest. It works by blowing air through a refrigeration coil. As the air moves through the coil, it cools and thus keeps the food cold. This is the easiest type of salad equipment to use and to clean.
When restaurant owners are considering purchasing new salad equipment, there are two things to keep in mind. The first is portability. Some restaurants want stationary salad equipment, while others want something that can be easily moved around. Restaurants that don’t offer a salad bar for every meal can choose the portable option.
The second consideration is ease of access. Customers must be able to reach the offered items easily. There are two main options for this. The first is to purchase a salad bar that allows people to travel along the line on one side only; the second is to buy a two-sided salad bar, allowing two lines of customers to reach the food. The second option is more popular with busier restaurants, as it cuts wait times for customers waiting to build their salads.
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