Bagels Too Crusty? Over-proofing? Drying out inside your walk-in box? Don't be too quick to blame these conditions on the baker, the yeast, or the flour.These are symptoms of refrigeration problems.Your walk-in box may not have been installed correctly...or it may need repair.Or you may not even have the right equipment for refrigerating bagels. For bagels, you absolutely, positively, without a doubt need a low velocity coil.Keeping milk, cheeses, and meat cold in a box is easy.They come in refrigerated, and all your box has to do is maintain the temperature.But bagels go in at 90 to 110 degrees, and your box has to work to bring that temperature down, anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour.If it's a heavy production day, and you have racks entering the walk-in box every half hour - or hour - you'll soon have so many racks in there your compressor and your coil just can't bring the temperature down.By the time you've loaded your fifth rack - because it never got down to the correct temperature - the first rack is still raising.It's going to be over-proofed, or blown. A walk-in box is not a refrigerator.All it does is retard the yeast in bagels.Bagels keep a maximum of three days in a walk-in box - then they start to look over-proofed, and when the bagels are baked, you'll see blisters. Many boxes are still using R-12 refrigerant, which is now against the law in most states.If you have a problem with your box, by law your refrigeration man can put only R-22 in there.Your system will have to be converted to R-22, and that will take hours.Normally, if you're down, and it's just a refrigerant problem, you're back up and running within a half hour.We suggest while you have the time - like planned surgery - get it done before something serious happens.Naturally, when it doesn't happen, it will be when you're busiest - like on a Sunday morning. The refrigeration guy has to know what he's doing.The person selling you the equipment has to know what he's doing.And you have to know what you're doing!Are you going to use it all for bagels, or bagels and cream cheese and milk?Will somebody be going in and out of the box all day?Do you plan to do wholesale?Remember, the refrigeration man is just doing the mechanical work.He'll put the unit together, run the lines, and put in the refrigerant.And when it doesn't work for you, he'll say:"The manufacturer gave you a bad compressor;" "They gave you the wrong one;""They sized this up wrong;" or any number of things.The compressor and the coil have to be identically matched - otherwise it's useless.Your refrigeration run will also be a factor, because if you're running 100; to a rooftop or outside or even in the basement, 100' of refrigerant line must be accounted for. You have to know what size line to increase to carry the flow of refrigerant back and forth. Here are a few tips.Never put a compressor on top of a walk-in box in a bagel store.The heat will just kill it!Stay away from water cooled units, because your water bill will be astronomical.When you're building your shop, figure out what you're going to be using the box for.If someone's going to be going in and out all day, loading up your beverages cases, that will have a big effect on temperature.And if you think you might someday want to go wholesale, you're much better off installing a compressor and blower that can handle the additional requirements while you're building the place.Spend the extra money.It'll save you money and trouble in the long run. There are a lot of things to consider when sizing up you walk-in box...and only a knowledgeable equipment company and refrigeration expert can help you out.Call us, and we'll recommend somebody for you. You may reprint this article provided it stays intact and this message along with my email address and website are included.
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