It’s the beginning of a new year, and we’ve been busy adding lots of new product ranges to the website; ensuring you have more choice than ever.

This ranges from Refrigerated units such as Gastronorm Refrigeration, Upright Fridges and Freezers, Refrigerated Bars, Counters, Cold Buffet Display Units and more; giving you everything you need to keep raw or prepared foods at the perfect temperatures for your needs.

From Roller Grill we have added new Panini/contact grills, Convection ovens, Plancha grills, Heated or refrigerated Displays, Fryers and units specialised for cooking Bread, Hot Dogs and Pizzas.

UK-Based Lincat produces a wide range of high quality catering equipment, with the majority of it being made in the UK. We’ve recently added some of their Gas Chargrills, Fryers, Griddles, Boiling Tops and Synergy Grills.

New on the scene, Capital Cooling have made a splash with their ranges of refrigerated catering equipment units. We’ve added their chilled and freezer counters, topping wells, gastronorm refrigeration and more.

Blizzard Refrigeration have been known for their quality refrigeration units for a long time; There’s a wide variety of options within their ranges, including sizes, shapes and of course design. There’s sure to be a Blizzard equipment option to suit your specific business aims. We recently added some additional Upright fridges, upright freezers, gastronorm refrigeration units and prep stations.

We’ll be continuing to add new product ranges throughout 2020, ensuring that we have a great deal of choice when it comes to all Catering Equipment.

The post Freshly added Catering Equipment for 2020 appeared first on CS Catering Equipment's Blog.

The countdown to Christmas has begun, and as people put their trees up and start to feel those festive vibes; it’s time for you to join in the celebrations.

We’ve assembled a selection of Christmas essentials; that includes everything from crackers to crockery – everything you need to add some festive cheer to your catering business, restaurant, cafe, coffee shop or bar.

Christmas can be a time to redefine your business for a short but busy period, and so we stock everything you could need to make your guests feel right at home.

Christmas Crackers

They’re a certainty for most Christmas celebrations; The Christmas cracker adds a whole lot of extra fun and festivities to any meal or get-together. View our crackers range

Heated Cabinets & Displays

Keep food warm and serve to customers in style with our various heated cabinets, displays, counters and carvery units.

Set up your own carvery station or prepare and plate food early to save time during busy periods. View our full range of heated cabinets and displays

Cups, Bowls and Platters

It’s well known that presentation is key when it comes to serving food. And we have a wide range of crockery and food serving platters that are ideal for your Christmas offerings.

We even have some items available in festive red colour, as well as in premium finishes like melamine or slate. View our ranges

Christmas Napkins

A table decorated with Christmas napkin can enhance or compliment your already existing tableware options or simply frame the customer dining areas alongside other key table items.

Featuring traditional Christmas designs and simple colours, napkins are often overlooked and underappreciated within many service industry locations. View our full range of napkins

Christmas Critter Cups

These exclusively designed Christmas cups feature a cute design that brings together all your favourite festive critters together in one vibrant illustration.

Double wall insulation means you’ll have an attractive and cutesy cup to serve up some of the finest hot drinks, without worrying about your drink going cold or your hands getting too hot. View our Christmas Critter Cups

Visit our Christmas Catering Shop for the full range

View our Xmas and New Year opening times

The post Getting ready for Christmas at CS Catering Equipment appeared first on CS Catering Equipment's Blog.

When choosing commercial catering equipment, one of the most important factors to consider is the power requirements needed to run said piece of equipment.

When dealing with electricity, there are three possible electrical connections; Standard plug fitting for anything that requires less than 13 amps of power, 1PH (single phase) or 3PH (three phase) for heavy duty applications where the load requirements are much higher. Where it is stated that a piece of equipment requirement is ‘Hardwired’, or ‘1PH’ or ‘3PH’ power, these units need to be installed by a qualified commercial electrician as they need to be wired directly into the electrical supply for the building.

