Commercial steam tables will help to make things go a lot smoother in your food service establishment by keeping the food warm and helping your kitchen to function more efficiently. You will find steam tables in many food preparation providers such as food trucks, catering service and restaurants to make sure that the food they are serving is hot prior to selling it to a customer. Most of the time they are hidden away in the kitchen, but if you have ever been to an all you can eat buffet or cafeteria, then you have seen these compartment steamers before.
They are typically made of galvanized steel or stainless steel; they have several different compartments that when filled with water will keep the food pans hot by using warm water and steam. You should never use steam tables to heat, cold food, it is designed to only maintain already heated food and it keeps food at 140 degrees to help with preventing food borne illnesses and bacterial growth.
Here are some different types of steam tables
Portable steam tables – these are mostly used by hot dog vendors, street food cart vendors, food trucks or other mobile catering services, because they are smaller in size, but function the same way as a permanent steam table and they can stay warm either by using a portable alcohol gel or electricity. They are also known as chafing dishes.
Stationary steam tables – These are mostly used in buffets, cafeterias and restaurants. They are either powered by electricity or gas and you can find them in different variations, from a 3 pan to a 6 pan model. The standard sizes of the wells for steam tables are about 12 by 20 inches.
Customizable – you can customize your commercial food table by purchasing accessories such as workspace add-ons, cutting boards, trash chutes and shelving.
Here are some typical steam table repair problems:
Heating elements burning out on a regular basis – this is usually caused by not having enough water in the wells during operations, so you may want to set up a schedule that will remind you staff when they should put additional water into the wells. Another thing that could cause this repair problem is if you have a bent pan, that is allowing the steam to escape quicker than normal, you can either buy new pans or fix the existing pans to solve this problem.
The steam table is not maintaining the right temperature – either you have a bad temperature sensor or a bad heating element. Whenever you have a temperature problem you need to call a steam table repair company immediately as you don’t want to put your customers at risk of getting some type of foodborne illness that can be caused from not storing foods at the right temperature.
Why you need the best steam table repairs?
- A highly trained steam table repairman will help you to maintain the warranty on your food service equipment.
- To make sure you stay compliant with state and federal code requirements.
- Steam table repair service will make your food service table last longer, use less energy, function more efficiently and house fewer bacteria.
- Regular steam table service will help to minimize the risk of foodborne illnesses.
Our steam table repairs include changing the following:
- Accessories
- False buttons
- Adapter plates
- Replacement pans
- Valves
- Water sensors
- Temperature probes
- Heating elements