Things You Should Look for When Buying a Commercial Toaster

Due to the wide variety of bread currently available in the foodservice market, it is required to choose a toaster that provides versatility and the right conditions to prepare any type of bread.

knowing if customers prefer toasted bread on one side or both, and knowing how much toast your kitchen can produce in the busiest time in the morning are important questions that must be answered when choosing a toaster.

The types and food products being toasted, how much space available you have, the volume of your business, speed of service, and amount of labor, are the factors that will determine the type of toasters to choose.

What is a commercial toaster?

A commercial toaster is a kitchen appliance,  used to toast slices of bread in large quantities and less time compared to a traditional toaster. A slice of bread subjected to the action of a toaster is called a toast. Commercial toasters are sturdier and faster than home models. They turn out more than 200 slices of toast per hour.

If a frequent toast service is required in your restaurant’s recipe then a commercial toaster is necessary, there are both electric and gas-powered toasters, but considering the gas-powered types need to be vented, most users prefer electric ones for ease of installation

What is a conveyor toaster?

The two basic types of toasters are batch toasters and conveyor toasters, the conveyor toaster is a high-volume device designed to produce 150 slices or more per hour. Some workers use a conventional conveyor oven for this job since it can bake pizzas, cookies, and so on in addition to making toast.

Food is placed on a conveyor belt at the front of the toaster. Color and doneness are controlled by varying the heat, the conveyor speed, or both. In fact, many operators prefer a single control for both, because it’s difficult to set separate controls to work together. Most conveyor toasters also feature a switch that allows you to turn off one of the heating elements and toast food on one side instead of two.

How do conveyor toasters work?

Bread is placed on a conveyor belt at the front of the toaster. Color and doneness are controlled by changing the heat, the conveyor speed, or both. In fact, many operators prefer a single control for both, because it’s complicated to set separate controls to work collectively.

Most conveyor toasters also feature a switch that allows you to turn off one of the heating elements and toast food on one side instead of two. At the end of the conveyor belt, the food slides from the belt into a chute that empties into a collection tray. The biggest conveyor toasters have multiple belts running side by side, each with its own heating elements and controls.

How heavy is a toaster?

There is a significant difference between the weight of a homemade to a commercial toaster the home toaster weighs up to 3 pounds; the commercial four-slot toaster weighs between 18 and 20 pounds.

What are the different types of toaster conveyors?

There are both horizontal conveyors and vertical conveyors. The horizontal conveyor is the most suitable choice for very high volume: more than 500 slices per hour. It has a slightly wider footprint than the vertical conveyor, but you can stack more than one horizontal conveyor toaster on top of each other and run them simultaneously.

If you’re using a slot toaster in a high-volume operation, you may currently find it difficult to keep up with demands for toasted bread, bagels, or English muffins, so consider upgrading to a conveyor toaster to optimize production and keep your customers satisfied.

Many conveyor toasters are equipped with heated landing areas to keep toast fresh until served and a safe-to-touch exterior to prevent employees from burning themselves. Some units can have rolling butter spreaders mounted on the side to quickly and efficiently butter bread before toasting.

To accommodate items that may require one-or two-sided toasting, most conveyor toasters enable users to customize toasting either the top, the bottom, or both sides of the bread. Conveyor toasters are the ultimate fire-and-forget tool for sandwich-making operations, requiring minimal employee attention so that other tasks can be completed while waiting for toast.

Fitting into any operation, conveyor toasters come in either vertical or horizontal configurations. Vertical toasters are tall and thin, using less counter space, while horizontal units take up more counter space but aren’t as tall, enabling them to be installed beneath cabinets or shelves.

Conveyor toasters are rated by how many slices they can toast per hour. To determine how many slices per hour your operation will need, track how many customers order toast during your busiest hour. This will ensure that you purchase a toaster capable of keeping up with your kitchen’s workload.

for buns and bagels, there are specialty toasters. Bagel toasters are conveyor models, with a higher clearance (two-inch is standard, so these are wider to allow “taller” bagels to pass through). They run higher wattages and have a different pattern of heating elements than standard machines.

The contact bun toaster uses a heated platen to sear the bread quickly and evenly on both sides.  The panini grill is a type of contact toaster. The idea behind these quick-toast appliances is to seal the bread a bit by toasting it so that it doesn’t get soggy when made into a sandwich.

What should I look for when buying a Commercial toaster?

To ensure you select the right unit for your intended application, you should take a look at the belt width and the product opening. How many pieces of bread you can toast at once side by side is determined by the belt width, and a large product opening can accommodate thick products, such as bagels or Texas toast, expanding your menu offerings.

Bread inlet

It is perhaps one of the most important aspects when choosing a toaster for your business. Check if it is easy to place the bread, how many pieces you can place at once and if it has the right size. For example, if you use snacks, the toaster should be at least the width of this type of piece of bread.

Temperature control

Most commercial toasters cannot adjust the temperature. Keep in mind that some commercial toasters only have heat elements on one side, so if you want to toast two sides, such as bread, you should consider it when choosing the model.

Roasting time

Another critical factor in choosing a toaster is how long it takes to be ready to serve. Keep in mind that depending on your clientele during breakfast hours, some will have no more than 10 minutes to have breakfast so at that time you must take the order, process it and enjoy it. Some models have a timer that makes the toast more or less golden depending on the time you put it on.

Toasters with conveyor belt or not?

The first time we see a toaster with a conveyor belt we all want to have one for our bar or cafeteria, they are for heavier work, bigger and have a higher price so you must analyze well if it is what you need in your premises. -commercial, they are very useful in the case of buffet-type services where it is the same customer who makes the toast, for example in hotels, restaurants with many tables, a catering service.

In this type of toaster, the heat elements must be both above and below the conveyor belt. The toast will be more or less made depending on the speed of the conveyor belt that is generally adjustable, or in the case of those that allow temperature control, thanks to its adjustment. Some belt toasters allow you to adjust the temperature of the lower and upper elements independently, being able to toast more side of the bread if you prefer.

In the case of these toasters, if one is not enough for you, some models allow, using an accessory, to place a toaster on another for greater production, also, to save space, some manufacturers offer mounting kits to be able to place it on the wall and not take up workbench space.

Size

As always, when we choose a new equipment for our bar or restaurant, we must consider the space it will occupy in it. Make sure you choose a good supplier of hospitality equipment, in this case, toasters to guarantee quality.

it’s advisable to examine your available counter space, including counter depth and potential overhead shelving, to decide whether a vertical or horizontal toaster would be a better fit. Second, figure out what level of production volume you need. Consider the size of the bread will you be toasting. Ensure proper opening dimensions for your desired product, and purchase a unit that can accommodate two or three slices at once side by side.