Speed racks are a versatile piece of equipment that many foodservice operations rely on. While they’re designed to transport sheet pans, oftentimes they’re really used for storage.
Jaycee Richter, deli manager at Kowalski’s Market in Excelsior, Minn., had a scenario familiar to most chefs; speed racks were used in their walk-in for prepped and cooling food.
“We were using the [speed] racks, but we weren’t ever taking them out. They were just kind of there to help for storage,” said Richter.
3 Reasons Not to Use Speed Racks in Your Walk-In
- Disrupted Workflow: Look at your walk-in. Are speed racks blocking access to the contents of your shelving? When you’re using speed racks to store food in the middle of the room, chefs will inevitably need to move past the racks to find what they’re looking for, which not only wastes time but can also become very frustrating during busy hours.
- Possible Temperature Loss: If you’re working with a particularly small walk-in, chefs may need to completely move the speed rack out of the room in order to access ingredients or put orders away. When food is exposed to warmer temperatures outside of a cooler, the rate of spoilage increases. This can affect the food’s texture, flavor and overall quality, leading food to be thrown away if it becomes unsafe or unappetizing.
- Wasted Speed Racks: For many chefs, speed racks are a precious commodity that are better served outside of the walk-in. While many speed racks are kept locked up in coolers, we’re sure you’d rather they be free to roam the kitchen.
For Richter, everything changed when she was introduced to the endless possibilities of Camshelving.
“The coating was coming off of the [metal] racking, so it was just time to replace,” said Richter.
Using a foundation of Camshelving® Premium Series, Richter was able to make several changes that were never possible with her previous equipment.
Eliminate Speed Rack Storage
Using the Universal Storage Rack System and the Ultimate Sheet Pan Rack for Single Shelf, Richter is able to store sheet pans and food pans within her shelving instead of outside of it.
“By doing the sheet pan racking, [Cambro] created a lot more space,” said Richter. “We were able to get rid of [the speed racks] and then create more shelving.”
Increase Space
While speed racks decrease space in your walk-in, Camshelving has the power to increase your space with accessories and design.
“I think it’s really cool that you can create that corner and not have the bar there for reach-in space,” said Richter.
Streamline the Cleaning Process
“Cleaning wire shelving” is essentially an oxymoron; anyone who has tried will tell you that it’s nearly impossible. For those that dare to try, it can be an extremely labor intensive process for your staff that takes away from other valuable tasks they could be doing.
“We would have to take everything out of the cooler and pressure wash the shelves and it was just a big process,” said Richter.
Camshelving is designed to be easy to clean, with removable shelf plates that can be wiped with a cloth or run through a dishwasher.
Keep your speed racks in the kitchen and let Camshelving do the heavy lifting in the walk-in.
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AUTHOR: ADRIANA COCHRAN IS THE DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER AT CAMBRO.
