Take a look behind the scenes at Auckland’s newly refitted Euro Bar to see the latest refrigeration innovations designed to help save time, money and energy.
By Kathy Ombler
Refrigeration, obviously, was a major consideration when Auckland’s Euro Bar underwent a major refit recently. With the restaurant near doubled in size, it stood to reason the fridge and freezer capacity had to expand to a similar degree.
Head chef Carl Maunder says he is enjoying having so many “new toys” to play with. A major talking point for him is the two new Italian Irinox blast chillers, a brand for which Skope now has sole distribution rights. “Blast chillers have come a long way from what they used to be. The Irinox is great, it is easy-to-use and has a lot of features; for example you can set it for fish or meat or vegetable portions – even for more delicate things, you could blast chill a crème brûlée. We don’t, but it’s one of the things they showed us that could be done.”
“The key is, while products like fresh meats and fish should be delivered to your door at three degrees, more often than not this is not the case. So as soon as that product comes in the door we can blast chill it down to the correct temperature then store it. The faster you can chill down the product the less damage you get.
“So we blast chill the product to the correct temperature, cut it to portions, vacuum pack the portions then blast chill again to reach the correct temperature for storage. You get more life from the product when it’s stored at the correct temperature.”
In the Euro Bar kitchen, new Skope fridges have also been built into the two service lines, with chilled wells recessed on the bench tops, all gastro size for convenience. “This enables us to access directly from the bench top rather than going into the fridge, so we run chowders, soups, truffle pastes, fresh cut herbs, and we can access them without opening and closing the fridges,” says Mauder. “We have three walk in fridges, one each for meat and poultry, fish, vegetables and prepped food.”
Maunder says another major, new refrigeration feature at Euro Bar is the glass-fronted, dry aged-meat cabinet, on display in the restaurant itself. “It is temperature and humidity controlled, set to three degrees. The meat gets to hang and age for three weeks or more, depending on how busy we are. The cabinet is more than two metres wide; it’s a real feature and gets a lot of attention. It’s certainly a real show piece for the restaurant; it’s what Euro Bar is all about.”
But Maunder says the biggest problem with any restaurant refrigeration system is the way it is treated on a daily basis. “If fridge doors are left open or ajar too long, or the fridge is being used to cool hot product, the temperature of the fridge will rise, product will spoil and your condenser/heat exchange will have to work a lot harder.”
Hold that heat – or cold as the case may be. Holding temperature is a major challenge, right across the industry be it a display cabinet in a cafe, fridge in a restaurant kitchen or drinks fridge in a bar. Paul Aston, business development manager for FPG warns some imported cabinets struggle to hold temperatures with the doors open. “If you think about a busy cafe at lunchtime there could be 40 or more customers in an hour and the cabinet door is being opened constantly. Some of these cabinets can hold the food at two to four degrees but as soon as the door is open they struggle. You need to get a guarantee from your supplier – is the cabinet capable of holding the temperature?”
Holding temperature can also be a problem with kitchen fridges if the engine has to work too hard because the compressors are blocked, says Len Baldwin, who has set-up a few kitchens in his time, most recently Wellington’s Tasting Room and General Practitioner and the nationally emerging cantinas, Flying Burrito Brothers. “When buying your kitchen fridge one thing to look for is that the compressor is in an easy place where it can be wiped clean, because in a kitchen they tend to get clogged up with dust and oil, says Baldwin. “So make sure you can get at them easily and brush them clean a few times a year, otherwise the engine has to work too hard and it’s hard to keep the temperature down.”
Bar fridges also have issues with constant opening and closing, says André Kous of Wellington’s Cuckoo Cocktail Emporium. “A common problem with a bar fridge is the sliding door, if you push it too far it knocks the next door along, and you always have to make sure you close them properly so you’re not leaving gaps. On a busy night, when you’re opening and closing constantly, it takes time to make sure the door is closed properly. The best doors have automatic closure.”
Cheaper systems can also cause problems. Refrigeration is a major aspect of your business – so don’t skimp on it. This is the consistent message when talking with restaurateurs, barmen and suppliers on the topic of fridges, freezers, chillers and display cabinets.
“When it comes to refrigeration, you get what you pay for,” says Baldwin. “Some people take a cheap option and they are constantly having problems.” Take hinges, for example: “Chefs spend a lot of time going in and out of the fridges so the hinges need to be strong. Cheap hinges snap really quickly. And you need good quality steel on your fridge, it lasts longer.”
Refrigeration is a huge cost and it’s one of the most important areas of spending, echoes restaurateur Adam Cunningham – who has been involved in some major set-ups, from all the food and beverage outlets when Te Papa Tongarewa, Museum of New Zealand was built through to his busy little Smith the Grocers cafe and catering company in downtown Wellington. “Commercial refrigeration is so much more expensive than domestic, partly because it has to meet a different level of legislative requirement,” he says. “It took me a long time to justify the cost but really it comes down to if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. I’ve learned the hard way.”
Buying second-hand to save costs can work, but be wary, he says. “There is a temptation to go second-hand. If that’s your option make sure you go to a reputable dealer, and get a refrigeration service agent to look at it before you buy.”
When considering chilled display cabinets, you can also make your food look better if you don’t skimp on expense, adds Aston. “The biggest consideration is to ensure the cabinet displays the product in the way you want them to look. Too many people just buy the cheapest cabinet and think the food will look the same. However if you consider the shelf angles and get the lighting and the size right, it makes a big difference. When people have thought about these things their sales go up because the food looks better,” he says.
When it comes to appearance the same applies for a bar fridge, says Kous. “Bars need to consider the level of lighting, some wattage can be too bright, they can help the ambience by dimming it with covers over the bulbs, or using different coloured bulbs to good effect. “Stainless steel fronts, where no-one can see the drinks, are certainly not a good look,” he adds. “People do like to see what’s on offer in the fridge.”
Energy efficiency is the major driver when it comes to new refrigeration technology, says Aston.
“There isn’t any really groundbreaking new equipment coming out but people are looking at refinements, for example, double glazing is becoming almost mandatory, and there are better insulation materials and more efficient compressors now. Less energy waste is probably one of the key things.”
The best innovation, from Baldwin’s point of view, is the ability to build to specification. “There’s no need to buy off the shelf any more. Your walk in chillers, for example, can be built to spec now – let the suppliers come and look at the space you have and get the equipment made onsite.”
If you are buying standard equipment, make sure it fits into your service floor, warns Cunningham. “One of the most important things about creating a service space is making it as efficient as possible, for example if a fridge door opens the wrong way it can become an absolute challenge to service flows. “If you don’t get an architect at least map out the area with a piece of chalk on a car park,” he says. “Measure it and walk it out, you need to see how it’s going to work.”
And for Kous’ wish list? “Ideal bar fridges would have different temperature sections for beer, white wine and bubbly. White wines tend to be kept colder than they should be.”