Prep Cart
Prep carts are an easy way for commercial kitchens to improve their workflow by creating additional workspaces that can keep knives, cutting boards, and food pans organized. Casters are standard on many of these units, providing operators with a versatile and mobile solution.
Common Questions About Prep Carts
What are prep carts used for?
Prep carts are designed to be used as an additional workspace in commercial kitchens. These units are often available with casters, so they can be wheeled in when needed and then put in storage when staff are finished prepping. Prep carts can be used to prepare vegetables, raw meat, or seafood and are spacious enough for chefs to chop, cut, dice, peel, and slice any ingredient in your kitchen.
What features come on prep carts?
Food prep carts include a number of standard and optional features that enable chefs to customize the workflow of their individual station, keep necessary tools and supplies within arm's reach, and adhere to food safety recommendations and HACCP protocols to prevent cross-contamination.
Prep carts do not come standard with a built-in cutting board, but they can accommodate cutting boards that are already in a commercial kitchen. This means operators can swap out cutting boards between ingredients and quickly ready the station for the next task. Cutting boards, knives, towels, and other tools can be kept in built-in storage compartments, usually found on the side of the unit. Solid or wire shelves can be used to store food pans, containers, and other items chefs may need during prep work.
Because these stations will be used by different employees throughout the day, some models can adjust to different heights to ensure the workspace is comfortable and ergonomic. Casters that are included with these carts can be locked to ensure the unit does not shift when it is in use.
What is the difference between a food prep cart and a work table?
Although they serve a similar purpose – to create functional workspaces in commercial kitchens –prep carts are modular and mobile, while work tables are usually permanently installed and do not always include storage space. You may find food prep carts in commissaries, hotels, schools, catering businesses, and other foodservice operations where high-volume food prep tasks must be completed quickly and efficiently.