Have you been personally victimized by metal sheet pan racks? Rust, metal shavings and wobbly, corroded wheels are all tell-tale signs that it’s time to fight back. Caitlin Harrison, Food Service Director with Pulaski Schools in Pulaski, Wis., had been using metal sheet pan racks to move product back and forth between buildings at their middle and high schools, which are across the street from each other. When she realized the wheels on their racks were falling off, Harrison started looking for a better option.

“The wheels were the biggest challenge for us. They would rust just with moisture and stuff on the floor or they would get mop pieces in them—not easy to come off either, so we’d have to replace the wheels a lot,” said Harrison.

“We had a kitchen crew at the high school, and they would prepare our main entrée. They would make 800 to 1,000 servings of lasagna, portion it out, put them on our speed racks and then we have a truck with a liftgate. We would roll the racks out onto the truck, move it across the street and then take it off and put them into the meal boxes. Lots of wear and tear on those pieces of equipment.” 

After seeing the rust-free Ultimate Sheet Pan Rack, Harrison decided to give it a try. She quickly noticed the difference in weight and maneuverability in comparison to her previous racks.

“The Ultimate Sheet Pan Racks have been super helpful because they’re so lightweight and easy to push for our staff, because they’re literally taking it from one end of the school to the other. We had to figure out something that was going to be easy enough with all the food and product on there to move back and forth multiple times and they work beautifully. They’re super lightweight, easy to clean; they’re awesome,” said Harrison.

Constructed with the same smooth and durable material as Camshelving Elements® Series, the Ultimate Sheet Pan Rack is extremely easy to maintain. 

“We’ve been very, very happy with the Ultimate Sheet Pan Racks and of all the Cambro stuff that I’ve purchased. I just like the ease of cleaning with it. We have a lot of Camshelving that we have in our storerooms that are super easy to clean, so that was kind of part of the reason I went with Cambro,” said Harrison.

After installing Camshelving in their high school several years ago, Pulaski Schools has slowly been replacing the old shelving in the storerooms of the rest of their schools. One school, for example, installed new Camshelving over Spring Break to replace the old kitchen cabinets that have been there since the building was made.

Although the Ultimate Sheet Pan Racks are currently supporting a different style of meal service than they provided pre-Covid-19, Harrison already has long-term uses for them in mind.

“On any normal day, at our high school we actually do have two different kitchens. We have a prep kitchen and a serving kitchen, so we do have to move product up and down the hallways and they’ve actually been asking for new racks for quite some time, but we just haven’t really had an opportunity to purchase them,” said Harrison. “They got one of these new racks too and they love it. They’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s so great. It’s super easy to push and to clean. There’s not rust on it. The wheels move really easily,’ they were really happy with it too.”

The Ultimate Sheet Pan Rack is available in full size, half size or undercounter models with 3-inch or 1.5-inch spaced rails. Heat-resistant rails accept a sheet pan straight from a 350°F (176˚C) oven and each part is removable and replaceable for a lifetime of service. Contact your Cambro rep today to get started.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: ADRIANA DESIDERIO IS THE DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGER AT CAMBRO.