How long has it been since you defrosted your chest freezer?
If you’re like most people, it may be hard to remember the last time you completed this task.
However, regular maintenance of all your commercial kitchen equipment – including your chest freezer – is essential to keeping your equipment in good working order.
3 Quick and Easy Tips for Defrosting Your Commercial Chest Freezer
To keep you on the path of proper commercial kitchen equipment maintenance, here are just a few quick and easy tips for defrosting your chest freezer.
1. Reduce and/or Relocate the Food
The first thing you want to do before defrosting your commercial chest freezer is to reduce the amount of food in it. You can do this by transferring the contents to another freezer. Or, you can choose to schedule a defrost during some restaurant down time. Let your food stash dwindle a bit. When re-ordering food, make sure it won’t arrive until after the defrosting process is complete.
2. Defrost the Freezer
Once you’ve removed all the food, you’ll start the defrosting process. Make sure to first check your chest freezer owner’s manual for any instructions specific to the model of freezer that you own.
Figure out how you’re going to drain the melted ice water. Some units have a hose for easy draining. Those that don’t have a hose will need to be placed outside to avoid water damage to your property.
Next, turn off the freezer and open the door. You can add some pots of boiling water or place a fan in front of the freezer to speed up the process if you like.
3. Chill the Freezer Again Before Adding Food
After all the ice is melted, turn on the freezer and close the door. Allow the freezer to chill for 6-8 hours before re-filling it with food.
Keep Your Kitchen in Good Working Order with Regular Commercial Kitchen Equipment Maintenance
Commercial kitchen equipment is a big investment for your business. Make sure to keep it running properly with regular maintenance, like periodically defrosting your chest freezer. Doing so will help you save money on costly repairs and replacements.