Plug-in items are self-explanatory, and most people use plug-in electrical items in their domestic setting, so here we will look in more depth at the requirements for 1PH and 3PH connections:

Single Phase

As standard, most homes and businesses are fitted with a single phase electrical supply.

At home, most ovens and hobs are hardwired on a single phase supply or fitted with a 16a or 32a socket. This is also the most common supply fitted to a business. If an item is listed as requiring a ‘Single Phase Hardwired’ connection, it needs to be installed by a qualified commercial electrician directly into the electrical board, and cannot be fitted with a standard 3 pin plug.

Top Tip: Single Phase power is sometimes labelled as 1PH or 1N on some products.

Three Phase

A Three Phase supply uses three separate sources of alternating current that are arranged so that the voltage flows in a regular, repeating pattern. This means that the high power needed to run this equipment is shared over three separate connections. These three cables operate at a lower voltage, but when combined offer a much more powerful output.

These three power supplies are balanced, with each phase operating at a different degree – the result being a more stable, balanced load of electricity across the power supply.

Catering equipment that requires a constant, high electrical supply, such as a six-ring oven range often uses a three phase power supply. Electricity is needed to fuel both the oven and hob for extended periods of time, and a 1PH connection simply would not have enough electrical power to run a piece of equipment of this size.

Not all buildings have a three phase supply fitted as standard, and this can be costly to install, so it is always wise to check the connection and costs before you begin.

Top Tip: Three Phase power is sometimes labelled as 3PH or 3N on some products.

Getting the right equipment

It’s crucial to purchase the correct type of equipment to suit your power supply. Some electrical appliances are Multiphase, which means that they can run on either 13A, 1PH or 3PH supply, and just need to be connected in the right configuration. Most appliances, however, will only run on their specified power supply. Be sure to check a product for its power requirement before purchasing to ensure you have equipment that you can connect and use.

Unsure about your power supply?

If you’re unsure about what type of power supply you have, it’s worth seeking advice from a qualified electrician to ensure you have the provisions available for the equipment you need before purchasing.

The post Single and Three Phase Power Explained appeared first on CS Catering Equipment's Blog.

As temperatures start approaching heights of over 30 degrees Celsius this week in parts of the UK, it can be hard to stay cool – we’re just not used to the hot weather here!

Forecasters are saying there’s a “40% chance” that the UK could see its hottest ever recorded temperature this week, which would be exceeding the 38.5C temperature logged in Faversham in August 2003.

With July well underway and August fast approaching, there’s plenty of hot summers days to cool down with a delicious iced slush.

What’s your flavour(s)?

You can decide how many different flavours you’d like to offer with our range of Slush Machines available with 1, 2 or 3 bowls. Each can store a different flavour; giving you multiple options for your customers to choose from. Some customers even like mixing and matching different colours and flavours together.

Slush machines keep the mixture at freezing temperatures, but keep stirring the mixture constantly, preventing it from freezing solid. When dispensed, the drink is a smooth, ice cold concoction which slowly melts, giving the customer plenty of time to enjoy it.

Slush drinks are also a great impulse buy; The sight of the counter-top machine with its bright coloured mixtures is eye-catching and appealing to customers, being a highly visible and vibrant product.

Alcoholic/Adult Slush Drinks

There’s also the option for expanding into adult-only slush drinks, with the addition of spirits or liqueurs, giving the slush drinks a whole new set of flavours and essentially creating new additional products. This may take some experimenting, as too much alcohol could quickly thaw the semi-frozen mixture. Imagine ordering a frozen Margarita or Pina Colada on a day like this!

Also to Consider

Cups and Sizes – It’s worth thinking about which size options you’d like to offer. Perhaps a small, kids sized cup, and a larger adult sized cup might work for your application. We have a range of plastic cups, lids and straws that are ideal for serving this type of product.

