Having gone to any catering establishment for a snack, you will surely choose your favorite dish through a special glass showcase. It is from her that you will be served the selected rolls, cutlets, pies and other goodies.
Thermal showcases are an integral part of fast foods, restaurants, cafes, canteens, buffets and trading floors. Customers have long been accustomed to such equipment and do not think at all about how important these display cabinets are for ready-made meals and warm-served foods.
Let's try to figure out for what purposes a heat showcase may be needed, what types are found and what to look for when buying this kind of equipment.
Purpose and functions
Despite the apparent simplicity, such equipment has many functions. The main purpose of the heat showcases is the demonstration and storage of freshly prepared dishes and finished products: side dishes, chicken, warm salads, etc. In addition, fresh baked goods are displayed on such equipment: rolls, pies and other culinary products. In a thermal bakery display case, the products remain hot for a rather long time and maintain a pleasant appearance.
Such equipment is indispensable in catering establishments. Upon purchase, the customer immediately receives a fresh and hot dish. Moreover, the seller can not only beautifully decompose the products, but also demonstrate to the buyer some remarkable advantages of the goods. These showcases are glass, which allows you to consider the product of interest to the client from all sides.
Types of equipment
All available equipment can be divided into several types, where the following parameters are considered a critical indicator:
- appearance and design;
- maintaining a certain level of humidity and temperature;
- dimensions of equipment and type of placement.
Whatever dish you take, it requires some special storage conditions. Based on what kind of microclimate is created in a heat showcase, they can be divided into two types - dry and wet.
Dry equipment is designed for products with a long shelf life. This includes, for example, products cooked in deep fat or in an oven (display cases for grills or burgers). In this case, the products are heated with the help of heating elements, where the heated air evenly disperses along the entire perimeter of the display case.
Wet equipment allows not only quickly warming up the dish, but also storing meat products. The design provides for the presence of a special tank to create a greenhouse effect, as well as all kinds of sensors for monitoring the internal environment.
In addition, depending on the form, the purpose of the equipment also changes:
- single-tier - for small fast food points and buffets;
- two-tier - for dining rooms, cafes and bars (the most popular form);
- multi-tiered - for restaurants, large shops and culinary.
It is also worth noting the difference in the type of equipment location:
- tabletop - can be seen in most food services;
- floor - large dimensions, as well as the accommodated volume, suggest the use in large points of nutrition, cooking;
- specific - for some particular types of products, for example, desktop thermal showcases for pizza or grill, that is, additionally equipped with some grills, skewers, shelves or pallets.
The most popular type of equipment is desktop, because with their small dimensions they have enough space and are most open to customers.
Equipment orientation
And the last distinguishing parameter is orientation. There are only two types - horizontal and vertical. The former have the usual direct glazing or curved glass in the shape of a dome. The second are more like glass refrigerators, where everything is distributed on shelves and compartments. A striking example of vertical equipment is thermal display cases for popcorn and other bulk food products.
Difficulty choosing
Equipment of this plan is produced by companies producing refrigeration equipment, as well as enterprises engaged in the sale of equipment and equipping public catering facilities and kitchens. Before buying this kind of equipment, it is necessary to take into account the following factors and features of shop windows:
- The optimal temperature for storage of finished products is + 50 / + 70 ° С.
- Equipment must be assembled from quality material. Water vapor constantly affects the structure, so the windows must be chosen with tempered glass and stainless steel, that is, from corrosion-resistant materials, and not from plastic and galvanized.
- Maintenance of the equipment involves daily washing, which means that it is necessary to exclude windows with hard-to-reach places or crevices where food pieces often remain.
- The accessibility of the display case for customers and its openness implies intensive use, so the increased strength and durability of the structure will clearly not be superfluous.
- Be sure to take into account the location of the display case, because it directly depends on what dimensions and shapes will become optimal.
- It will be useful to take into account the purchasing power in the place where the equipment is planned to be installed (a large and beautiful showcase is completely useless where there are few people).
- If the trading assortment includes strongly smelling dishes, it is better to get smaller ones instead of one large showcase (so that the products do not “swear” with each other).
- Based on the type of product, you can look at equipment with special lighting (fluorescent, halogen, LED), which would significantly emphasize the presentation of the products.
- Ergonomic equipment is not the last factor to consider when buying. Fast customer service stems from the created comfortable conditions for the seller.
Most developed countries of the world are represented on this market: Asia, Western Europe, the United States and Russia. Every brand and manufacturer has both disadvantages and advantages.
