At Short Order, we like to inject a bit of entertainment into our information each week to help highlight our fabulous selection of restaurant equipment. In keeping with that motto, this week we intend to get a little cheesy in telling you all about our variety of cheese melters. Whether your restaurant is serving elegantly topped baked potatoes, cheese fries, nachos, or any other divinely delicious dish you’ll want your cheese to follow the rules of cheese melting and not a become pile of sticky disarray.

Cheese melting can become a challenging discipline without the aid of tools such as a cheese melter. Extreme temperatures and too much time under heat can transform cheese into a stringy mess. When you have multiple orders requiring a cheesy topping, managing the melting process can become woefully inefficient. Cheese melting equipment such as the reliable APW Cheese Melter CMC-24 help getting the texture and consistency of melted cheese just right for foodstuffs such as famous grilled cheese sandwiches to a delectable fondue. Design features for the CMC-24 include a four shelf height “microswitch”, solid-state controls, instant “on/off” top quartz elements and a fan-cooled electrical compartment.

Our Cheese Melters also come in many sizes, such as the 50” wide, countertop Vulcan Cheese Melter 1048C-208/1 to the 36” wide APW Cheese Melter CMC-36. Many melters can be configured as counter mount, wall mount or pass through, making them unobtrusive yet easily accessible depending on the needs of your establishment.

Whether you want stringy, stretchy Mozzarella for that pizza pie or a viscous pour over a baked potato, cheese melters are the perfect fit to help you avoid digging through pages of instructions on how to melt cheese. Of course, we also have everything you would need for your restaurant to cook, clean, and do just about anything easily and efficiently.

Sometimes the simplest things in life are also the best. Take, for instance, a hearty breakfast of hash browns, bacon and pancakes or a juicy steak or hamburger. In most cases, there is not too much extravagance or fanfare involved in cooking up these meals. Yet, the taste of a well-cooked, simple meal will satisfy the deepest of appetites.

When it comes to restaurant equipment, nothing makes simplicity taste great like a griddle does. That’s why we love griddles. They are straightforward and help create tasty food quickly and efficiently.

At Short Order, we have a large assortment of griddles that get the job done right. For example, the Vulcan Griddle RRE24D-208/1 and the entire electric-powered, countertop RRE griddle series are heavy duty, with a stainless steel fronts and sides, allowing you to churn out order after order, day after day. The 4-inch stainless back and tapered side splashes mean you won’t have grease flying all over the place either. Speaking of grease, after seeing the 3 1/8 inch wide front grease trough that empties into a large capacity grease drawer, you’ll be tempted to summon your inner Travolta or Newton-John by singing, “You’re The One That I Want.”

Additionally, the two solid tubular incoloy heating elements and one-snap action thermostat provide good choices for the high production necessary to meet the demands of all those customers who are looking for tasty hot cakes or a lunchtime burger. While the RRE24D measures out at 24 inches wide by 24 inches deep, other models in the RRE series include sizes ranging from 24 to 72 inches in width.

In fact, the entire line of griddles in the RRE series receives 5-Star ratings and our Editor’s Choice selection here at Short Order. We also have a wide variety of electric, propane and natural gas powered griddle choices from Vulcan, and other brands such as Turbo Air, APW, Garland and Wolf. So, keep breakfast, lunch and dinner simple by ordering a powerful, commercial-style griddle today. Your customers will love it!

Nothing turns on the salivary glands like food from the backyard grill. Now you can bring that backyard taste into your restaurant with the Vulcan Char Broiler VCCB47-1-NAT. No, that’s not Dr. Spock’s own space ship. It’s just the one of the best medium-sized char broilers on the planet.

Char broilers come with basic variations. All will produce succulent meats and vegetables bearing grill marks and the undeniable flavor of the grill.

Char broilers provide two main sources of heat: radiant heat and lava rocks. Each acts as a high-temperature storage bank. You need to keep enough heat to cook those cold products, or you and your customers will be unhappily waiting. The Vulcan Char Broiler uses radiant heat and has an under burner deflector to reflect lost heat back up to the cooking service.

