A good commercial can opener will make a world of difference to the staff member tasked with opening up all the number 10 cans used daily in a commercial of institutional operation. Foodservice kitchens of all types, from elementary school cafeteria kitchens to concession stands to long term care facilities and more use canned foods packaged in various sized cans on a daily basis. These foodservice kitchens will benefit from a sturdy can opener that is constructed to withstand the abuse of a busy commercial foodservice operation.
While selecting the right can opener for your business may seem simple, here are five questions you should answer before you start shopping so you get the right can opener for your busy kitchen.
1. How many cans will you be opening daily? The first thing to consider when shopping for a commercial can opener is how many cans will you be opening daily. Opening cans with a manual crank can opener is fine when you open only a few cans a day, but it’s not an efficient choice when you have 100 #10 cans that need to be opened. At that point, you’ll want to consider an automatic can opener. Also, when reviewing manual can openers, there is usually a range of cans per day listed which is a good point of reference to see if the can opener you’re considering will meet your needs.
2. What size cans do you usually purchase? Many commercial manual can openers are intended to open specific sizes of cans. When shopping for commercial can openers, you may find both manual and automatic can openers that are specifically designed to open only #10 cans as well as openers designed to open smaller cans. It’s important to know what size cans you will be opening before making a can opener purchase.
3. Are parts readily available for the can opener? Due to the frequent use of a can opener in most commercial or institutional kitchens, parts, like the blade or gear, may often need replacement. If you’re shopping and fine a can opener that is well priced because its imported, be sure to check the availability of parts before making a purchase. You don’t want to have your can opener down because you need a new knife and have to wait 4 weeks to get it.
4. Is the can opener dishwasher safe? While this may seem counterintuitive, most commercial can openers are not dishwasher safe. Our most popular manual can opener, the Edlund S-1 which is often referred to as “Old Reliable” is made of nickel plated cast aluminum, which is rust resistant, but this can opener doesn’t go in the dishwasher. For a dishwasher safe heavy-duty manual can opener, we usually recommend the Edlund S-11 all Stainless Steel Can Opener. This can opener is NSF certified and dishwasher safe, but also more costly than the S-1.
5. Where do you dispose of cans? Last, but not least, if your business opens a significant amount of cans daily, these are filling up your trash or recycling receptacles quickly as cans take up a lot of space. If you have a high volume of emptied cans, we recommend that you consider a can crusher, either manual or automatic, to reduce the space empty cans take up in your trash and potentially reducing your waste disposal expenses.