Europe
For example, the Roller Grill range of French thermal display cases does an excellent job of heating buns, pizza, pies and chicken. The equipment is made of high-quality stainless steel, and the unit itself significantly saves electricity. The technique is literally good in everything, but it is very expensive.
China
If we talk about manufacturers from the Middle Kingdom, here Convito thermal showcases are considered the clear leaders of the segment. The rulers performed well in storing freshly prepared dishes in bars, cafes and fast foods.
Russia
Among the domestic equipment, one can note very high-quality Sakura thermal display cases from the VES NN company in Nizhny Novgorod. The rulers distinguished themselves not only by their quality component, but by a quite affordable price tag. In the assortment of the company you can find both floor-mounted thermal showcases and desktop ones. In general, domestic products are only slightly inferior to their Western counterparts, and, despite some shortcomings, it has one very tangible plus - affordable and inexpensive after-sales service. And for many entrepreneurs, this moment is a critical argument for the purchase.
Next, we consider several interesting offers from different manufacturers, whose products are in enviable demand and are of high quality in many important ways for this segment.
Sakura Term (Atesy)
This tabletop display case will be an excellent assistant for those who are limited in retail space, but need competent storage and display of their products. The equipment can be called economical (power 0.5 kW) and moderately universal. The available dimensions (1200 x 410 x 250 mm) allow you to install the showcase in almost any place, and also, if necessary, move it (weight only 32 kg).
The equipment maintains the temperature regime well, and the products on the counter will always be hot (up to 70 degrees). The backlight does not dazzle and allows customers to examine the exhibited products in more detail.
Estimated price - about 23,000 rubles.
DH 827
Another desktop option, but from the Middle Kingdom. The showcase copes with the storage of warm buns, pies, pizza and other similar products. Unlike the previous respondent, this model is a little gluttonous (0.8 kW), but has more flexible temperature conditions - from +20 to +80 degrees.
In addition, the design provides an intelligent thermostat for precise temperature control and a high-quality tray for humidification. Dimensions (660 x 460 x 610 mm) and low weight (30 kg) are more than acceptable for small cafes and fast foods, and a competent frame will allow you to squeeze the most out of the available space.
Estimated cost - about 8000 rubles.
VTN-70
This is a domestic showcase native to Cheboksary. The model (2.27 kW) was distinguished by its simplicity of design and high-quality materials (stainless steel). Moreover, the equipment received sensible heating elements for dry German-made work (Triatherm), which allowed to significantly increase the operational life of the equipment.
The showcase is not light (85 kg), so it is better to take care of the place of her work in advance. Dimensions (1120 x 30 x 670 mm) and interior decoration allow the most efficient use of equipment for the best display of goods, and sliding doors give easy access to products. In addition, this model is almost perfect in maintenance - it is quickly cleaned and absolutely not picky about detergents, thanks to construction materials.
Estimated price - about 40,000 rubles.
Alto Shaam ITM2-48 / STD
The American brand Alto-Shaam is a recognized world leader in the production of equipment for trade. The cost of the company's thermal equipment starts at 200 thousand rubles and ends somewhere at the turn of one and a half million. The equipment of the brand is bought by serious enterprises: venerable fast food organizations, restaurants, fashionable cafes and other noble food outlets. The Alto-Shaam equipment is characterized by excellent work, expensive and high-quality structural materials, as well as a long service life.
The ITM2-48 / STD model is an island-type thermal showcase, i.e. mobile. The equipment is equipped with a Halo Heat system, which allows heating products in the work area as evenly as possible while maintaining their natural moisture for a long time, without adding water and other vapors. This moment allows you to avoid the formation of condensation on the glass.
Model Features
The showcase works in a wide temperature range - from 0 to +90 degrees. The design has convenient sliding doors and sensible lighting. A detailed, and most importantly, an understandable control panel will allow fine-tuning of equipment for any type of product.
The case and the frame of the display case are made of high-quality stainless steel, and the absence of any backlashes and gaps, coupled with magnetic gaskets, will maintain the desired temperature without microclimate fluctuations. Due to its versatility (adjustable height and average dimensions - 1219 x 719 x 1536 mm), the model can be easily integrated into other display cases for the formation of a shopping range.
In addition, the equipment was distinguished by low energy consumption - only 1.3 kW, and good capacity - 16 kg or 12 trays with chickens.As for the maintenance, there are no problems with this either: the working area is easy to clean, and the individual elements have the simplest design without pits and crevices.
The show-window will perfectly fit into any point of public catering and will serve uninterruptedly for many years (with proper care). Naturally, the service centers of the brand are a rarity on our territory, but they, in fact, are not needed, because this equipment is extremely rare to fail.
Estimated cost - about 400 000 rubles.
