Reach-In Refrigerator Buying Guide: Doors, Sizes and Compressors

Start with what you store and where it will stand

A reach-in refrigerator or freezer is the upright, full-height cabinet most kitchens use for backup stock: proteins, dairy, prepped sauces and anything that does not fit in the line's prep tables. The right unit depends less on finish or features than on two things: the volume and shape of what you store, and the conditions in the spot where it will run.

Before looking at models, list what goes inside on your busiest day. Count full-size hotel pans, sheet trays, milk crates and cases, and note anything tall, such as stock pots or bulk containers. That list tells you how many shelves you need and whether pan slides would serve you better than wire shelving.

Then look at the spot. A reach-in beside a fryer bank or under a hot ceiling works harder than one in a cool corridor, and a unit wedged into an alcove with no air space around it can struggle to hold temperature at all.

One, two or three sections: sizing by cubic feet

Reach-ins are sold by the number of door sections and by interior volume in cubic feet. Figures vary by manufacturer, but single-section units commonly fall around 20 to 30 cubic feet, two-section units around 40 to 55 and three-section units around 65 to 75, with narrow and extra-wide models outside those ranges. Width grows with each section, so the floor space you have often decides the section count before the menu does.

Rated cubic feet describes the cabinet's interior volume, not what you can load. Shelves, pan slides and the air gaps that keep cold air moving all take a share, so plan from your list of pans and cases rather than from the headline number.

• Full doors give one large opening per section and fewer gaskets to maintain.
• Half doors split each section into upper and lower compartments, so less cold air spills out when staff open one; they suit busy lines that grab small quantities often.
• Pan slides, sometimes called universal tray slides, hold sheet pans or hotel pans on runners and suit bakeries and prep-heavy kitchens; wire shelves suit cases and mixed containers.
• Refrigerator-freezer combinations put a refrigerated section and a frozen section in one cabinet, which saves floor space in a small kitchen.

Solid doors or glass doors

Solid doors are the default for back-of-house storage. Foamed-in insulation holds temperature better than glass, recovers faster after a door opening and keeps a cluttered interior out of sight in an open kitchen.

Glass doors let staff find product without opening the door, which can cut door-open time on a busy line, and they let customers see stock in a front-of-house or grab-and-go setting. The trade-off is heat: glass usually lets in more heat than a foamed door and most glass-door units add interior lighting, so a glass-door unit generally works harder in the same room.

Glass-door merchandisers built for retail display are a related category. They are designed around product visibility and lighting, and some are meant for the cooler air of a retail floor rather than a hot kitchen, so check the manufacturer's rated ambient temperature before putting one near a cooking line.

Top-mount or bottom-mount compressor

The compressor and condenser sit either on top of the cabinet or underneath it. Neither is better in every kitchen; the choice depends on the air around the unit and on how you use the bottom shelf.

• Bottom-mount: draws cooler air from near the floor, which helps in hot kitchens, and raises the lowest shelf to a more comfortable height. It also draws in floor dust, flour and grease, so the condenser needs more frequent cleaning.
• Top-mount: keeps the condenser away from floor debris and gives more usable interior space at the bottom of the cabinet. It breathes the warmest air in the room, which near a hot line or under a low ceiling means it works harder.
• Service access: a bottom-mount condenser is usually easier to reach for cleaning; a top-mount unit may need a step stool, and it needs clear space above it for air.

Pass-thru, roll-in and other configurations

Beyond the standard reach-in, a few configurations solve specific layout problems. Match the configuration to how food moves through the kitchen, not only to the space on the floor plan.

• Pass-thru units have doors on both sides, so the kitchen loads from the back and servers or a salad station take from the front. They suit banquet kitchens, cafeterias and any layout where the cabinet sits in a wall or divider.
• Roll-in units take a loaded pan rack straight in through a full-height door, which suits catering and institutional kitchens that portion onto racks.
• Roll-thru units combine the two, with doors on both sides for rack traffic.
• Undercounter and worktop refrigerators are the low-profile alternative when the space is under a counter rather than against a wall; the prep table guide covers them.

Power, clearance and the room it runs in

Many one- and two-section reach-ins plug into a standard 115-volt receptacle, but some larger or freezer models need a 20-amp receptacle, a dedicated circuit or 208-230 volt power. Read the plug type and amperage on the spec sheet, and have an electrician confirm the circuit before delivery day.

Every self-contained unit rejects heat into the room through its condenser. The manufacturer's installation manual lists the clearance needed at the top, sides and back, and ignoring it is a common reason a new unit runs constantly and still reads warm. Keep reach-ins out of the path of fryer and oven exhaust where you can.

Many newer units use hydrocarbon refrigerants such as R290, which should be serviced by a technician trained to work with them. If running cost matters, look for ENERGY STAR certified models, which have to meet tighter energy-use limits than standard models of the same type. For inspections, look for a sanitation certification such as NSF and a Canadian electrical certification mark such as CSA, cUL or cETLus; your local health and electrical inspectors have the final word.

Cleaning and maintenance that keep it holding temperature

A reach-in that holds temperature on day one can drift within months if the basics slip. Most problems trace back to a dirty condenser, a tired gasket or blocked airflow inside the cabinet.

Canadian food safety guidance generally calls for cold-held food at 4°C (40°F) or colder and frozen food at -18°C (0°F) or colder. Check with your local public health unit for the rules that apply to you, and keep a thermometer in every section rather than trusting the display alone.

• Clean the condenser coil on the schedule in the manual, and more often in greasy or floury kitchens; a coated coil makes the compressor run longer and hotter.
• Check door gaskets for tears and gaps; a strip of paper closed in the door should be held firmly all the way around.
• Keep product off the back wall and away from the evaporator fan so cold air can circulate.
• Wipe spills from shelves and the cabinet floor before they dry, using a cleaner the manufacturer approves for the interior finish.
• In a freezer, frost building up around the door or inside the cabinet often points to a gasket that no longer seals or a door left ajar; heavy frost on the coil can also mean a defrost fault that needs a service technician.
• Log temperatures as often as your food safety plan requires, and act on a slow upward trend before it becomes a failure.

Before you order

Measure every doorway, hallway, stair and elevator on the way to the final spot and compare them against the unit's crated dimensions. Confirm voltage, plug type and door swing at the same time; many reach-ins have hinges that can be reversed in the field, but not all. Special-order and freight equipment is not returnable once it has been delivered in good condition, so these checks matter.

Reach-ins ship by freight carrier. A liftgate, a delivery appointment or inside delivery needs to be arranged with Norpex before paying. Inspect the unit before you sign, note any damage on the delivery receipt and call Norpex the same day.

Each product page says whether a unit can be bought online by card or goes to a quote. Large equipment and anything that cannot be bought online is priced by a person with freight included, and quotes come back within one business day. New units carry the manufacturer's warranty, passed through in full, with terms that vary by manufacturer and product line.

Common questions