Cleaning Procedures – We recommend regularly cleaning your machine, ensuring the drip trays are empty and clean, as well as the taps the slush is dispensed from. It’s also a good idea to drain and clean your machine internally on a regular basis.

Flavours – There’s a huge amount of flavours available, giving you the creativity to choose flavour options that suit your customers and tastes.

We have a range of slush machines to choose from, including machines from Interlevin, Magrini, Valera and Blue Ice. Click here to view our range.

The post Beat the heat with a refreshing Slush Machine appeared first on CS Catering Equipment's Blog.

We stock fry pans from some of the most renowned brands in the catering industry, with big names like Bourgeat, Vogue and de Buyer. This range ensures we have a pan to suit every budget or function.

Within the range of pans available we have suitable options for a range of cooking styles; gas, electric or induction.

Material

There are various materials used in the manufacturing of pans, tailored for cooking certain foods, durability depending on how heavily they are used or for the type of heat they are being used with.

• Stainless Steel – Strong and a great heat conductor – plus it is magnetic so is compatible with induction heat sources as well as all other types of heat.
• Aluminium – A great conductor of heat, as well as being very lightweight – However unsuitable for Induction cooking equipment.
• Ceramic – One of the main benefits is the non-stick characteristics of the ceramic material – as well as heating up quickly.
• Copper – High thermal conduction means the entire pan heats up evenly and consistently – ideal for temperature sensitive foods.
• Mineral B – These are pans made the old fashioned way – and are free from chemical coatings – Manufactured from iron or carbon steel.

Thickness

Different materials (as above) come in different thicknesses to suit the properties of each material. However in general, the thicker the pan; the more durable it is. A thicker pan also retains heat for a lot longer, however it will also take longer to heat up at the start.

Pans can vary from a couple of millimetres thick, up to over 5mm for the thicker pans.

Diameter/Size

Pans are typically measured by their diameter inside of the rim, in centimetres or millimetres. Getting the right size depends on the size and quantities of food you’ll be cooking, as well as the size of your cooktop – it’s a good starting point to match the pan to your appliance.

Handle Type

Deciding which kind of handle to use is a personal preference. A common design of handle on a fry pan is the strip steel style handle, which is essentially a long thin strip that’s usually curved. It allows pans to be stacked tightly together, saving space.

The other type of handle is a tubular handle, which has the benefits of being cooler to touch.

Cooking Surface

Alongside the material of the pan itself, some pans feature additional coatings, such as a non-stick coating made from teflon, ceramic compounds or special multi-layer non stick coatings.

One important point to remember when deciding on a pan, is the type of utensils you intend to use with it. Some non-stick coatings are unsuitable for use with metal utensils; as they can damage the coating over time.

Frying Pan Seasoning

Some types of pans need to be seasoned before use. This is essentially giving the pan a protective, resilient coating for cooking with. This is done by adding enough oil to cover the base of the pan, and then heating the pan until the oil is smoking. Then the oil is wiped around the inside of the pan, coating all of the interior surface.

After this is done, the pan is generally rinsed off without using any soaps or cleaning chemicals.

You can find all of our pans in the cookware section of our website.

The post How to choose the right fry pan for you appeared first on CS Catering Equipment's Blog.

With the unpredictable British weather already starting to heat up, it’s a good time to start planning your summer offerings.

2019 is set to be a hot one, with the UK already experiencing the hottest Easter weekend on record – hitting 25 degrees – it was a scorcher!

Take advantage of the great weather and offer your customers the perfect accompaniment to relaxing summer days. There’s a whole host of options to choose from to get your customers taste buds tingling and your tills ringing!

• Ice Cream

  

  One of the best sweet treats to enjoy in hot weather, there’s various options for dispensing ice cream. From classic soft scoop ice cream display, to a display chest freezers of various sizes, ideal for displaying and selling pre-pack ice cream. It’s a delicious summer essential – everyone loves ice cream!

