Catering Equipment Buyers' Guide

Success in catering depends on several factors, including a number of intangibles such as who you know and how well you understand and adapt to your local market. But one thing that always impacts your ultimate success is whether you have the right catering supplies to deliver quality service.

Transporting Food

The first major challenge faced by a caterer is keeping food hot and appetizing between the time it's finished cooking and the moment it's presented to guests. There are many solutions at various levels of cost and complexity; choosing the right catering equipment depends primarily on how long food must be held.

Nonheated Food Carriers

The simplest transportation solutions are nonheated food carriers. They're built with pan slides that accommodate food batches held in standard Gastronorm food pans. They're best for making short trips from the kitchen to the venue, as they keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold for 4 hours at most. Most manufacturers offer hot and cold packs designed for insertion into equipment to extend those holding times.

Nonheated food carriers take two forms. The lightweight, slightly inexpensive solution is the soft-sided food delivery bag. These hold up to half a dozen pans and can be carried manually by one person, making them easy to load, unload, and carry. They're generally much lighter than the more rugged alternatives.

A heavy-duty transportation method is the food carrier, generally made of durable polyethylene. The smallest hold four full-size hotel pans and generally are light enough to be carried by hand. Large carriers can hold twice that number of pans or more. Both sizes can be pushed on dollies and usually are made with vents to exhaust steam, preventing moisture from making your products soggy.

For transporting individual pans, or one layer of several fractional-sized pans, there are top-loading carriers made of the same rugged materials. They're small enough to be carried individually and can be transported on dollies when stacked. Food can be served directly from them, making them an excellent solution when food is plated before served. They're also an ideal option for holding ingredients and trimmings that are assembled at your venue.

Heated Holding Cabinets

Heated holding cabinets are the catering equipment solution that keep food hot for longer than a couple of hours, as well as situations where the box must be opened and closed frequently. They're powered by heating elements and often include a circulating fan to spread the heat evenly. They're typically constructed with a sturdy metal frame that sits on large casters able to traverse varied terrain. They're available in full or half sizes.

Presenting & Serving Food

Chafers

Chafers are the go-to serving solution for buffet-style catered events. They come in a few common shapes and sizes, most of which accommodate standard food pans. The simplest have removable, lift-off covers; others have roll-back covers. The latter come at a higher cost but are tidier and more convenient to use.

Because presentation is key at catered events, chafers come in a number of attractive finishes. Mirrored chrome is by far the most popular. Designs range from classical opulent to modern sleek and simple. This buffet equipment also is available with various gold and brass accents to match your demographics' expectations.

Traditional chafers are heated with canned chafing fuel. Electric heating elements can be purchased as a substitute for fuel, which can be safer and cheaper to operate, but can be tricky to accommodate at venues without plentiful electrical outlets.

Buffet Stands & Risers

As an alternative to serving buffet offerings in chafers, food can be set on buffet stands and risers. This decorative buffet equipment consists of platforms that display individual platters of food and are the most upscale of all display options. There are fuel-heated risers as well as nonheated options. Although installing them might require more labor and time than regular chafers, customers who expect to see them probably will pay a premium.

Serving Utensils

Another class of catering supplies that's almost as important as chafers is serving utensils, including tongs, serving spoons, and ladles. Plastic is the affordable solution, costing just a few dollars or less each, so you can afford for a few to go missing occasionally. If your style dictates it, metal versions are available in the same steel finishes as common flatware.

Buffet Beverage Serving

Insulated Beverage Dispensers

Insulated beverage dispensers are made from the same rugged polyethylene as their food-holding cousins. This design insulates their contents so they maintain their proper serving temperature throughout service. These are available with capacities ranging from under two gallons to nearly a dozen.

There are decorative coffee urns that hold batches of hot drinks large enough to serve dozens of guests. They're available with the same finish as common chafers to match your lineup and are kept hot with the same canned fuel as chafers.

For serving bottled and canned drinks, cooling tubs filled with ice are a classic way to chill and present drinks. They're available in styles ranging from rustic to modern.

Catering-Friendly Drinkware

Modern plastic drinkware mimics the look and clarity of glass very well, without posing the safety hazard or being nearly as heavy as the real thing. They resist the scratching and clouding of past plastics that barred them from suitability for upscale dining. These catering supplies are available in the form of tumblers for soft drinks, tea, and water, as well as stemware appropriate for serving nearly any conceivable cocktail, spirit, or wine.

Demonstration Cooking

Whether you setup a saute station or offer grilled-to-order steaks and burgers, having an on-site chef preparing custom meals for guests adds a special flair to events and provides personalization that's often missing from catered meals.

Induction cooktops are the go-to equipment for mobile cooking. They're relatively lightweight and plenty of models come equipped for regular 120-V power, which you'll have access to at most venues. Because they use no open flame and only generate heat in the actual cooking pan, they're safe for use near crowds in hectic environments.

Butane stoves are the conventional alternative. While they're more cumbersome and not as safe as induction burners, they're the answer to cooking where there's no electricity.

Portable Plumbing

Even for operations on the go, good handwashing practices are critical to the safety of guests and staff. Investing in a mobile sink or a fleet of them provides employees and guests a convenient place to wash their hands wherever your buffet is set up. Mobile sinks don't require running water, but to provide hot water, they must be connected to a power supply. They'll include water reservoirs for holding both fresh water and waste water. Hand soap dispensers and paper towel dispensers are also often built in.