Commercial Pizza Prep Fridges

It covers three things at once: food safety, the speed of getting an order out, and the floor space you give up to prep benches.

The main one is speed. Your pizza bases, sauce and toppings are all in one place, so nobody is walking between the fridge, the bench and the cool room. You can keep your ingredients in chilled, separate containers, assemble your pizza and have it in your pizza oven in record timing.

Equally, by having dedicated, enclosed spaces for each ingredient, you can keep things separated more easily, maintaining the hygiene and safety of your ingredients. Clean-up is easier, and the stainless steel benches are hard-wearing yet easy to sanitise between shifts.

By combining both refrigeration and a food preparation area, you can reduce the overall space you need in stainless steel tables and prep zones. You can arrange your setup in a way that makes sense, keeping a designated zone for pizzas, with another separate area for your pasta cooker.

Like regular commercial refrigeration, a commercial pizza fridge has a thermostat that allows you to control and refine the temperature at which you want to hold ingredients.

If you choose a model with top-level storage, you’ll need to chill them first before transferring them to the prep zone. Cool them to 4℃ to 5℃ first, then move them to the trays on the top of your pizza prep fridge.

If you’re a small pizzeria, something as compact as a 735mm wide model from a brand like Polar might be enough space. The best way to calculate what size you need is to first look at how much space you have available in the kitchen, along with what kind of volume of ingredients you need to be able to store.

Even small models can have around 150 litres or more when it comes to capacity, often featuring adjustable shelves and trays, making them versatile to your restaurant's changing needs over time.

Yes, with modern refrigerants and good insulation, commercial pizza refrigerators are energy efficient. What to look for varies, because the designs vary.

Start with the total volume in litres the fridge you’re considering can hold, along with the number and size of individual compartments. You may only need 6 to 8 compartments in total, while other establishments may need 10 or more.

Then the way you reach the food: a lift-up lid or a sliding lid. Both work, and which one suits you is mostly down to how your bench is laid out and which hand is free.

Along with internal storage, consider how large the actual workspace is. You may want a wide, deep countertop, depending on how large your pizzas are and how many you want to put together at any one time.

You should maintain a pizza prep fridge the same way you would any commercial fridge or freezer. If any ice builds up, you’ll need to defrost it again and give it a deep clean with a cloth and sanitiser on the inside. Many have curved corners inside, making wiping them out thoroughly much easier and more efficient.

When it comes to the mechanics of your fridge, checking that the hinges, compartments, and temperature control are working efficiently and effectively is also key. Cleaning on a schedule is what keeps a cabinet working for years rather than for a season.

Before moving your ingredients to their top-level compartments, we recommend chilling them to at least 5℃ first. When the shift is over, your ingredients should be held at 4℃ or less in the main refrigeration area. Make sure you don’t overcrowd your fridge, and keep toppings in separate containers to prevent cross-contamination.

Yes, a pizza preparation refrigerator holds the ingredients for plenty of other menu items. You can use it to store the toppings you need for everything from salads and tacos to quesadillas and sandwiches.

How long one lasts comes down to how hard it is worked and how well it is cleaned rather than to a figure. A prep fridge with condenser coils cleaned on schedule and door seals kept intact will outlast an identical cabinet that is never touched, by a wide margin.

Warranty cover depends on the brand and the model. As a general guide, Thermaster and FED-X cabinets are usually backed for around four years, because FED is the supplier, while Skope, AG Equipment, Polar, Williams and most other brands are generally around two. Treat those as approximate rather than as terms — the warranty that applies to any given unit is stated in its product description, and that is what governs. Check it before you order. Some brands also ask you to register the appliance to activate the cover, so read the terms on the product page and in the manufacturer documentation, and see warranty information and service requests for the process.

The more compartments you have, the more variety you can offer your customers when they’re ordering pizza. Whether you want a variety of cheeses, herbs, different meat options or a broad spectrum of vegetables, the more compartments you have, the more variety your menu gets.

If you want to keep two compartments filled with the same ingredient, you can also have one spare in the fridge itself for when the prep area container runs out. You can then switch the empty container out for the full one while you’re working. That cuts the time spent replenishing ingredients mid-service, and the spare container is already cold.

Yes, you can get custom-made fridges for tight spaces from Skope Refrigeration. They build to the dimensions you give them, with finance available.

You will see pizza fridge, commercial pizza fridge, commercial pizza topping fridge, pizza topping fridge and pizza preparation refrigerator used for the same kind of equipment. The name changes with the supplier and the region, not the job it does. Compare models on capacity, construction and the specification on each product page, and check the full commercial pizza prep fridges range to see every option side by side.