  We can also supply the necessary accessories, including ice cream cone stands, scoops, dippers and serving pots.

• Barbecues

  Nothing can beat a good summer barbecue. Why not cater for your outdoor clientele by investing in a crowd-pleasing Barbecue offering as an addition to your standard menu. We have a range of options available to suit your needs, from traditional charcoal to high output LPG gas models.

  There’s also a range of BBQ accessories and utensils to help elevate your food offerings to a whole new level.

• Slush

  

  The ultimate way to cool down on a hot day, a frozen slush drink is refreshing, cooling and delicious. Enjoyed year-round, but especially so during the hot summer months – they’re just too tempting!

  Alcoholic slush cocktails are also becoming more and more popular and can take the traditional slush to a new level. Boost sales by adding a couple of slush cocktails to your drink’s menu.

  There’s nothing better than a frozen Pina Colada or Margarita to cool off on a hot day!

  Slush machines are available in various capacities, with single, double and even triple bowl machines. This means you can offer multiple flavours at the same time, giving your customers extra choice.

• Ice

  Ice can come in many forms. Standard ice cube machines that produce a variety of sizes and shapes are available, as well as units specifically designed to produce flaked or nugget ice.

  The traditional crescent or cubed shaped ice is perfect for adding to cold drinks; The cubes melt slowly and therefore don’t overly water-down drinks.

  Flaked or crushed ice is ideal for adding to sweet drinks or cocktails that are usually consumed quickly as it melts at a much faster rate. Flaked ice is also ideal for keeping food and drinks cool when on display; such as fresh meats or fish in a deli counter or bottled drinks in a display.

• Blenders

  

  A commercial blender can give you the flexibility of creating a whole range of drinks for your customers. With one machine, you can offer milkshakes, frozen cocktails, smoothies or blended juices. With the right unit you can crush ice and blend chocolate bars to create fun milkshakes or cocktails as well as softer fruits, juices or ice creams.

  It’s your chance to get inventive and create your own special drinks options, with units available to suit all budgets.

• Cold Drinks

  There’s not much that comes close to the level of refreshment you can get from a cold glass of fresh fruit juice. A cold drinks dispenser allows you to store and refrigerate fruit juice or squash in a visually appealing way.

  Quickly and easily dispense drinks or allow your customers to pour their own.

Are you ready for summer?

Tailor your summer offerings to suit your customers and products, giving them something new to try and get people talking. Take advantage of the weather with new flavours and ideas.

The post Is your business ready for summer? appeared first on CS Catering Equipment's Blog.

Colour coding is a crucial part in preventing cross contamination between different food types, including raw and cooked foods that could cause food poisoning.

Preventing food contamination is an important job that anyone who prepares or cooks food and drinks should always be conscious of.

Utilising the simple idea of colour coding can help your reputation as a business too; as it can benefit things like your food hygiene rating.

In a world of internet and social media, a lower than usual hygiene rating can be shared with your local customer base fast. This is something that can be helped, in part, by keeping organised with a colour coding system.

Where do you begin? A great place to start is knives and cutting boards. Both raw and cooked foods are prepared on cutting boards, including things like raw meat, raw fish, cooked meat, vegetables, bread and dairy products.

Knives and Cutting Boards

The wide variety of types of foods makes cutting boards and knives a risky area where cross-contamination could easily occur. The use of colour coded knives and cutting boards, as well as a suitable wall chart can help your catering team avoid cross contamination. It’s done by only using knives and boards for the food types they are labelled for.

This is also relevant when it comes to catering for a vegetarian diet, vegan diet or people who follow food traditions like Halal or Kosher diets.

Purple colour coded knives and chopping boards are generally used for Gluten free products to prevent cross contamination.

Tongs and Serving Cutlery

Tongs are very handy – ideal for grabbing cold, hot, wet or dry foods and moving them elsewhere. They’re ideal for speeding up the preparation processes or for serving food directly to your customers.

