Coolers and freezers are two of the most important things your restaurant should maximise to effectively store a wide variety of food products and drinks. Through these cold storage units, you can effectively protect your items from contamination and spoilage. You can likewise prevent them from losing their nutrients and their other qualities.
Of course, these units can only run well if you will be inspecting, cleaning, and maintaining them regularly. Inspecting their internal components, for instance, can pinpoint any issues that may compromise their functionality. Cleaning, alternatively, can ensure that any microbes and dirty elements will be eradicated on their surfaces. Maintenance, ultimately, can make sure that their parts and components will run based on their intended functions.
Well-serviced coolers and freezers, however, may not still provide you with quality food products if you will be storing them improperly. Here are some food storage mistakes that can easily ruin the performance of your coolers and freezers.
- Overfilling Your Storage Unit
One of the most notable food storage mistakes that can ruin your coolers and freezers is overfilling them with foods and drinks. The storage capacity of your coolers and freezers may be huge. However, they must be filled moderately to ensure that their cooling components can still provide quality air to all the stored products. Overfilling them will only decrease airflow, which allows bacteria among food products to multiply and spread.
- Mixing Random Food Products
Another food storage mistake that can ruin the performance of your cold storage units is mixing random food products. The storage temperature of food products may vary depending on their overall composition. Some may already be stored at room temperature, while others need to stay frozen before they can slow down their spoilage. Mixing fruits with vegetables can sometimes spoil the latter as the former can produce gases in the surroundings. Mixing cooked and raw foods is also erroneous since they will only end up contaminating each other.
- Neglecting Expiration Dates
Most food products can only be consumed for a specific amount of time. Hence, they are often provided with expiration dates to let the users know the duration of the product’s freshness. Now, neglecting the expiration dates of your products can lead to food storage mistakes since once they have become spoiled, they can negatively affect nearby products. Discarding any expired products out of your coolers and freezers is the best way to prevent storage issues.
- Storing at the Incorrect Temp
One more food storage mistake that can affect the performance of your coolers and freezers negatively is storing food products at incorrect temperatures. Many food products and drinks that you may be offering to your customers require to be stored at certain temperatures. Failure to store them optimally will only expose them to faster spoilage. Storing them at the wrong temperatures can also attract bacteria to grow and spread inside your coolers and freezers. Investing in cold storage units that are intended for specific products can resolve this problem.
P&R Commercial Refrigeration specializes in refrigeration services for a wide range of industries. For all your coolroom and freezer needs, you can contact us at P&R Commercial Refrigeration.
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