While cold rooms and freezers of the walk-in variety look superficially alike, especially from the outside, they do very different jobs. Here are some considerations to bear in mind when choosing your cold storage solution.

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Temperature difference

Naturally, a freezer is maintained at a lower temperature than a cold room. Commercial cold rooms function at a temperature of between 0°C and 5°C, rather like a large fridge, while a walk-in freezer freezes everything inside at -40°C.

Freezers are unsuitable for materials and products that are liable to be damaged by sub-zero temperatures and ice crystals. Items that need to be used immediately without defrosting are also inappropriate for this type unsuitable for materials and products that are liable to be damaged by sub-zero temperatures and ice crystals. Items that need to be used immediately without defrosting are also inappropriate for this type of storage.

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Using both storage options

There are many reasons Why restaurants need walk in cold rooms. Walk in cold rooms ensure that products are ready for imminent use without defrosting. This means they are suitable for storing and chilling fresh food, medical supplies and even cadavers in chapels of rest. Meanwhile, walk-in freezers employ considerably lower temperatures to preserve products, materials and biodegradable items.

They greatly prolong the lifespan of pharmaceuticals and food products and prevent the decomposition of laboratory fresh food, medical supplies and even cadavers in chapels of rest. Meanwhile, walk in freezers employ considerably lower temperatures to preserve products, materials and biodegradable items. They greatly prolong the lifespan of pharmaceuticals and food products and prevent the decomposition of laboratory specimens and cadavers in morgues. The freezing temperatures prevent microbes from multiplying and prevent decomposition.

Storage space compared

While their temperature varies, walk in freezers and cold rooms have similar amounts of storage space, despite the presence of the freezers’ more powerful cooling units.

Options to enhance your storage area include space-efficient shelf units. You can ask your retailer for extra storage options to maximise the space available in your cold room or freezer. If you are smart with your chiller storage system, it should be possible to organise your wares in such a way as to make it easy to locate include space-efficient shelf units. You can ask your retailer for extra storage options to maximise the space available in your cold room or freezer. If you are smart with your chiller storage system, it should be possible to organise your wares in such a way as to make it easy to locate items, monitor levels and rotate stock. This will save you and your staff time and effort.

An article in The Caterer investigates the pros and cons of the cold room.

Safety

Secure storage is important for some pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, which may be the prey of thieves or could be accidentally contaminated. Your retailer should be able to offer you safety solutions, including identity authentication systems such as fa fingerprint or even retina scanners. Secure locking systems and time-delay locks are also available.