Choosing the Right Commercial Dishwasher Racks
Restaurant dishwasher racks come in various sizes, shapes, and styles, each designed to serve a specific purpose. However, they can all look very similar from the outside, especially when all you have is a picture on a web page. So what do all these dishwasher rack types really do for you?
- Peg dish racks enable you to stand up bowls, trays, lids, and other tableware to help them get clean and dry.
- Compartment glass racks have separate compartments to hold glasses and other fragile pieces that might be susceptible to breaking in a dishwasher.
- Open racks are the simplest option and can be used with any type, but they don't provide supports to keep tableware upright.
- Flatware baskets hold large amounts of flatware upright to get them clean and dry as fast as possible, but they won't work with larger pieces.
These are rough and quick definitions of the different types, so we'll go more in depth below to help you find the exact dishwasher rack type for your needs while looking at what the best material is for dishwasher racks.
Breaking Down Dishwasher Rack Types
Restaurants and other commercial foodservice operations will likely need multiple types of commercial dishwasher racks to keep up with the demand for sanitized tableware. While you could use an open rack for everything, the inability to sit pieces upright severely limits the rack's usefulness in cleaning plates and cups. Stacking items on top of each other lessens each piece's exposure to the soap and heat (or chemicals) that'll sanitize them. Using the correct dishwasher rack type is a vital step in getting all of your tableware clean and sanitized, preventing contamination and illness for your customers.
Dish racks come in full and half size, with full-size racks measuring 193⁄4 inches by 193⁄4 inches, and the half-size racks are 10 inches by 193⁄4 inches. Most full-size commercial dishwashers work with full-size dish racks, while most smaller dishwashers work with the half size. Consult the literature on your exact dishwasher model to learn which size dish rack your dishwasher accepts.
Do I need peg dish racks?
Peg dish racks are the best choice for plates, bowls, trays, and lids, as well as any other item that won't fit into a compartment dish rack. Almost every type of foodservice establishment will need peg dish racks. Without them, you'd have to lay your plates flat on top of one another, blocking the sanitizing agent from reaching the entirety of the plate. Peg dish racks come in different styles, each of which makes them better for certain commonly washed items. Many are listed as sheet pan racks, which have gaps between the pegs large enough to fit a standard sheet pan. Others are made for plates, and these often have a specific plate capacity listed on their product specification page.
Do I need compartment dish racks?
Compartment dish racks are used almost exclusively for drinking glasses. Every type of drinking glass, from plastic to stemmed wine glasses, can be sanitized in a compartment dish rack of sufficient height without the risk of breakage. This is the primary benefit of a compartment dish rack; each piece is separated from the other pieces by a plastic wall, which means your glasses can't smash together and break in the dishwasher. Compartment glass racks come in different heights, so make sure you find one tall enough to contain your tallest common glassware. Each rack will list how many compartments it has on the specifications page, so you can get a good understanding of how many racks you'll need and how many cycles it might take to get all your dishes clean.
Do I need open dish racks?
Open dish racks are a catch-all product that helps you wash dishes that won't fit in other racks. Overly large pots and pans can fit in an open dish rack, as well as irregularly shaped centerpieces or serving items. Open dish racks can also host flatware alongside these irregular pieces, making them the most versatile unit of the bunch. However, they're usually the least efficient dishwasher rack type. Because there are no pegs or compartments, you can't stand dishes up in an open dish rack, which means you can't stack too many pieces on the rack or they'll block the sanitizing element. This means you'll wash far fewer dishes at a time in an open dish rack; that's the tradeoff for the improved flexibility.
Do I need flatware basket racks?
These are similar to glass compartment racks, but they're shaped to hold large quantities of flatware rather than individual drinking glasses. A good flatware cylinder rack can hold huge quantities of flatware, meaning you don't have to run multiple loads of flatware through to have enough to serve your guests. Like a peg rack, the purpose of this rack is to hold flatware upright so the sanitizing water can hit every side, thoroughly sanitizing each item. Every dishwashing operation will need either a flatware basket rack or an open dish rack to have a good way of running flatware through the dishwasher.
What Is the Best Material for Dishwasher Racks?
Composite plastics are by far the most common material used in commercial dishwasher racks because they can withstand the heat and turbulence of a commercial dishwasher and won't corrode or rust like metal options might. Plastic is also lighter than most metal options would be, which is important since you'll be loading the dishwasher rack with heavy ceramic or metal dinnerware. A light, sturdy rack can help you sanitize all of your dinnerware without making it unwieldy.
The specifics of the plastic used will vary depending on which company manufactures the restaurant dishwasher racks. Most manufacturers use a proprietary plastic made to withstand the conditions of a commercial dishwasher, and the individual product specifications pages will have more information about the type of plastic used.