However the ease of use can also be their downfall, as it’s also easy to cross-contaminate foods with a pair of tongs or other serving cutlery. Colour coded tongs can help prevent this occurring.

Food Labelling

Another key aspect of storing food is labelling – ensuring spoiled food is not used and that staff can easily see what kind of food is in a container. Allowing them to see how much shelf life it has left, and when to throw it away.

Utilising colour coded labels helps your team quickly identify the foods that can be used or that need to be thrown away, simply by colour.

It can also be used to ensure that people with allergies or gluten intolerance can be kept safer and make more informed decisions, by ensuring your catering team and customers are fully aware of the contents of food containers. This can be done using handy food allergy labels that make it clear if there are any potential allergens, such as Gluten, Crustaceans, Peanuts and more.

Cleaning Equipment

Another way that bacteria can spread and cause contamination can be through the cleaning equipment you use. Colour coding this equipment can help avoid the transfer of harmful bacteria by simply keeping equipment separated into areas of the building.

For example, having dedicated colour-coded mops, cloths, brushes and spray bottles separated into sections:

• – Green: Food and Bar Use
• – Red: Toilets, Washrooms and Sanitary Areas
• – Blue: General Low Risk Areas

Colour coding your kitchen can help keep your work space organised, clean and hygienic. It’s worth establishing a colour code and rules about how the equipment is used, and how food is stored. Preventing food contamination and food poisoning is a crucial part of your day to day processes.

The post How to colour code your kitchen appeared first on CS Catering Equipment's Blog.

Recently we were treated to some toast, demonstrated by the Roband Sycloid 5RST500A Conveyor Toaster. This product offers a number of useful features that enable toasting up to 500 slices per hour, as well as bun halves up to 30mm thick – all in one sleek and compact unit.

It’s available in a brushed stainless steel finish, as well as red and black versions depending on your tastes or colour scheme. The setting lock feature allows you to use the unit in both regular service and self service; as this prevents the toast setting being altered accidentally or by others.

What do you put on your toast? We had a variety of different toppings for our toast, and once the bread is loaded into the machine, it’s only a brief wait before the perfectly toasted result slides down the chute below.

I’m a lover of a simple strawberry jam, but we also have fans of peanut butter and even just a bit of butter. Clean up is easy, too – the machine uses a removable crumb tray that keeps mess at bay and makes the job much easier. As does the lockable lid, which is easy to unlock and clean the inside too.

Features:

• – Can toast sliced bread up to 30mm thick
• – Also able to toast bun halves up to 30mm thick
• – Designed with “cool to touch” safe external touch temperatures
• – Automatic power saving mode conserves energy during quiet periods
• – Speed controller allows fine tuning of the toasting time
• – Indicator lights keep you informed on the machines status
• – Removable crumb tray makes cleaning quicker and easier
• – LED lighting
• – Hinged and locked lid provides access to the interior for cleaning
• – Available in Brushed Stainless, Red or Black finishes

We had a great time learning about the Sycloid and how it works, as well as the efficiency, safety and benefits it offers to both businesses and customers alike. Due to it’s sleek and modern appearance, it is perfect for front of house service use for breakfast use.

One thing that was also noted was the machines quietness, due to its clever use of cycloid motion to move the toast around the elements in a smooth motion. The simpler design of this mechanism also reduces the most common maintenance issues associated with conventional conveyor toasters using a drive chain system.

If you’re in the market for a new commercial conveyor toaster, this one is worth your consideration. You can view all of our commercial toasters here.

The post Roband Sycloid Toaster Demonstration appeared first on CS Catering Equipment's Blog.

Blenders: Which one’s for me?

Every commercial kitchen needs a blender, but the type of blender required will depend upon your offered menu, and the function you need it to perform.

