A commercial toaster can be used in a wide variety of settings from breakfast bars or cafeteria serving lines to back of the house making toast for sandwiches, breakfast plates or toast points for entrees. With a commercial toaster you can toast bread, english muffins, buns, bagels and other bread type products. When you shop for commercial toasters, you’ll usually find commercial pop-up toasters or commercial conveyor toasters. You may also find commercial toaster ovens in the toaster category of commercial cooking equipment. Both types of toasters can prepare toast for commercial applications but depending on the volume of toast you need, the amount of space you have for your kitchen equipment and how much you want to spend, one or the other will be a better fit for your operation.
For applications that have higher production needs, the conveyor toaster is typically a good decision. While these aren’t usually large appliances, you do need to allow a bit more space for a conveyor toaster than you would the pop-up toaster, but if you want to produce over 400 slices per hour then a conveyor toaster will serve you better. You can find conveyor toasters that range between 15” to 24” in width and they are typically between 18” to 26” in depth. They will also produce between 200 to 2400 slices of toast per hour, where commercial pop-up toasters range between 60 to 380 slices of toast per hour. When you get into the higher production conveyor toaster models, you need to pay attention to the electrical requirements. Lower production conveyor toasters generally require a standard 120V connection, but you may need a 208/240V outlet for a heavier-duty toaster.
When you compare conveyor toaster models to see which is the best fit for your needs, you’ll want to consider these four points:
1. Will the product you’re toasting fit in the toaster you like? The product opening for a conveyor toaster is usually anywhere from 1-1/2” to 3” and you need to be sure that whatever you are toasting will fit in the toaster you are considering. If you are toasting bread or english muffins, you won’t need to worry, but if you are toasting Texas Toast or bagels, you’ll want to be sure that the toaster opening will fit those products.
2. How long is the toasting cycle? The toasting time and texture/color of your toast will vary based on the length of your conveyor cycle time. Faster toasting time means lighter toast. If you want darker product you need a slower cycle time. Be sure that you can achieve the time that you want with the toaster you select.
3. What type of heat control does the toaster have? Conveyor toasters heat products from the top and the bottom. If you want the top and bottom of your product heated evenly, then a simple, single control is fine. If you have product that you want to have different heat applied to the top and bottom, or to potentially only toast one side, then you want to look for a conveyor toaster with independent heating controls that allow you to set the top and bottom elements differently, or to turn off one element.
4. Electrical Requirements: as with all commercial kitchen equipment pieces, be sure that you have the proper utilities available for the equipment you select. Commercial conveyor toasters are available in both 120V or 208/240V, for heavier duty models. Make sure that you have access to an outlet that meets the utility requirements of the toaster you select, in the location that it will be placed.
