Toaster Buying Guide
When looking at toasters, you will notice that there are two basic types. These are the pop-up
and the conveyor types of toasters.
Pop-Up Toasters
Pop-up toasters work in much the same way as the ones found in most homes.
However, commercial pop-up toasters are built to have a higher capacity and to last much
longer than their domestic counterparts. One advantage of the pop-up toaster is that it is
very compact and will take up little counter space. They are also less expensive than conveyor toasters. Among pop-up toasters there is a wide spread in pricing, depending on how well the unit is built.
Pop-up toasters are limited in the fact that they are designed for small operations where their maximum capacity of 200-300 slices per hour
is sufficient. If your needs approach these numbers, you would be best off to consider only the heavier duty pop-up units. The lighter
duty, less expensive models are not sufficient for this volume of production. Bagels, buns, sub rolls and croissants will not fit into most
pop-up toasters, so you are basically limited to toasting bread. If you are only going to be
toasting bread and will never need more than 300 slices in an hour, the pop-up toaster may
well be your best choice.
Conveyer Toasters
Conveyer toasters are intended for high-rate continuous production. With
horizontal conveyor toasters, the kind we sell, the product to be toasted is placed on the conveyor at the front of the unit. At the end of
the conveyor the toasted product slides down a chute to a collection tray at the front. There are five production capacity ranges for
conveyor toasters which we carry, 350
slices an hour , 450
slices an hour , 600 slices an hour , 800 slices an hour and 950 slices an hour . These units will accommodate a variety
of products from bagels and English muffins to buns and specialty bread products. It would be good to see what the product opening measures
when making your selection, as it will vary from model to model. Product openings on our units range from 1.5" to 3".
Which is Best for You?
You should ask yourself the following questions when deciding which toaster is the best
one for your operation: What is the maximum number of slices that will be needed during any given period of time? Will space requirements
determine the positioning and size of the toaster? Will staff be producing a number of different
products using this toaster? How many hours per day will the unit be in operation? What are the
electrical requirements of the new toaster?
As you can see, even with an operation as simple as toasting there are many considerations to make in choosing the right unit
for you. Hopefully this guide will help you to narrow down your search.
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