The ultimate food storage guide to holding and transport

Your food is only as good as your ingredients. And, your ingredients are only as good as your supplier, transport and storage. From receiving to delivery, proper food handling is crucial in reducing cross-contamination and keeping your food fresh.

The best ways to keep food safe and fresh during holding and transport

Your choice of containers can help transport or hold your ingredients safely and keep them fresher for longer.

1. Use tight-fitting lids on containers

No matter how smoothly you drive, every food container needs to be secured with a lid before you take it anywhere. A lid reduces the risk of cross-contamination and wasted produce from spills. They also save you time in cleaning your food transport carrier.

Many caterers use disposable food pans. Not only is this short-term fix wasteful, but may look unprofessional. The lids and aluminium trays warp and don’t seal. Food is easily spilt, and food can be contaminated.

Durable GripLids are made from virtually unbreakable Camwear. The GripLid has a moulded-in polyurethane gasket that grips your food pan tightly. You can confidently stack and transport soups and sauces in a food pan with a GripLid. It’s also engineered to seal in freshness, flavour, and quality. The practical, clear top means you can see your food without removing the lid. GripLids are resistant to cold or hot foods, from -40°C to 99°C. They can be washed easily in most commercial dishwashers.

2. Maximise temperature retention

Cambro has a large selection of durable, insulated food carriers perfect for any menu item. From pizza bags to insulated transport units, you can find a food carrier to suit you. They are all designed to be easily washed too, in case there is a spillage.

Most of our insulated transport units hold safe temperatures for at least four hours. But, there are ways to make them last even longer.

• Preheat or prechill your insulated carrier before filling it with food pans or containers. You can do this simply by placing a pan of hot or cold water in your carrier for 20 minutes with the door closed.
• Choose a carrier that’s the right size. The fuller your unit is, the more it retains the temperature.

If the size of your orders vary, we suggest using a ThermoBarrier. The barrier will concentrate hot or cold air to your food when you can’t fill up the unit.

• Add a Camchiller or Camwarmer. Your insulated carrier will naturally lose its ideal temperature if you frequently open and close the door.

For cold foods, freeze your Camchiller overnight and add it to the top of your unit.  It will make your cold food stay colder for longer during service.

You can use a Camwarmer in a similar way. Heat your Camwarmer in a 180°C oven for 45 minutes. But, this time add it to the bottom of your unit.

Both the Camchiller and Camwarmer can effectively help make up for lost temperatures when you’re busy opening and closing your unit.

3. Identify contents

Obviously, the less you open your insulated carrier, the better. Labels can help quickly identify your contents without constantly opening the door, which loses or gains heat.

Colour-coded, plastic ID Labels are available in a range of colours.

The Cambro Ultra Pan Carrier S-Series comes with a handy clip on the front door to hold your menu or any notes you need on what’s inside.

Food storage is more than a storeroom or a container. It’s those in-between times, such as during transport or waiting for the delivery driver. It’s these times that your food storage processes can either work wonders for your business or come unstuck.

Contact Comcater at 1300 309 262 or fill out the form for more information.