Wallin Foodservice Resources

Prices seem to be going up on everything, but the budget’s the budget, right? It’s easy to be tempted to invest in a lesser imitation to get by in the short term, but it’s not much of an investment if it needs to be replaced far sooner than it should. Wouldn’t it be great if you didn’t have to compromise quality for affordability? Sometimes you don’t. Check out these high-value options from some of the best brands in foodservice. Food Pans, Storage Containers, and Seal Covers by Cambro What they’re famous for: There’s a reason that the brand name Cambro is synonymous with food storage containers that last and last. Known for durability, visibility, and a tight seal that prolongs shelf life, Cambro Camwear food pans , storage containers , and seal covers are a staple for cold and ambient applications. They also do what metal can’t: prep, store, transport, and serve all in one pan. How to get these benefits for less: Like Camwear pans and food storage containers, Cambro Tran...

Consumers ate a LOT of frozen food in 2020. According to Supermarket News , frozen food sales in 2020 were up 21% in dollars and 13.3% in units over 2019. Packaged food sales also got a big boost (up to 87.5% the week of March 15, 2020) as fresh food supply chains felt the strain of the pandemic. After that experience, we’ve gained a whole new appreciation of fresh food and connection to our local communities, which sets the table for farm-to-fork concepts to thrive like never before. Whether you feature just a few farm-to-table menu items or an entire menu that is locally sourced, consumers are hungry for fresh, nutritious, flavorful food that helps support the local economy. Unlike foods that are picked before they are ripe so they can travel up to thousands of miles before consumption, locally grown produce is picked at its peak ripeness. This practice ensures the most flavorful and nutritious product, which is a good thing, but it can impact shelf life. Here are a few ways to...

Tools and Equipment to Protect Food Safety During Prep For the third part of our food safety series, we will be looking at risky areas of prep that may be hiding in plain sight. As we’ve mentioned in prior posts, most foodborne illnesses are caused by one of the following three things: time and temperature abuse, poor personal hygiene, or cross-contamination.   Food is especially vulnerable to all these hazards during prep, since it is often exposed to ambient temperatures, other foods, human hands, and other potential contaminants. The good news is that a wide variety of prep tools and equipment were designed specifically to make the job of protecting food safety a lot easier. Here are a few of our favorites. Mercer Millenia ® Colors for Color-Coding and Allergen Management Valuable components of any HACCP system that are easy for employees to use, these essential prep tools sport color-coded handles for dedicated use applications such as produce, poultry, or meats, to reduc...

  Cutting Costs with Knife Ownership Vs. Rental Mercer Culinary recently spoke with an operations manager for a busy, multi-unit family dining group with 20 fast casual units. Having good tools for slicing buns and chopping vegetables is essential to supporting their sandwich-based menu. They had been using a knife rental service, but with multiple operating units, the costs of renting quickly added up. They also realized inherent drawbacks of low-quality blades and hidden costs of renting, so they decided it was time to explore the idea of knife ownership and an in-house sharpening program instead.   When presented with the cost benefit tool provided by Mercer Culinary, they found the savings to be immediate and impressive. “We found that in one year, the real savings was over $20,000,” shared Chad M., operations manager for the group. These savings directly impact the bottom line in an industry where every nickel counts. In fact, Mercer Culinary has developed tools ...