Broilers use gas flames to heat the radiants. Heat is distributed more evenly over radiants than lava rock, and the radiants are slanted in such a way that they limit flare ups from fat dripping. Broilers are somewhat easier to clean too. Can you smell those steaks broiling?

The Vulcan Char Broiler is a nice heavy-duty, cast-iron radiant broiler. We rated it 5 stars here at Short Order. Are those steaks done yet?

But that is not the only great item we have in our inventory. There’s a great variety of other products, perfect for warming, cooling, cooking, storing, prepping, serving and much, much more.  You can even get other great Vulcan products, from range ovens to hot plates.

Whether you are a restaurateur, restaurant equipment enthusiast or simply looking for the right place to upgrade your restaurant equipment, check out our full selection of commercial kitchen-enabling wonderworks today at www.shortorder.com!

We’re going to go ahead and challenge ourselves to step outside of our comfort zone a little bit, here, and regale you with tales of the glories of Bakers Pride ovens.  How, might you ask, is this stepping outside our comfort zone?  (Boy, we just love assuming audience questions!)  Don’t we write about the joys of using this or that product, Manitowoc ice machines one week, Vulcan ranges the next?  Well, yes, but this time it’s different.

We say this because, well, we’ve never written about Bakers Pride ovens before.  Ever.  Not once in the illustrious history of the What’s Cooking blog have we ever laid down ink (or black pixels, we should say) about these magnificent products.

Well, consider that changed.

Bakers Pride ovens can stand toe-to-toe with any of the many other excellent lines of restaurant equipment that we proudly offer here at Short Order.  Our offerings include single deck pizza ovens, double deck pizza ovens, char broilers, and more.  And, like all Bakers Pride ovens, they’re made with spectacular, nuanced attention to detail.

Consider, for example, the Bakers Pride Oven DS-805-NAT, a single-deck pizza oven that runs on natural gas, is a reliable, high-quality piece of equipment that we’ve rated five stars and designated an editor’s choice.  It’s hard to beat that endorsement, and it’s one that we proudly stand behind.

Check out our excellent selection of Bakers Pride ovens here at ShortOrder.com today!  Looking for something else besides Bakers Pride ovens?  We’ve got an array of excellent restaurant equipment designed to perfectly suit your commercial kitchen’s needs.  If it needs warming, cooling, washing, organizing, or storing, and you want it done in a kitchen, chances are we’ve got just the piece of restaurant equipment to do the job for you.  What’s more, we offer an excellent Low Price Guarantee.  Check it out today!

The Manitowoc Ice Machine SD-0302A is a top-notch piece of ice-making, restaurant kitchen-pleasing piece of restaurant equipment from Manitowoc, the leader in ice machine technology.  This particular model, a nifty head-and-bin combo number, churns out a cool (actually frozen (groan)) 325 pounds of ice cubes in any given 24-hour period.  Those cubes are dice-style, by the way.  Like many Manitowoc ice machines, the SD-0302A is renowned for its low maintenance costs and overall efficiency.

Sure, the Manitowoc Ice Machine SD-0302A is merely one Manitowoc ice machine among many, and virtually all of them are roughly equally worth of the praise we’re giving this one.  But you know what?  We just have a soft spot for this number, so we’re going to write about this one in particular.  Here’s some info about the Manitowoc Ice Machine SD-0302A:

Manitowoc Ice Machine SD-0302A: A Brief Overview

The Manitowoc Ice Machine SD-0302A is a virtually peerless machine.  Well, that is, of course, if you take all other Manitowoc ice machines out of the running. It accomplishes some amazing feats of engineering, some of which include producing large amounts of ice (see the previous paragraph) and can store 150 pounds of it at any given time, all while taking up a measly 30 inches of wall space.  That’s crucial when your restaurant kitchen space is at a premium—and, if you’re a restaurateur, or have worked in the restaurant industry, you know kitchen space is always at a premium.