The individual merits of each type of commercial blender are explained below:

Kitchen blenders have a tall polycarbonate or steel container, which is detachable for easy cleaning, with a tight fitting lid and one blade. Most have a variable speed function to be able to sufficiently deal with a variety of ingredients. With a variable speed setting, you have greater control over the consistency of the end result.

A Kitchen Blender is ideal for creating soups, pesto, pate and smooth sauces as well as some being able to handle frozen ingredients. Commercial Kitchen Blenders are more powerful than their domestic counterparts, with some models having up to a 1500W output, and large capacity jars.

Commercial Kitchen Blenders

Stick Blenders (also known as Immersion Blenders) are a hand held piece of equipment that allow you to pulse large quantities of foods very quickly.

One of the benefits of using a stick blender is that you can use it to blend ingredients in-situ. A pan of soup, curry sauce or potatoes can be easily blended with the correct sized stick blender. Stick blenders can be stored on a wall (with a suitable bracket), or in a store room, freeing up valuable worktop space. Pan brackets are also available for larger models to add stability when processing large volumes of product.

Various attachments are available to increase functionality, including; whisks (to incorporate air into soufflé or to mix creamy mashed potatoes), beaters (to whip heavy cream or egg whites) and ricers (to handle cooked vegetables and fruit). Stick blenders are available in a wide range of sizes. To make sure that you are ordering the correct size for your needs, always make sure that the shaft length of the blender is greater than the vessel with which you will be using it.

Stick Blenders

Bar Blenders are blenders tailored to making cocktails, smoothies and milkshakes. Usually found front of house, they have a more aesthetically pleasing design, with a clear polycarbonate jar for visibility when mixing.

Some models with a larger motor can also crush ice and popular ingredients such as pre-chopped chocolate bars and frozen fruit, giving you additional flexibility to make frozen drinks all year round. Depending upon your level of demand and usage, there are various options available in this range. The key features to look out for are jar capacity, motor output, and features such as ‘pulse’ or ‘slow start’ options for a more refined control of the texture produced.

Jars are detachable for easy cleaning, and additional jars are available to avoid cross contamination of allergens.

Some larger units are also fitted with a sound dampening enclosure to minimise noise output, which is ideal for when ice or solids such as frozen fruit or nuts are being incorporated into the drink.

Bar Blenders and Smoothie Makers

The post What’s the difference between Kitchen, Stick or Bar Blenders? appeared first on CS Catering Equipment's Blog.

Our ‘Caffe in a Box’ area showcases our bespoke counter system, incorporating chilled and heated display units, a panini grill, water boiler and coffee machine, and is an example of the fully bespoke service we can offer to new businesses, or those customers looking to redesign their front of house service counter.

This allows visitors to get hands-on with some of the equipment they might want to test out or that they are considering, in a realistic Coffee Shop layout.

As well as the Caffe in a Box mock-up, we also have various pieces of standalone catering equipment to view, including some of our best-selling ranges of Cooking Equipment, Fridges, Dishwashers, Glasswashers, Ice Machines, Water Boilers, Fryers, Juicers, Dough Mixers, Boiling Tops and more.

We have tried to ensure that we stock an example of each key piece of catering equipment you may need. And it’s not just heavy duty appliances, we also have Ambient Display Boxes for front of house display, Crockery, Cutlery, Racking and Utensils.

Being able to see equipment in person can sometimes help visualise a space, a layout or the type of equipment you should go for, making your decisions easier and more informed.

Our showroom is constantly being updated, and we do offer the option of purchasing ex-display units if you need to take something away that day.

If you are unsure as to the best equipment for your needs, please get in touch with our experienced sales team, who can guide you through the process and ensure you get the most suitable equipment for your requirement and budget.

Whilst our showroom includes a host of our key products, customers are advised to call in advance to confirm that we have specific products on display. Customers are also reminded that many items will be unable to ‘take away’ on the day, so please call to confirm in advance of showroom visits.

Unsure on exactly what you need?

Get in touch with the CS Catering team and we can help: 01977 687 665

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