There are many different types and sizes available, ranging from domestic through to commercial. The comments on this page relate mainly to general purpose cabinets used for dairy goods, cooked meats etc. where a storage temperature of 5C or below is required.

Finishes are generally stainless steel and/or aluminium for commercial and white for semi-commercial down to domestic. We would suggest that if the cabinet is located  in a kitchen then either white or stainless steel is appropriate. If the cabinet is in a damp location e.g. a cellar then avoid white, as it can eventually rust. A stainless steel finish does not always mean that the cabinet is suitable for commercial use (likewise the fact that it may have a digital thermometer).

We would suggest that the most important item is the refrigeration system. Consider the following :-

Is the evaporator (inside the cabinet) fan assisted ?

Is the condenser (outside the cabinet) fan assisted ?

What is the maximum ambient (location) temperature that the cabinet can work in ?

Also :-

Are castors required (remember that there will be times when the cabinet has to be moved for cleaning)

How many shelves are supplied (and do you require Gastronorm sized shelves) ?

Is there sufficient ventilation in your premises?

Is there sufficient height above the cabinet for adequate ventilation ? (If not then consider bottom mounted compressors)

Will it fit in through your doors upon delivery ? (It does happen !)

Is a door lock required ?

Domestic (and many semi-commercial) cabinets are designed for a maximum ambient temperature of around 32C (approx 90F). When the door is opened all cabinets will lose cold air and the internal temperature will rise. The recovery time of many such cabinets after closing the door is around 5 minutes - fine if the location is not too warm and you do not open the door too often.

A commercial cabinet will operate in ambients of up to 43C (approx 110F) and have a recovery time of approx 2 minutes (or less).

When specifying a cabinet temperature, the manufacturer or supplier should always specify the maximum ambient working temperature as well as the normal running temperature.

Consider how hot your kitchen gets in summer and also how often you will open the door at busy times. If you have a semi-commercial cabinet that has a recovery time of 5 minutes and you are opening the door every 2-3 minutes at peak times then you can see that you have a problem!

Please also note that almost all cabinets are designed to hold pre-refrigerated food at a temperature below +5C (lower for meat, fish etc). They will chill down a small amount of food but do not expect to be able to fill the cabinet with ambient temperature food without problems.

There are a couple of exceptions for more specialist cabinets :-

With regard to fresh meat, temperatures should ideally be in the region of 0/-2C. It is important to note that a fan assisted cabinet will circulate the same air all around the inside. Therefore uncooked food should never be kept in the same cabinet as food to be eaten without further cooking unless there is substantial airtight separation. Check with an Environmental Health Officer if at all unsure.

Very little of the above cabinet details apply to a good wet fish cabinet !  If you plan to store wet fish then be aware that a fan assisted cabinet can dry out the fish. Also, salt (and in some cases ammonia) can react with the copper and aluminium used in conventional refrigeration systems causing corrosion. A good wet fish cabinet should (ideally) be stainless steel, have a static internal refrigeration system, corrosion proof drawers with internal scale plates and also a drain at the bottom of the cabinet. The temperature should be approx 0C and, if possible, flaked ice should cover the fish.