Manitowoc Ice Machine SD-0302A: Leader of the Pack

The Manitowoc Ice Machine SD-0302A, along with a host of other Manitowoc ice machines, has had the honor of being designated Best in Class by Food Service Equipment Supplies Magazine.  That’s high praise, but it doesn’t stop there: The editors here at Short Order have bestowed the SD-0302A with a five-star rating, the highest we offer, and have market it as an Editor’s Choice product.  Those are designations we don’t take likely, nor toss out willy-nilly around here.

But the Manitowoc Ice Machine SD-0302A, along with an impressive array of other restaurant equipment, from here at Short Order today!

We’re proud to announce that you, the consumer, may now review how we at Short Order sell our restaurant equipment at ResellerRatings.com!  Simply visit our review page to see how our customers rated and reviewed our products and services.  Are you a customer and would like to weigh in on how we’re doing/how we did?  Great!  Head on over to our review submission survey and go to town.

At Short Order, we believe in giving excellent customer service.  That’s why we personally rate every piece of restaurant equipment we offer.  Though everything we sell is high quality, we do believe some products are better than others—hello, Manitowoc ice machines—and our editors honestly rate each product according to that belief.  If we think a product is especially worthy of praise—like with the Beverage-Air HR1-1-S—we’ll give it an Editor’s Choice designation.  It’s all part of providing the best guidance we can to our customers.

That’s also why we offer detailed specifications of each product we sell, along with a .pdf of the owner’s manual, on each product page.  We recognize restaurant equipment isn’t cheap.  Any such purchase is a big-time investment in the  future of your commercial kitchen, and we want to make sure you enter into your purchase armed with as much quality knowledge as possible.

Just because we’re willing to  go the extra mile to provide you with information and ratings—both in-house and from our customers on ResellerRatings.com—doesn’t mean we’re going to charge an arm and a leg for our commercial kitchen equipment.  We proudly stand by our Low Price Guarantee, which states that we’ll gladly beat any legitimate advertised price from a competing food service equipment dealer for every single item we carry.  We’ll do so by refunding 110% of the difference on the identical item from another dealer.

At Short Order, we’re happy to make your purchasing experience a pleasant one.

Display refrigeration can bring a whole new and enticing element to your restaurant.  If the business you operate attempts to foster a more casual atmosphere, it can be used to stock items like beverages and pre-made salads for your customers.  Traditional can benefit from it by displaying their pies, and even upscale restaurants can proudly display luxury items near their entrance as a way to entice their customers.  Who isn’t at least a little bit swayed by an elaborate display of crab legs or by beholding an outrageously extravagant, gravity-defying chocolate confection?

Display refrigerators, as you might imagine, come in a wide variety of manufacturing flavors.  Here are a few of some of our favorite models, organized by make.  (It’s almost like we’re talking about cars, here!  But no, this is an entirely different kind of eye candy.)

Beverage Air Display Refrigerators

Beverage Air makes some excellent restaurant equipment, and we’ve written about them at length before.  Chances are, if you’re a regular of this blog, you’ll know just how far our fandom goes.  With that in mind, you’ll likely not be surprised how bullish we are on their Beverage-Air Display Refrigeration CDR3 model.  Featuring a roomy, illuminated viewing area, this display refrigerator has plenty of room for your products to be on display.  Its self-closing rear service glass doors allow for easy access to the food inside, making it perfect as a serving area for delis, bakeries, and more.

True Display Refrigerators

True refrigerators don’t get as much press here as some of the other restaurant equipment manufacturers that we carry, but that doesn’t mean we don’t love them anyway.  Take the True Display Refrigeration GDM-9, for example.  This is an excellent self-service model for customers to grab drinks out of before buying them at a counter.  And at only $1,611, while featuring the latest in energy-efficient technology, the GDM-9 is sure to please your pocketbook at least as much as it will any patrons.

I’m sure you’ve heard of spring cleaning, but this year try some spring “greening!” If it’s time to replace restaurant equipment, go for Energy Star rated products, start recycling or buy recycled products, but in honor of upcoming Earth Day, take one small step to in the right direction. There are tons of opportunities to make a difference in your ecological footprint.

Why?

There are many benefits to going green! It saves you money and brings an added value to your environmentally conscious customers. They’ll feel good knowing they support an environmentally aware business.

