Commercial refrigeration display cases are one of the most important tools in a fishmonger's arsenal. Display cases help show off your fish to customers and keep them stored during sale hours. While size, shelving and appearance are all important factors when it comes to display cases, you also need to think about the safety factor--will your chosen case keep your fish fresh and safe to eat? If you're choosing a new display case for your shop, here are 3 things to keep in mind.
Temperature
Unsurprisingly, temperature is an important factor when it comes to choosing a fish display case. Fish needs to be kept at very low temperatures to avoid dangerous deterioration and bacterial growth. Fresh fish should be stored and displayed at 0°C (with smoked fish stored 1 degree lower), so it's important that you choose a display case which can stay at this temperature reliably. It's also important to note that unrefrigerated display cases that use ice alone cannot reliably keep fish cool enough; research shows that temperatures can be significantly warmer than expected just a few inches above the ice layer.
Lighting
While lighting isn't strictly necessary, most fish display cases will come with it, and it can help show off your product. What you need to watch out for is how that lighting affects the temperature of your fish. Look for display cases with LED bulbs. LEDs run at much lower temperatures than traditional bulbs, which will prevent them from heating up the top layer of your fish to unhealthy temperatures. If you choose LEDs, you'll also be able to use more bulbs without risking your fish safety, which allows you to display your product more attractively. Make sure the temperature range of your case also accounts for the potential increase in temperature from lighting.
Humidity
As well as being kept cool, fresh fish must also be kept moist while in storage and on display. This means you'll need a case that is conducive to higher humidity levels than a typical deli case, ideally with a humidity gauge. Ice beds do a good job of keeping fish moist, but you'll need to make sure the case itself isn't causing dryness. Cases that blow cold air onto the food are not ideal for fish, because this process dries out the fish. Equally, you should avoid cases that use cooling sprays, as these can lead to excess wetness.
If you have questions about other refrigeration options, contact a company like Ian Boer Refrigeration.
Share22 August 2017
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