Ever wondered ‘how do they store food in a professional kitchen’? At Venturepak, we know that investing in the right storage solutions makes a massive difference to the bottom line of any business. Below, we explore the three types of food storage that help businesses to keep their valuable ingredients edible, looking delicious and tasting even better for as long as possible!
However, before we explore the three main types of food storage in a commercial kitchen, we first take a look at the various methods of food preservation. By both preserving food and storing it correctly, comestible businesses can dramatically cut down on their running costs and their amount of food waste – what’s not to like?
Common methods of food preservation
There are many different methods of food preservation to help keep your comestibles in good (and most importantly, edible) condition for as long as possible. Without food preservation, a wide range of food would quickly spoil and become inedible, eating into a commercial kitchen’s profits as they would need to replace any rotten or rancid food.
To keep food looking and tasting good, and to help prevent food waste, common methods of food preservation include drying, fermentation, refrigeration and freezing. Some of these food preservation methods are also ways of storing food. To find out more about the three key types of food storage in a commercial kitchen, simply carry on reading.
What are the three types of food storage?
Tired of your food spoiling in a matter of hours? The best way to preserve food is by ensuring it’s suitably stored. There are three main ways of storing food in a commercial kitchen including dry, refrigerated and frozen. To help you identify which methods are right for your commercial kitchen, we explore each one of these three methods in more detail below.
Dry food storage
Firstly, dry food storage includes any food that needs to be stored in an environment without climate control. Typically, this refers to storing food in kitchen cupboards where the temperature is room temperature and no light can reach the contents. Dry food includes canned goods, dried fruits, pasta and rice – staples for many comestible businesses.
Refrigerated food storage
Refrigerated food storage refers to storing foods at a cool, but not freezing, temperature. Refrigerators often come with a temperature dial, but experts recommend keeping the temperature between 3°C and 4°C to prevent the growth of bad bacteria (Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria). The refrigerator is often the ideal place for storing a wide range of fresh meat, cheese, fish, fruits, vegetables and dairy.
Frozen food storage
Similar to refrigerated food, frozen food storage also involves the storing of food in a climate-controlled area except frozen food needs to be stored at a much cooler temperature. Freezers can be set at temperatures anywhere between -16°C to -24°C, with the recommended freezer temperature being -18°C. A variety of poultry and ground meats can be stored in the freezer to retain their freshness for months.
Food safety rules
There are many different food hygiene requirements for business to abide by, set out to ensure the products they provide are safe to eat and won’t result in food poisoning. While these food safety rules won’t guarantee that all businesses serve delicious food, it will help to ensure that their dishes won’t make you ill.
Any successful food business should remember the four C’s: Cleaning, cooking, chilling, and cross-contamination. Chilling, for example, refers to the storage of food. By correctly storing your comestibles in either the cupboard, refrigerator or freezer, you can not only lengthen their lifespan but kill any harmful bacteria in the process.
How do you store food in a professional kitchen?
Ultimately, if you want to store food in a professional kitchen, it requires a lot of organisation and knowledge. As a chef or kitchen manager, you’ll need to know where each type of food should be stored – whether that’s the cupboard at room temperature, the refrigerator to cool or the freezer to freeze. The way in which the food has been preserved must also be taken into consideration in order to ensure it’s stored in the most suitable area. For example, fresh fruit is typically stored in the refrigerator whereas dried fruit is best kept in the cupboard.
Following the same vein, the refrigerator thermometer should also be checked regularly to ensure it stays within the recommended 3°C-4°C, while the freezer should be regularly maintained to reduce breakdowns and downtime. An additional tip for storing food in a commercial kitchen includes investing in durable, clean and air-tight containers. Secure containers help to prevent air from spoiling the food within, keeping the contents safer from harmful bacteria for much longer.
Food packaging with Venturepak
To discover a wide array of protective food packaging for your commercial kitchen, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the knowledgeable team at Venturepak! Priding ourselves on our high standards of customer service, our trusted product range and our ability to provide expert advice and guidance for every customer, you’re sure to find the perfect commercial food packaging solution for your business here.
Based in Merseyside, we’ve created a vast range of high-quality food containers – featuring packaging of all shapes and sizes. From convenient meal prep containers and funfair-suitable plastic buckets to standard round, rectangular and square containers, we have an extensive selection of durable plastic containers for you to explore.
Not to mention, we also give our valued customers the option of branding their containers using in mould labelling (IML) techniques – ideal if you want to build brand awareness and stand out from the crowd! If you’d like a helping hand finding the best commercial food storage containers for your business, then please feel free to reach out to our friendly team!
To speak to a member of the Venturepak team, you can either give us a call on 01744 415111 or send your enquiry via email to sales@venturepak.co.uk. Alternatively, you can also use our handy online contact form to submit your enquiry online. Once we’ve received your enquiry, we’ll ensure a member of our team gets in touch with you shortly to discuss your commercial food storage requirements in more detail!