How?

Some simple changes can make a huge difference.
- Try buying in bulk. It reduces the amount of individual packaging and trash. It can also result in lower unit cost.
- Do you serve your food in take out containers? Consider switching to washable dishware for in-house servings. If you must use a to-go container, consider using recyclable products.
- What about your light bulbs? Using an energy efficient light bulb, like an LED, will save you significantly on energy costs. So even if they are more expensive up front, the savings will pay for itself in the long run.
- Replacing equipment or buying a new piece? Make sure you buy one with an Energy Star rating. Energy Star is a government backed program that helps businesses protect the environment through superior energy efficiency. An Energy Star rating says that the equipment will offer savings on energy bills without sacrificing performance, features or comfort.
- Fix Leaks! Stop air leaks by caulking and insulating around leaking windows and doors. Repair leaky toilets or faucets
- Reduce waste by switching from paper towels in the restroom to energy efficient hand-dryers.
- Unplug computers, electronics, coffee machines, POS systems when not in use.
- Use less water and only serve water to customers upon request. Run dishwashers and washing machines only when FULL. Look into low-flow toilets, waterless urinals and tankless water heaters.
- Clean and maintain your equipment. Clean equipment runs more efficiently.
- Check your door gaskets on your equipment. The constant opening and closing of oven, steamer and refrigeration leads to wear and tear on the gaskets. Replace worn gaskets to reduce leaks of hot or cold air.
- Check your pilot lights. They are a constant use of energy in your kitchen. If the flame is taller than a couple inches or yellow in color, adjust it until it’s small and blue. Also clean the range and replace old burners to maximize efficiency.
- Carefully calculate capacity – analyze your peak demand and base your equipment capacity based on your peak demand. Remember to account for future growth as well! In general, overestimate your equipment capacity by 10-20% to make sure it will meet your needs over the 5-10 years it should last.

Oh My!

That may seem like a lot to do, but don’t feel pressure to do all of these now. Make a goal to implement just one of the above this month and rest easy knowing you are making a difference. Next month, try another. Pretty soon you’ll have a greener restaurant and a cleaner earth to pass on. Happy Greening!

Manitowoc ice machines are highly regarded in the industry for being reliable, efficient and just generally outstanding. So it should come as no surprise to hear that Manitowoc was recently recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a 2010 Energy Star Partner of the Year.

A joint program of the EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Star was started in 1992 is used all over the world to standardize energy-efficient consumer products, from refrigerators to televisions. Energy Star aims to help people “save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices,” according to their website. In fact, Americans saved enough energy in just 2009, according to Energy Star, to avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to emissions from 30 million cars. Additionally, they saved almost $17 million on utility bills. There are huge advantages to buying Energy Star-rated products.

Manitowoc ice machines are efficient and environmentally-friendly. The EPA’s naming of Manitowoc as a 2010 Energy Star Partner of the Year recognizes that the manufacturer makes outstanding contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and helps educate consumers about energy-efficient products.

In response to the EPA’s recognition, Manitowoc president Mike Kachmer said, “We’re not just selling an ice machine or fryer; we’re going beyond to address customer needs such as energy conservation, operating efficiency, and culinary R&D. It is an honor to have our on-going efforts recognized by the EPA.”

Manitowoc Ice Machines

Looking to buy energy-efficient, reliable Manitowoc ice machines for your restaurant or bar? ShortOrder.com is the best place to buy them. Our Low Price Guarantee means that you’re getting your order for the lowest price possible. We’re proud to offer an impressive selection of Manitowoc ice machines such as the Manitowoc Ice Machine QD-0132A-208, an undercounter unit that produces full-size, dice-style ice cubes at the rate of 90-130 pounds per 24-hour period. The Manitowoc Ice Machine SD-1402A/B-970-208/1 is five-star rated and the recipient of an Editor’s Choice award. This head-and-bin combo unit produces 1160 pounds of dice-sized cubes per 24-hour production period, a great amount of ice for busy restaurants and bars. Find more ice machines and other restaurant equipment at ShortOrder.com.